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.

Beware of Covetousness

How do you keep score?

Luke 12:13-21  Then someone called from the crowd, "Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father's estate with me."  14  Jesus replied, "Friend, who made Me a judge over you to decide such things as that?"

15  Then He said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own."  16  Then He told them a story: "A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.  17   He said to himself, 'What should I do? I don't have room for all my crops.'

18  Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.  19  And I'll sit back and say to myself, "My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!"' 

20  "But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?'  21  "Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."

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The American way to is grab everything that you can get, the "whoever dies with the most toys wins" mentality is how we are taught to measure our lives. I would have never guessed it but they must of had the same mentality back in Israel even with all the poverty around. 

Jesus was busy teaching his disciples when from out of nowhere a guy that is being cheated by his older brother yells out a request for justice. Jesus refused to become a civil judge, he could have easily become weighed down with the burden of settling disputes just like Moses had been back in Exodus 18:13.

The rewards of being a disciple of Jesus does not include the happiness and comfort of this age, it does not guarantee justice in legal matters, the accumulation of wealth isn't the goal of somebody that has a rich relationship with God. To become a Godly person and to be satisfied with the amount of earthly riches that come my way is the way for a true Christ follower to live.

 1 Timothy 6:6-8  Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.  7  After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it.  8  So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

Help me to focus my energy on the life that you want me to live Lord. The world is full of concern for the things that you do not want your children to be worried about.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

Related articles

• What riches there must be in Him! (thedailyspurgeon.com)

Financial Ruin

SCRIPTURE

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Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Ecclesiastes 2:4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.

11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

OBSERVATION

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This life is a temporary assignment and the treasures of this world are just as temporal, for what value is it to you after you leave this temporary assignment and arrive at your eternal destination?

Every day in the news there is another loss in somebody’s temporary wealth, probably it was somebody that put great value in their treasures here on earth. Look at how much wealth that Solomon had accumulated and yet he tells us that it is all “meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Paul reminds those that are following Christ that we are to have a different perspective:

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

And when we “appear with him in glory” what eternal riches we will have!

APPLICATION

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I will work to have eternal treasures, I want to be "His man on His mission"

PRAYER

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Lord you are a great God with eternal riches that can not pass away, I thank you that you want to share those riches with us for eternity. I pray that I will work for what matters and be your man on your mission. I pray that you will raise up many more men that will be on your mission, storing up eternal rewards.