One of the most important questions Christians need to ask has to do
with who did what. If I am a Christian, in other words if I confess,
and profess and believe that Jesus died and rose again in order that
my sins might be paid for and forgiven, who caused that to happen?
Did I do it, or did God do it, or did I cooperate with God? The
answer is that God did it all, and the reason I know about faith in
Christ, and can confess or verbalize that faith, is because of His
work alone in my heart or spirit. It was God who birthed me the
second time. We call this rebirth or spiritual birth. Jesus Himself
said, "You must be born again." And just like my first birth, which I
in no way agreed to or participated in (other than to be a passive
recipient of it) my second birth was also outside my control.
So if my salvation is all God's work, what am I supposed to do? I
think back to my first birth. When I was born I didn't realize the
heritage (everything I was given to make me who I am, tangible and
intangible) I was given, just by virtue of my birth in a particular
family. Now my heritage was not millions, like some Hollywood
children, but the integrity of my parents, their faithfulness to each
other and so many other very intangible gifts were mine, not because I
earned them but completely because of my birth. The more years that
pass and the more I experience in my life and view in the lives of
others, the more clear that heritage becomes. And as I realize what
that is, my hope is not only to use these gifts, but to honor those
who gave them. Is that not the life of a Christian? It is no longer
a question of obtaining righteousness, but how am I going to use it to
honor God and bring blessings to others?
"Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth." Colossians 3:2
--
Blessings & Peace
John
Hebrews 13:20-21
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