Just a Minute!

Here is a statement from Major Ian Thomas that has stuck with me for many years.

"A life of faith is our love for God, resulting in dependency upon God, resulting in obedience to God."

Well I had never heard faith sequenced like this.

I had it backwards.

Obedience first, hoping that a love for God would follow. But it never did.

Love for God has to come first.

And as John wrote, "we love because he first loved us."

Start anywhere other than the love of God and all you get is legalistic obedience.

If you want a heartfelt expression of faith, let Major Thomas’ statement stick with you.

"A life of faith is our love for God, resulting in dependency upon God, resulting in obedience to God."

Categories: Faith Hope Love Christian Living

You are a gifted person.

Your salvation is a gift.

The Holy Spirit living in you is a gift.

And you have received a gift from the Holy Spirit.

As Peter said, a gift to be used to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

It doesn’t matter what that gift is.

If it is in speaking, you simply speak the words of God

If it is in serving, you serve in the power God supplies.

So today, recognize that in Christ, you are a gifted person.

That you have been equipped uniquely by God’s Spirit to serve those around you as a steward of His grace.

Trust God’s Spirit to use your gift as a blessing to others.

It’s the way to glorify God through Jesus Christ.

Categories: Holy Spirit New Covenant Identity/Self Image

Did you know that as a believer in Jesus, you have a new citizenship.

It is in Heaven.

And it is based on your new birth in Christ.

You belong to him, and are now part of the kingdom of God.

Why does the Bible tell us this great news?

It does so to anchor us to the great hope that we have in Christ.

A hope that gives us confidence and security to live as children of God in this crazy world.

A hope that makes us stand out against the patterns of this world.

A hope that gives us a purpose in representing the kingdom of God

Now your passport identifies you as a citizen of an earthly country.

But your real citizenship is in heaven.

Rejoice, you have an eternal home.

Categories: Identity/Self Image Heaven New Covenant

You have a ministry.

It’s called the ministry of reconciliation.

Now most of us think about ministry as something we do out there in the world, on the mission field, or in a church setting.

But that’s not the biblical pattern.

For the disciples Jesus set their sites on Jerusalem first, right where they lived.

Not somewhere out there in the world.

What would happen if we began first in our homes and neighborhoods?

What would happen if we simply said, “Lord use me right here.”

How powerful to say and live out the truth that God is no longer counting your sins against you… to your spouse, to your children, to your neighbors?

He has entrusted you with that ministry. Today trust him to carry out this ministry of reconciliation through you, right where you are.

Categories: Identity/Self Image New Covenant

As a believer you are Christ’s ambassador.

One of His official representatives in this world today.

Here is how Paul put it in second Corinthians.

"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us."

Did you catch that?

God gave you a ministry — the ministry of reconciliation.

And if you are looking for meaning and purpose to life, there it is.

Connecting people to the love of Christ eternally.

Categories: Identity/Self Image New Covenant

As a believer, you are free.

Do you know what that means?

Paul put it this way.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.

Did you catch that?

You can use your freedom to indulge the flesh.

This is what it means to be free.

And when you make that choice to indulge the flesh you are freely submitting to sin’s control.

Now that doesn’t make much sense.

And that doesn’t ring the bell of freedom very loudly.

The Bible offers a different way to express your freedom.

It’s through serving one another through love.

That’s when freedom rings the loudest.

So let freedom ring.

Your freedom in Christ.

Categories: Christian Living New Covenant Identity/Self Image

Did you know that through the great and precious promises of God you become partakers of God’s divine nature?

This boggles the mind.

God chose to share his life with you. And he promised to make it so in Christ.

Think about it.

Now you have the privilege of participating in the life of Christ, having his divine nature flow through you to reflect his life to the world around you.

And it’s a life that is radically different. one that stands out from the worldly corruption that comes from sinful desires.

It’s a life of faith and virtue and self-control and steadfastness and kindness and love.

Things that don’t come through human effort or fancy rules and regulations.

So partake today by faith and thank God for his great and precious promises.

Categories: New Covenant Identity/Self Image

Here are some encouraging words from the Apostle Peter.

He wrote: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

Now did you catch what he is saying about you?

You’ve been given everything you need for life and godliness.

You are fully equipped to walk in the newness of life – to live in this world as a child of God.

There is nothing more that you need.

And all of this is yours through your knowledge of Christ.

Maybe you are feeling inadequate today, or overwhelmed by life.

If so, take heart. You have Jesus living in you, and he is everything you need.

Categories: Faith Hope Identity/Self Image

I’ve been thinking about blenders lately.

Now not the ones in our kitchens that make those delicious smoothies.

It’s the theological blenders.

Think about it.

Most of what we hear in church today is one blended message after another.

We hear law mixed with grace.

The Old Covenant mixed with the New.

The philosophies of the world blended into the Gospel.

Now the same was happening back in Paul’s day.

And much of what he wrote was to encourage leaders to deliver pure, undiluted message of Christ.

And then to convince believers that in Christ they have everything they need.

In other words, get rid of the theological blender. Throw it away.

Plain and Simple—The message is Jesus.

In him, and him alone, you are complete.

Categories: New Covenant Identity/Self Image

Knock offs and imitations.

Now the world is full of these items.

And many try to pass these items off as the real thing.

But you know they’re not.

They don’t have the seal of authenticity.

The same is true for many religious people.

They profess with their lips they are the real deal, but they don’t carry the seal of authenticity; the promised Holy Spirit.

Now Paul put it this way.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him… you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

And it is his presence in that you marks you out as someone who belongs to Christ.

His presence in you means you are a genuine, authentic child of God.

It is Christ in you that makes you the real deal.

Categories: Holy Spirit Identity/Self Image