Who
are you … in the Word? 7-5-16
We
know who Jesus is; the Christ, the Son of God, the holy One, Emanuel, etc. Do
you know who you are in Christ?
That
is the question many preachers and teachers of the Word have asked over the
years that I have been a Believer; do I even know who I am?
I
mean, some call me a Christian, others call me Mom, Sister, Friend, but only
one calls me child.
As
a child of my parents I used to try to be like them. I wanted to be as tough as
my dad and as compassionate to help others as my mom; but they are no longer
with me, so now I must strive to be like my heavenly Father.
Ephesians
5 says that I should there fore walk as a child and walk in love as God loves
me.
Therefore be imitators of God as dear
children. And
walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:1-3
So if Christ Jesus wants us to walk in love and be a sacrifice to God just as He was then
we must be a ‘sacrifice; for us that means to give our self over to God. To
choose to follow His will over our will.
But avoid foolish and
ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the
Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility
correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them
repentance, so that they may know the truth, 2 Timothy 2:23-25
The Word of God tells me how to behave, what
not to do, what to avoid and pretty much how to act in a world of craziness and
disputes; I fail more often than I like to admit but I try to have a repentant
heart when I realize what I have done wrong. God will forgive me of our sins
when we bring them to Him. First we have to realize that we are not perfected
yet. Perhaps we need to remember that only God is perfect; we were made in His
image but we are subject to human failures and frailties. It is easy to get
into arguments about things that do not matter, but what does matter is that we
have a ready heart, humble and consecrated before Him, for His purpose in our
lives.
This means that when we fail we run to Jesus
and ask for forgiveness and ask Him to help us correct the wrong we have done.
I really wish I was perfect, no blemishes and no wrinkles but I am a product of
the world around me and as such I reflect a lot of what I am around. If I sit
in mud, will I not get muddy?
So if I am in the Word; the Word is in me. It
is in my heart and mind daily, that is, if I read daily.
So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel
to you who are in Rome
If we have the Word of God in us then we will no doubt be able to
speak the truth when we talk; not necessarily going around spouting scripture but
speaking with understanding to those around us so that they too may know God.
After all the Word does say to be filled with the spirit speaking
to our selves with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs making melodies in our
heart to the Lord; but if we walked around speaking only the scriptures fewer
would understand and fewer would receive the glorious freeing of Salvation.
And the grace of our Lord
was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I
obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long-suffering, as
a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
1 Timothy
6: 14-16
So
if I am in Christ, and Christ is in me, then I will exemplify the attributes
that He has in Him, because those are now in me. That means that I must strive
to do the will of God in all I do. Consider the Garden prayer that Jesus prayed;
if there is anyway that the cup could be passed He requested it to be so, but
Jesus accepted that Father God’s way was the best. So if He is in me, and I am
abiding in Him than I too can request such things knowing that God will bring
about what is good and right and according to His will, not our own. Some may
say why pray? I say because in our humbleness of heart and mind our God sees
fit to answer our needs. If my kids ordered me around or just expected me to
feed them all the time and give them money when they wanted it without asking I
may not feel like pleasing them so much. They may get just the required meals
and no special treats. Not saying that God is like me, but I was created in His
image and to me that means my heart and mind are attuned to Him once I have chosen
to abide with , and in Him. Thus said,
when I accepted the fact that Christ died for me and chose to do the following
of Christ I then chose also to follow God’s will for my life. It has been said “its
not about me” but I want to continue to say its not about my will, either, it
is about Him and His. For I have been
crucified with Christ and the life I now live I live through Him who loves me
and gave His life for me!
Today
let’s challenge ourselves not to have a problem with discussion making but to
decide to check in with God for the things that take a bigger hand, and to
trust that His direction will not lead us astray in the small things.
Dear
Heavenly Father, thank you for fixing things so that we may speak to you daily,
constantly or when we feel lead to spend time in silent or audible prayer.
Today and each day we ask that You continue to draw us nearer to you via your
Holy Spirit in us. In Jesus name, Amen.
Suggested
reading:
1 Timothy
6:1-23, Romans 1:1-32, Isaiah 43:1-48
and 2 Timothy 2:1-26-