In Christ, I Am

Accepted, secure and significant.

In Christ, I am accepted …

John 1:12 — I am God’s child.

John 15:15 — As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 — I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17 — I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27 — I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:3-8 — I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14 — I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10 — I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16 — I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

In Christ, I am secure …

Romans 8:1-2 — I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28 — I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31-39 — I am free from any condemnation brought against me, and I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 — I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.

Colossians 3:1-4 — I am hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 1:6 — I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.

Philippians 3:20 — I am a citizen of heaven.

2 Timothy 1:7 — I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

1 John 5:18 — I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me.

In Christ, I am significant …

John 15:5 — I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine and a channel of His life.

John 15:16 — I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 — I am God’s temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 — I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

Ephesians 2:6 — I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10 — I am God’s workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12 — I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13 — I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

The God Of New Beginnings

God offers a fresh start for his people that will never end.

Genesis 8:1-4 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. 2 The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. 3 So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days, 4 exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Genesis 8:15-20 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Leave the boat, all of you--you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. 17 Release all the animals--the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground--so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth." 18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. 19 And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.

---

Ever wish for a new start? Imagine living in a world without another family that goes to church, where nobody else agrees with your views of morality or politics, a world that is so full of evil that even God wants to start over.

It is easy to read through Genesis real quick and fail to realize the difficult circumstances that Noah lived under. This one man's faith stands out in in a world where no one else has any concern for God or about having his favor.

We don't know how God's favor was displayed or whether his neighbors knew that Noah had favor but I imagine there was a lot of peer pressure for Noah and his family to join in and live like everybody else. When Cain knew that God's favor was on his brother Abel it made him furious so I imagine that Noah's neighbors probably didn't like him or his family.

Just to make things really interesting God asked Noah to do crazy things that would test his faith. To put his faith into action Noah had to build something that has never been built for an event that has never happened before. (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah Teaches Us:

We should be obedient even if nobody else is. The pressure to be like everybody else must have been intense. Their sons must have wondered "why can't we do what our friends do?" We should have faith that can be seen and heard by our neighbors. Noah's faith in what was unseen caused him to be obedient in ways that can be clearly seen by his neighbors but they were also warned by Noah as he told them why he was building something so crazy. We should wait on God despite the circumstances. It looked good outside after the flood, the birds proved that there was dry ground, but they didn't leave until God told them to. We should worship God because he has given us favor. How can you not worship when you realize how many people were killed and the fact that you are just as sinful as they and deserving of the same judgement yet God spared you? We should be aware that things are going to get much worse. The wickedness on earth was probably greater than it is today. There is a greater percentage of people that have God's favor on the earth today than there was in Noah's day. We should not forget how prone we are to do wrong. Even the best of men are weak and liable to fall, when those eight people got off the boat sin came along with them, Noah got drunk and one of his sons disrespected him and made fun of his shameful behavior. We should look to the sky for only one sign. Many people look to the stars and planets for information but the rainbow is the only thing that God put in the sky that we need to look to. We should be ready for the day of final judgement. Noah was protected from God's wrath as a reminder to us that God's people will be out of here before the final judgement that will be by fire.

Noah and his family would get to live in a fresh environment that had been cleansed from man's wickedness, it sounds like a dream come true but these eight people knew that while they escaped punishment there were millions of lives that were lost outside of the ark.

Their fresh start wasn't perfect, the floods washed away sin from the earth but it didn't cleanse the heart of mankind, the eight people that got off the ark still had a sin nature that would continue to challenge them as they tried to live to please God.

2 Corinthians 5:15, 17 He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Jesus left the glory of Heaven to have a new beginning with us, this was certainly not a fresh start, he endured life in this broken world so that we could have a new beginning in this life and in the next.

My first new beginning is in this life. It is very much like Noah's do over, he experienced God's mercy and grace because he had favor with God. God's grace and mercy have given me favor with him through my belief in Jesus as my only way to get to Heaven.

If God's purpose was to fill the earth with the glory of his righteousness, then we must conclude one of two things: God is a failure or God is preparing for something greater in the future.

-John Piper

My next new beginning will be the last. Unlike the other new beginning in the Bible, this one will be final and the changes that it brings will last forever. God's purpose for creating man will finally come to pass, man will fill the earth with God's glory and worship him with pure hearts for eternity.

God will take up his bow and judge the world. We need to share the good news that God has given us a season of mercy, he has put his bow in the sky pointed away from us, but this season will come to an end without warning.

God's people will be taken away to a new beginning in a glorious kingdom and Satan and his children will begin a new existence separated forever from God. Are you ready?

RELATED ARTICLES

Life and Death in the New World (gty.org)
God's Covenant With Noah (desiringgod.org)

Say Amen

It's only by God's grace I'm standing here today.

Video: Matthew West "Amen"

Hey hey preacher man

Do you mind if I borrow that mic? (Uh-huh!)

You been talking 'bout

How everybody got a story

Here is mine

I was so lost, I was so lost

But now I'm found, yeah, yeah

Hey hey preacher man

Let's take a walk down by the river

Let the holy water wash over me

'Cause now that I've been delivered

I want the whole world

To know that I'm a new man now

And it's only by God's grace

I'm standing here today

If you're feeling what I'm feeling

Let me hear you say amen

If you're a new creation, amen

If you got that feel good in your soul

That hope that won't let you go

If you're feeling what I'm feeling

Let me hear you say amen

Every time I look back over my shoulder

I can see the life He saved me from

Every time I look back over my shoulder

I can see the life He saved me from

Thank God

Hey Church, now you see

This little light of mine

Well, my question is a simple one (Who's next?)

Come get it loud

I'm talking one by

I'm talking one by, one by one

Gonna testify

That it's only by God's grace

We're standing here today

If you're feeling what I'm feeling

Let me hear you say amen

If you're a new creation, amen

If you got that feel good in your soul

That hope that won't let you go

If you're feeling what I'm feeling

Let me hear you say amen

If you're a new creation, amen

If you got that feel good in your soul

That hope that won't let you go

If you're feeling what I'm feeling

Let me hear you say amen

New Life From Nothing

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

God took my nothing and created a new life, I didn't have anything good to help him out, what you see now was done completely on his own. My pride, my old passions, the things that I thought were important are all gone, God made a new man out of nothing. Amen!

Life Or Death

Have you died to this world so that you can be fruitful?

 

John 12:24-26  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives.

25  Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

26  Anyone who wants to be My disciple must follow Me, because My servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves Me.

---

The main story of the Bible is a story of love and redemption, love that was so extreme that it paid a huge price to rescue us, from Genesis to Revelation we get to know God and his sacrificial love for man.

God called the nation of Israel to be set apart as his chosen people, a people that would demonstrate God's love and point the nations to his salvation but they did not follow through. Instead they became prejudice and narrow minded, they stayed focused inward and they wouldn't live for God and glorify him. Sounds a lot like God's people today!

They didn't see themselves as a missionary organization that would share God's message of love and redemption. God's plan to save people from every tribe, tongue and nation around the world was opposed by his own people that were supposed to help accomplish God's ultimate goal but instead they became a hindrance.

They opposed God's mission for themselves in the Old Testament and now they stand opposed to God's mission for Jesus. The King enters Jerusalem and the expectation is high that he will start doing King stuff but instead he starts talking about death. He talks about his own death and the death of the people that follow him. How will he ever get people to follow him with this kind of talk and how can all of this dying be a good thing?

Jesus death caused new fruit to be produced

Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.

Our sins against God are capital offenses with God Himself as our judge, and according to divine law our crimes deserve the death penalty. By shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserve and offered us His righteousness and became our substitute.

Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 that he “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” By his sacrificial death he made it possible for us to be righteous, our sins have been paid for, without Jesus death Heaven would be a lonely place completely free of any human.

The seed had to die, it has been planted and now the fields are full of a bountiful crop ready to be harvested.

Our death causes new fruit to be produced

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 

And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.

Do you realize what happens when the fields are harvested? The produce dies, and after the produce dies the seed from the fruit is planted again and then there is an even greater increase in production. Jesus death was the first seed which produced many more seeds and now as each of us dies to ourselves we produce many more seeds.

“Getting rid of the ‘self-life’ is like peeling an onion: layer upon layer—and a tearful process!” -A. T. Pierson

Jesus asks us to see our life here the way that he sees it. Do you hate your life in this world, do you hate what your life is, full of its sin and self-centered and godlessness? Are you willing to abandon what the world has to offer? Have you really died to yourself or are you holding onto the controls?

Those are difficult questions to ponder, our insecurity and fear get in the way of allowing somebody else to be 100% in control, it probably isn't possible to go all the way.

Count The Cost
Luke 14:27-28  And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

As the Bible tells us, it isn't enough to believe in Jesus, the demons do that and yet they don't surrender control of their life to him. That's where dying to self comes in.

Death to self sounds like a high price to pay, that is why Jesus warned us to consider how much he is asking and what is required to take up your cross and follow him. It is better for the cause of Christ that you don't start and then fall away, unbelievers will look at your life as an example of why they shouldn't bother to trust in Jesus, they get the wrong impression of what following Jesus looks like.

Jesus didn't die to offer us a comfortable, wealthy "best life now." If I love my life in this world then I will live for this life and I will live for the same things that unbelievers live for but if I die to myself and live for Jesus then I will be a another planted seed that will produce a plentiful harvest of new lives.

(1 Corinthians 15:20, Colossians 3:3-4, 1 John 2:15-17, Romans 6:5-8)

RELATED ARTICLES

Ten Reasons Jesus Came To Die (crossway.org)

Why Did Jesus Have To Die? (carm.org)

Four Things Jesus Didn't Die For (thegospelcoalition.org)

God's Children Behave Differently

A sinful lifestyle isn't a good thing.

1 John 3:1, 9-10 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.

9  Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God.

10  So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

---

A child of God has a look about him, it is different from the look that the rest of the world has, when the world sees him they should see somebody whose behavior doesn't make any sense.

God loves his children so much that he sent Jesus to defeat the devil's plans for our destruction and make it possible to restore the relationship that was lost in the Garden of Eden. His love for us compelled him to adopt us into his family and give us all of the benefits that natural born children receive.

Now that I am God's child, it is difficult to live the way the rest of the world does with God living inside of me, God doesn't let his children misbehave without pursuing them, the Holy Spirit is at work in me letting me know what is wrong. Christ in us and sin in us is the most incompatible situation that there can be. (Colossians 1:27) 

Don't Abuse Grace

Romans 6:1-2, 11-12  Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace?  2  Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.  12  Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.

A sinful lifestyle is a reliable indicator that a person is not the child of God that they claim to be. It is clear in scripture that the only way to receive the free gift of salvation is to receive it without any good works attached but it is also clear that a child of God will behave differently from the rest of the world.

We have been completely transformed! It isn't just a change in status or a new destination after we leave this world, our nature and our desires have been changed, our behavior in this world will be changed as well.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15  Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  15  He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

We have been called a new creation, people that are slaves to righteousness and people that are busy doing the good works that God has planned for us. Salvation is not just a change in status, it is a change in nature, it is a change in how we live, how we think and how we speak. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:22, Ephesians 2:8-10)

Colossians 3:1-3  Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand.  2  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  3  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

Satan loves to deceive us into thinking that we can hold on to the world and love our sinful ways and still be a child of God. God's people submit and obey what he told us in his word, our behavior should be increasingly more like Jesus as we grow more like him.

There are so many people that want to cling to the promises of scripture but they don't want to have anything to do with the demands of scripture. They want to know that their life after death is taken care of while they live this life to please themselves.

Help me Lord to live to please you. Keep me from believing that this life is all about me and help me do the good works that you designed me for so that you will be glorified. (Matthew 5:16)

RELATED ARTICLES

Why We Obey (thegospelcoalition.org)

Do You REALLY Get It? (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Trust And Obey (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Living As Jesus Did

Are you living life God's way or your way?

1 John 2:3-6  And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments.  4  If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.   

5  But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him.  6  Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

---

Most of us remember being separated from our parents in a large store when we were young. They told you not to wonder away from them but you disobeyed and now you are standing there all alone in a panic.

All of a sudden you realize that you cannot do life without them. This brief encounter makes it obvious to you that you are helpless without them and you swear that for now on you will stick to them like glue. How long does that last before you start to drift apart from them again?

We treat God the same way, he tells us how to live and that we should stick by his side but then we decide to wonder off and before too long we find ourselves in a panic. Living life our way seems like fun for a while but then something happens and we don't know what to do. We know that if we live the way that Jesus told us to live then we will have the peace and security that we desire to have in this crazy world.

The Bible makes it clear that we cannot do anything to earn a ticket to heaven but it also makes it clear that getting a ticket to heaven isn't the end of the story. We don't get to behave the way that we want just because of grace. We don't get a free ride just because we said a special prayer. In case you overlooked 1 John 2:6 let me show it to you again:

"Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did."

How can you think that you know him when it doesn't have an effect on the way you live? Do you really understand what Jesus did for you?

Obedience Matters
Psalms 119:4-8  You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully.  5  Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees!  6  Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with Your commands.  7  As I learn Your righteous regulations, I will thank You by living as I should!  8  I will obey Your decrees. Please don't give up on me!

It is disturbing to me that many people die that didn't have any signs in their lifestyle that they "knew Him," their life didn't show any signs of a relationship with God, they were not obedient to God's commands yet their family suddenly gets all spiritual about them after they are gone. Do we have any reason to believe that they really "knew Him" and that their eternal destiny is heaven?

Human nature wants to live life to satisfy our own desires until life throws something difficult at us but for those who really know God, their love for him will bring about obedience, their lives will become increasingly like the life of Christ.

The best thing for us to do is to obey God but first we have to get to know God and know what he expects from us. The Bible makes it clear that if we really understand who we are and how bad our situation is while we are lost in our sin then obedience to God's rules won't be optional. If we really understand who God is and get to know him and realize how much he did for us then it must have an impact on the way we live.

Help me Lord to fully comprehend how much you did for me that I could never do for myself. Only then will I desire to obey you completely.

More scripture on love and obedience: John 14:15, 14:21-24, 14:31, 15:10, 21:17

Live In The Light

We need to be concerned about who we are making happy.

Ephesians 5:6-14  Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him.  7  Don't participate in the things these people do.

8  For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!  9  For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.  10  Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

11  Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.  12  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.  13  But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,  14  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

John 8:12  Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

---

There are a lot more people in this world that are living to please themselves than there are that try to live to please God. It can be easy to be fooled into thinking that it really doesn't matter very much how I live but the entire Bible tells me that isn't correct. From cover to cover the message of the Bible to God's people is that he wants them to be different.

Ever since man was created, God has desired to have fellowship with us, but we cannot allow ourselves to be involved in the sins that the world gets wrapped up in and think that we will be able to maintain a close personal relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13  "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases Him, and love Him and serve Him with all your heart and soul.  13  And you must always obey the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

Before we began following Jesus we were in the dark, intellectually we were ignorant and morally we were evil, we could not help but do what pleases ourselves. The devil has plenty of delightful tricks to get us to stay in the dark, that's where he wants to keep us, it is so much "fun" that we won't even realize that we are in the dark.

Living in light means living in truth and living in holiness, living to find out what pleases God, the light exposes the devils tricks and the lies that he tells you about how good life is in the dark. God's way is best, he has our best interest at heart, he wants to give us life more abundantly and he wants to change our eternal destination.

Before we became God's children we were living in a dark cave without any source of light. We couldn't know which way to go, we couldn't see to take care of ourselves, we were hopeless to do anything without the light.Then we get rescued from that hopeless environment and the next thing you know we go running back into the cave. It is amazing that we think that there is something better for us back in the dark.

Turn away from evil.

Titus 2:12-14  And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,  13  while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.  14  He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Light and dark don't mix and so the the characteristics, if you're going to walk as a child of light, goodness, righteousness, truth cannot mix with the evil, unrighteous lies of the children of the dark. We are told not to do the things that they do and we are to shine our light so that it exposes the shameful things that they are doing.

I must be determined to shine my light in this dark world. It is a crime for a lighthouse to be out of service when the storms of life are raging and people desperately need the hope of Jesus.

Out With The Old, In With The New

God's children shouldn't look like the rest of the world.

Ephesians 4:21-24  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him,  22  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.   

23  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  24  Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 5:6-7 Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him.  7  Don't participate in the things these people do.

---

The new church in Ephesus needed instruction on what their new life in Jesus should look like. The new Greek converts came from a different religious background that included many different gods. Paul told the new church that it is the responsibility of the leader of this new church to instruct them on this new way of life.

As a child of God in this sinful world, you don't have any choice, you have to live among the people that you probably used to be like. You thought like them and partied like them but once you came to Jesus things should be different. That old life-style is not compatible with someone who has seen the truth about Jesus. The worldly way is ignorant about God and his desire for their life, they are busy taking care of their own passions, their happiness is all that matters.

Colossians 3:10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.

That's my goal, to become more like God, putting off the old man and putting on the new man. There should be a dramatic difference in my life-style when I come to know Christ, I now have a foundation for truth and for moral values, I should have new desires.

As a child of God we have the mind of Christ, we understand that the world's promise of pleasure and happiness is an empty lie, our enlightened minds require us to live different, we must throw off our old sin nature and be renewed by the Holy Spirit. My thoughts and attitudes cannot be the same as they used to be.

Ephesians 4:30  And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is not to be taken lightly and it is very dangerous to continue chasing after the desires of the old man and ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God in us attempting to lead us to be dead to the world; yet we go on with our plans of financial gain. We continue to pursue the folly of fashion and vanity and deck ourselves out in the best apparel. We continue to chase after the next thrill and indulge ourselves when this isn't the appropriate life-style for God's children.

The Holy Spirit is there to help me know right from wrong and help me to become more like God. When I yield to his control I will become more like my heavenly father which is what I am supposed to become.

Lord help me to keep my eyes on what is really important. I want to protect the new man and help him to continue to grow. Keep me from the deception of my sin nature.

Walk Worthy

Does my walk show the world that I appreciate God's blessings? 

Ephesians 4:1  I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.

---

The first three chapters of Ephesians are full of truth about our resources, riches, and the things God has done for us. It is amazing to read through the beginning of Ephesians with a highlighter to mark all of the incredible things that God has done for us.

From chapter four until the end of the book in chapter six Paul tells his readers that because of the amazing things that have been done we need to walk worthy! We need to live up to the high calling that God has placed on our lives.

You know how the media loves a story of somebody that is royalty that has embarrassed their family and their position. They are not their own person in Paul makes it clear that we need to walk a different walk and live up to our position in Christ. Paul teaches this in many of his letters and he doesn't just ask us to live worthy of our position, it's not just a good idea or a suggestion, he is actually begging us.

Listen to Paul's message in some of his other letters, "I plead with you to give your bodies to God, I urge you to imitate me, we plead, 'Come back to God!' and again he says "We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you"

There needs to be perfect harmony between who I am and how I live, if I do not walk worthy then God is not being glorified in my life, in fact instead of being glorified he is being torn down. Other people cannot believe that he did incredible things for me if what he did for me doesn't have an effect on how I live.

Look what He's done for me!
✔  Blessed us with all spiritual blessing ✔  Chose us before the foundation of the world ✔  Made us to be holy, to be blameless ✔  Predestined us ✔  Adopted us to praise him ✔  Given us redemption and forgiveness ✔  Made known to us the mystery of His will ✔  Give us an inheritance ✔  Granted to us the Holy Spirit ✔  Given us resurrection power

Thank you for for all of the amazing things that you have done for me. I pray that my life will show how much I appreciate the gift of salvation and the many blessings that you bestow on your children.

God Doesn't Have Favorites

God chose to use Israel as a tool to reveal himself.

Ephesians 2:11-13  Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called "uncircumcised heathens" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.  12  In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  13  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.

Deuteronomy 10:16-19  Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.  17  "For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.  18  He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.  19  So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

---

Ever since the original sin people have been very good at putting up barriers, throughout world history you can see the barriers between ourselves and those around us and the boxes that we put each other in, it is a part of our sin nature that affects every relation that we have. Sin creates hate, bitterness, strife, fighting, war, conflict, there's only one thing that ruins the possibility of having a perfect human relationship.

There are so many labels that could be put on a person, labels that were intended to show superiority and human pride, this was a major problem throughout the Bible:

✔ You can hear some pride in King David's voice when he said in 1 Samuel 17:26: "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine?"

✔ You can hear the Gentile contempt for the Jews when you listen to Pilate. "I surely am not a Jew am I?" (John 18:35)

✔ Check out this interaction between Paul and an angry crowd of Jews: "But the Lord said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'" 22 The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, "Away with such a fellow! He isn't fit to live!" 23 They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air. (Acts 22:21-23)

The Jews had distorted the fact that God chose them as a tool to reveal himself to the world, instead of showing the world a better way of living and drawing attention to God they decided that they would use God's favor on them to justify elevating themselves over everybody else. They ignored a lot of facts in the Old Testament that showed that God was for everybody:

✔ God said that they would be a blessing to others, not superior and condescending to others (Genesis 12:2)

✔ Abraham went to Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a non-Jew and a priest of God.  Melchizedek made it clear that the Jews didn't have God all to themselves, he feared and worshiped God and since he was a priest he received an offering from Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20)

✔ Why was God concerned that righteous people would perish in Sodom and Gomorrah if he was only the God of the Jews? (Genesis 18:20)

✔ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law and non-Jew was convinced that he knew God (Exodus 18:10-12)

✔ God told his people through the prophet Isaiah that the Jews didn't have a lock on God and God said that his house would be a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:3, Isaiah 56:6-8 )

✔ Rahab and Ruth, how about these important non-Jews in Jesus' genealogy?

✔ And don't forget about God's concern for the Assyrians that were living in Nineveh. God loved them but Jonah couldn't stand the idea of going to their city and having a revival.

God never said that salvation belonged only to the Jews. Their special privilege was supposed to be a witness to the nations that would draw everyman to God. Their lifestyle should have made the world take notice and it should have given the Jews an opportunity to explain why they are different. Instead of that it became an excuse for carnal, selfish pride and thoughts of superiority.

Does your life honor God?
Romans 2:23-24  You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.  24  No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.

The Apostles had an uphill battle convincing the early church that they were all equal and that everybody is and always have been standing on level ground. Imagine all of these different groups of people having to go to worship and having to go to dinner together.

The New Testament teaches that we, the church, are supposed to be different. We are to walk in love, live by the spirit our conversation and our way of life should be totally different from the rest of the world. (Matthew 5:16) Our world should notice the difference that Jesus has made and then we will have opportunities to explain why.

Thank you Lord for giving me a new life. May I never look at the world and fail to have compassion I want them to be drawn to you and wonder why I am different.

Related articles

• Unity Of The Body - Part 1 (gty.org)
• Unity Of The Body - Part 2 (gty.org)
• Living With Eternity In Sight
  Living With Eternity In Sight
  Living With Eternity In Sight
  Living With Eternity In Sight (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

This Dead Man Is Now Alive

Jesus gives life to those that were doomed to die.

Ephesians 2:1-6  Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.  2  You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.   

3  All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.  4  But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much,  5  that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)   

6  For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.

---

The best way to describe me before I put my faith in Jesus is that I was dead. Sure I had some life in me, I was walking around and using up oxygen and would probably continue to do so for a little while but even if that life lasted for one hundred years that isn't very much compared to how long I will be dead.

I was just like the rest of the world, living for my own pleasure and making decisions that pleased the devil instead of pleasing God. Ephesians 2:2 is a little bit scary to think about, the thought that I was taking my orders from the devil and doing what pleases him, to consider that I was allowing the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" to be in control of my life is a bit unsettling. I don't like to think that I could be so deceived that I would allow the one that is the source and the leader of all of the wickedness that is in this world and in the unseen world to be my leader as well.

I was doomed in this state of hopelessness because I could not cover the penalty of my sin and I couldn't make better choices and live a better life without God's help. All of us live for self and God has every right to leave us in the dead state that we are in but his mercy and love rose up and made a way for us to avoid his anger and his demand for perfection.

Buried with Christ.
Colossians 2:12-13  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.  13  You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.

Since I was already a dead man I needed to be buried but I didn't want to stay there for long. I was buried with Christ when I was baptized and then immediately after the burial I was raised from the dead. That's how it was for Jesus, he didn't stay among the dead for long before God brought him back to life, I will not stay dead for long before I begin my new life in heaven with my Savior.

I will live a new life in heaven but I also should live a new life here on earth, I had to make a change, I have taken the controls away from the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" and given them to God.

Thank you Lord for breaking the power of the "commander of the powers in the unseen world" and for giving me new life!

He's Alive! Now I'm Alive!

God's mercy brought new life that will last for eternity.

Citizens - Made Alive

I once was dead in sin

Alone and hopeless.

A child of wrath I walked

Condemned in darkness.

But Your mercy brought new life

And in Your love and kindness,

Raised me up with Christ

And made me righteous.

You have bought me back

With the riches of,

Your amazing grace

And relentless love.

I'm made alive forever,

With You, life forever

By Your grace I'm saved

(By Your grace I'm saved)

Lord, You are the light,

That broke the darkness.

You satisfy my soul,

When I am heartless. My true identity,

Show me who I am,

And help me to believe.

You have bought me back

With the riches of,

Your amazing grace

And relentless love.

I'm made alive forever,

With You, life forever

By Your grace I'm saved

(By Your grace I'm saved)

My sin has been erased,

I'll never be the same.

My sin has been erased,

I'll never be the same.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

I Am Redeemed

I’ve got a new name, a new life and a hope that will carry me home!

Seems like all I can see was the struggle

Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past

Bound up in shackles of all my failures

Wondering how long is this gonna last

Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son

stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”

I am redeemed, You set me free

So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains

Wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be

I am redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy

Named by the voice of my shame and regret

But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”

I remember oh God, You’re not done with me yet

I don’t have to be the old man inside of me

Cause his day is long dead and gone

I’ve got a new name, a new life I’m not the same

And a hope that will carry me home

Big Daddy Weave "Redeemed"

Ephesians 1:3-8 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Related articles

• Finished! (harvest.org)
• One With Christ (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
• Watch And Pray (devotionsfordisciples.com)
• Christ Gave Us A New Nature (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
• Good Friday (wisdomhunters.com)
• Sin And Grace Cannot Agree (thedailyspurgeon.com)
• The Mindset Of A Christ Follower (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Christ Gave Us A New Nature

Putting on your new nature is like putting on new clothes.

Colossians 3:10-17  Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.  11  In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.   

12  Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  13  Make allowance for each others faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.  14  Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.  15  And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16  Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.  17  And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

---

It is difficult to imagine what life would be like as a slave and to live without freedom to make your own decisions. God didn't create man to live that way, he had every right to, he could have created us so that we had no choice but to do things exactly the way that he says that they should be done, after-all his way is the right way.

The Bible tells us to become like him, we are told to clothe ourselves with the character traits that will help us do that, which outfit will you put on? Will you wear your old clothes of selfishness, envy and greed or will you put on the bright new clothes that Jesus put in your closet?

You get to decide what to wear, it is your choice to do things God's way and to take on the characteristics that please him, God doesn't force himself on us. God and Jesus have given us instructions on how to live a rewarding and fulfilling life, they have told us what the best way is but we don't have to live that way, we get to make our own decisions.

It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what your past looks like or where you come from or who your parents are, we all have the same opportunity to make the choice to live to please him. We all get to decide whether Christ is all that matters or if we are going to continue to live to please ourselves.

Jesus is our example

1 Peter 2:21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

Have you every wondered why Jesus spent thirty-three years on this planet if he really only came so that he could be crucified for our sins? Couldn't he have come down and been killed a lot faster and paid the price for my freedom?

Jesus didn't only come to save me from my sins but he also came so that he could show me a new lifestyle. Jesus was the perfect example , he showed me what it looks like to live with mercy, humility, gentleness, and patience. Jesus showed me how to suffer and how to forgive those that are responsible for your suffering.

Second Chances

The cross changes everything for us.

Rend Collective Experiment - Second Chances

My future hangs on this

You make preciousness from dust

Please don't stop creating me

Your blood offers the chance

To rewind to innocence

Reborn, perfect as a child

CHORUS:

Oh Your cross, it changes everything

There my world begins again with You

Oh Your cross, it's where my hope restarts

A second chance is Heaven's heart

When sin and ugliness

Collide with redemption's kiss

Beauty awakens by romance

Always inside this mess

I have found forgiveness

Mercy as infinite as You

Countless second chances

We've been given at the cross

Fragments of brokenness

Salvaged by the art of grace

You craft life from our mistakes

Black skies of my regrets
Outshone by this kindness
New life dawns over my soul

---

Our world needs change that's for sure but the part that confuses people is where the change needs to begin. There are all kinds of man made ideas about how to change things, everything from politics to social reform, the same things that man has been trying for centuries but the source of change that we need is found in the Bible.

God's word tells us about the real change that we need, the change that gave me a bright future, it also changed the way that I live and how I treat others, these are the kind of changes that the world is longing for.

Thank you Lord for your kindness that changes everything.

I Am Dying To Have A New Life

Death is a beautiful thing in God's eyes.

Colossians 2:12  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

Colossians 3:1-4  Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand.  2  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  

3  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  4  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.

---

Most of us like babies, seeing a new life is exciting, it doesn't matter if it is a new addition to the human race or if it is a new addition to the animal kingdom, we all like a new life. We usually get anxious as the due date gets closer and we try and see the baby as soon as possible.

There is so much potential with new life but as the years go by the new wears off and we see how imperfect the new creation turned out to be, this could make us wish for a do over so that we could change some things. You may feel like you are stuck with a life that isn't much to celebrate. There is a solution to the problem, it is so simple, the Bible tells us that all we have to do is die.

We see death as such an ugly thing, it brings sadness and heartbreak, but God sees death from a different point of view. God asked his Son to die and he also wants us to die. The biggest game changer ever came about because of death, God used something so ugly to make something so beautiful for our benefit.

Jesus died to give me a new life

2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 17  Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  15  He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

I can start a new life with God in control, Jesus death provides the do over that many of us have longed for, we have the chance to start again. I can no longer live for myself, I must live my life with my sights set on the things of heaven, I must allow God to have control.

If I have my world view shaped by what the Bible teaches me is important then I will live a life that matters and I will live the most beautiful life possible. Striving for holiness and running from wicked worldly pleasures should be my standard operating procedure. The Bible makes it clear that if you are a child of God then your life will be a new creation that has been transformed through Christ. If your life still looks like the rest of the world then maybe you have never become a child of God.

I am so thankful that I have a new life in Christ, I am not perfect but thanks to Christ and the new life that he gives, I can never be the same again. I have a new way of thinking, a new world view and a Savior that did so much for me that I can never go back to living by the worlds philosophy.

One With Christ

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.

John 15:1-8  "I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the gardener.  2  He cuts off every branch of Mine that doesn't produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.  3  You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  4  Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me."

5  "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.  6  Anyone who does not remain in Me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  7  But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!  8  When you produce much fruit, you are My true disciples. This brings great glory to My Father."

---

In yesterday's post we talked about the old vine that God planted and how the weeds took over and the fruit was sour, God planted a new vine that he wants us to be a part of, that is Jesus.

When I became a child of God, I became a branch on the vine that brings life and nourishment to every branch, there is an equal opportunity for all of the branches to be prosperous. I cannot say that another branch has better potential for fruit production, each branch has an intimate connection with the vine, we are all responsible for our personal relationship with the Lord and our mission to go and bear fruit.

Sin slows down the production of quality fruit, just like the Jews did back in the Old Testament, we will produce fruit that is unpleasing to God. Nobody likes to be pruned but the Master Gardener needs to work on our branch, there are things in our life that he wants to get rid of so that we will produce the right kind of fruit and it will be of the highest quality. (Galatians 5:22-23)

John 17:21-23 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

We should find a common spirit on the vine. Jesus prayer for his disciples was for us to all be one with each other and with Jesus and with God. Our union with the vine should cause us to share common desires and interest and our opinion of sin should change as a result of abiding in Christ and growing more like him. After being on the vine for a while, we should look a lot like Jesus, it is a shame that so many that claim to be on the vine really are not.

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

It is a disgrace that the world can say that about God's people. We forget that we have been raised to live a new live and that our thoughts and our ways should not look like the world's ways. (Colossians 3:1-3)  We need to remember that our life depends on staying on the vine and gaining the care and proper nutrients that the vine is eager to share with us.

Who Is Your Father, Do You Look Like Him?

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.

John 14:6-11 Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

John 8:39-41 “Our father is Abraham!” they declared. “No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. 40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. 41 No, you are imitating your real father.”

---

Who do you look like? Do you take after one or maybe a little bit of both of your parents? You probably grew up hearing that you look more like one them. It is very normal for you to look a lot like your earthly family but do you look very much like your spiritual family?

Jesus talked a lot about his Father, in today's scripture he tells his disciples that he looks so much like his father that it is easy to know who his Father is and what his personality is like just by looking at the Son. (John 1:18, 10:30)

Imagine spending almost everyday with Jesus for three years and getting a continuous flow of revelation from Jesus about who he is and about what God the Father is like. Jesus talked about the Father and he showed us what the Father looks like. How could Philip miss it and ask Jesus to show them the Father? Maybe Philip wanted some sort of revelation of God like Moses had. (Exodus 33:18-20, 24:10)

Jesus talks about his Father: ✔   Creator (Mark 10:6, 13:19) ✔   All Knowing (Matthew 6:8-18, 10:29-30, Luke 16:15) ✔   All Powerful ( Matthew 19:26) ✔   Worthy of Glory (Matthew 6:9, John 12:28, 14:13) ✔   Our Heavenly Father (Luke 6:35 11:9-13) ✔   Loving (John 3:16,  Luke 15:4-7) ✔   Merciful (Luke 6:36) ✔   Just ( Matthew 18:28-35, Mark 11:25)

I dig into God's word to help me see. I have seen the Father and I have seen his Son, they look a lot alike and if I am a child of God then the family resemblance should be easy to see in my life as well.

Jesus accused the religious leaders of looking like they are in a different family. The family that they look like has traits such as anger, jealousy, hate, gossiping, obscene stories and rude jokes. (Ephesians 5:3-7)

Children in God's family have certain traits that come out, traits like love, mercy, forgiveness, serving. The children of God live life in obedience to his teachings, they live with Jesus teachings in mind, teachings such as the "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew chapters five through seven. (Matthew 5-8)

Luke 12:48 When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

As a child of God, there is a tremendous amount has been revealed to me about God the Father and God the Son, so much has been revealed that I should keep in mind what will be required of me, I need to be sure that I live like a child of God so that other people can see who my Father is. (Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 2:10)

Live For Him

Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Matthew 10:38-39 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it.

---

Jesus called everyone of his disciples selfish, at the same time I am pretty sure that he called me selfish too, it is something that we are all good at.

When he carried his cross to the place of execution Jesus showed us what it looks like to be completely selfless, the burden of the weight, the disgrace and torture, he put aside what was easy and convenient to do what was necessary to help me.

"I have to carry my cross" is a Christian catch phrase that probably gets over used, but do we realize what we are comparing our suffering to? Do we fully understand that Jesus suffered greatly for us and that we are supposed to give up our lives for him? How much burden do most of us really ever carry?

I need to always be aware of the price that was paid for me to have a relationship with God. He died for me, I should live for him, not for selfish worldly gain.

Thank you Lord for giving me a chance to have a relationship with you, help me to give up my idea of what life is all about and live for you.

Dust In The Wind

All we are is dust in the wind.

1 Peter 4:1  So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2  You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God.

3  You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

4  Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5  But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6  That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

---

Dust in the wind, that was the title of the hit song by the group Kansas, and the year was 1977. The title of the song describes the way our earthly desires should look to the Christ follower.

Everybody is born with the desire to satisfy themselves, chasing after our own desires has a price tag, when I are so busy worrying about me then I tend to forget about what God wants me to do.

It is easy to say you are a Christ follower but if you look just like the rest of the world, throwing wild parties with drug and alcohol use, giving in to lust and immorality as a part of our everyday lives, then how will the world know that you are a Christ follower? Your old friends will not be able to understand what in the world happened to you but you can be sure that they will ask and then you will have an opportunity to share with them why you are different.

1 Peter 3:15  You must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

Christ died to give me peace, hope and joy. All of these things can be found in him so why do we spend so much time looking for it in other places?

Jesus help me to always be satisfied in you, help me to rest in your peace, hope and joy instead of looking for it in the world.