Yesterday morning on the Bible Quiz, we discussed
2 Timothy 2:9, which reminds us the amazing attribute of God’s Word…it is unchained, unfettered, and unleashed. We may be in that metaphorical prison of our own making, bondage to sin or fear, cooped up at home, or even a literal prison; the good news is, God is out and about free and mighty…still alive and well and active--as is His Word.
In fact, the Word of God and the Christian life are
inseparable. It teaches us who we are, and Who we are about. While the world would rather you be afraid to take a stand, to share your faith, to leave your home, to be in pain, God says, believer in Christ, that you are enlightened and empowered. You belong to the Alpha and Omega, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One Who will throw sin and death into the fire, and He has won you the victory!
Little Christ.
If you confess Jesus as Lord, repented of your sins, and placed your faith in the real Christ of Scripture, you are a Christian. In the original Greek, that means “little Christ.” Of course, we know we are not God and will never be God (sometimes we forget). But
we follow in His footsteps. We are His disciples. We get to enjoy the benefits, such as the Holy Spirit, the Fruits of the Spirit, the Armor of God, peace that surpasses all understanding, His protection, His companionship, His joy, His provision, His blessing, and His seal. It also means that we walk that same road of self-sacrifice,
carrying His cross, and bearing His stripes. We can endure through pain by his gifts of joy, power, love, self-discipline, sound mind (focused on the Word), and Kingdom perspective.
Charles Sheldon challenged generations to revival through true discipleship. In his book,
In His Steps, Sheldon asked “what would Jesus do?” How can you better
emulate Christ
in this day and age? Are you a faithful disciple?
Servant of the King.
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” -1 Corinthians 4:1-2
What a privilege it is to be a
servant
of the Most High King! We get to carry the torch the great ones who came before us. We modern day servants have been called from and to different backgrounds and occupations. We have been placed in unique positions and given
unique personal gifts
and talents. And as His servants, He has given us unique tasks to fulfill in our lifetime. As a matter of fact, it was all planned long ago!
Ephesians
says God planned you long ago, for good works. However one of the great challenges to His will for our life...is us. Sometimes we get busy, apathetic, and forget Who this is all about. We forget that time is short on this earth, and eternity is ahead. We forget that it is all about Him and not about us. I am personally grateful for a patient God! We are all works in progress.
Even in our failure, the good news is we can start today in a small way. I would love to challenge you today, that if you are not sure if God is leading you to some small form of
service
for Him, to take a quick baby-step out in faith. If He opens the door…great! If He closes it, great! It is still a success, since it is all about willingness and faithful to glorify the Father, and not simply look for results.
Child of the King.
We call ourselves servants of God because we have a task to do. But in honesty, we are so much more. We are not some mere chained slave, forced to into ceaseless labor for a harsh task-master. We are a
child of the Most High Almighty God! Romans 8:15 says,
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Full disclosure here, my wife and I have spent some time considering the possibility of adoption in our family. Those online “gotcha day”
adoption videos
get me every time; and every now and then I email my wife Susun one or two of those just to be ornery. Those videos are powerful because adoption is really a powerful thing…everyone can agree, believer or non-believer. We all want a place to belong. But have you ever looked into how much adoption costs? It is quite a lot!
Our adoption cost Christ quite a lot too. And so when I say He paid a heavy price for you, please do not take that lightly. You are bought
at the greatest of price. You are not something that He is going to
throw away lightly. You are invaluable to God. He has a plan for you, even yet. He grafted you into His chosen people and Kingdom, not really because of who you are, or anything you could do or bring to the table, but because of His love for you. Now you have a place to belong and Someone who loves you more than your mind can comprehend.
Our commitment to Christ and ministry to Him is one that comes out of a loving family relationship. And if you are
serving God out of a sense of obligation
rather than love, I want to encourage you to focus on
the love of God
right now. How can we start to love God better? One of the best pieces of advice for that comes from my pastor actually. Start telling God you love Him. Something about that act of telling Him solidifies it in our minds, feelings, and hearts. I can say I have experienced this first hand. You will be amazed how that opens up a whole new world!
Priest of God.
1 Peter 2:9
tells us that we are a chosen people, and a
royal priesthood…a special possession of Christ, that we may declare the praise of the One who brought us out of the
darkness
(which the
world
is in), and into His
light! Did you know you are a priest? You are a representative of the light of Jesus, a mediator between the world and Christ (the Great Mediator). How does that change your perspective about yourself?
I always get a chuckle when a pastor walks into the room and all of a sudden, people become much more cautious about what they are doing or how they are speaking. I recently saw a
video of Billy Graham
on Johnny Carson in the 70s. Carson was never known to be the cleanest talk show host, even in his day. But he sure was treading careful with THE Billy Graham! And Graham was his usual God-centered self, simply fulfilling who he was and what he did, which was preach the Gospel. So how are you ministering before the Throne? Do people take notice when you, God’s priest, enter a room? If they “act differently” around you, and in a good way, chances are it’s a sign you are on the right track. Continue to be faithful as a priest of God, even when the world acts as it is expect to. We need more like you.
As we seek revival together, I want to encourage you to
not fear as the world fears, not think as the world thinks, and not act as the world acts. We are different. We are true disciples, servants, and adopted royalty with full fledged rights as children of the Most High Almighty King. We act different, think different, look different. We are the chosen, the priests—on the winning side. We are bold in our stand for Him because He will and already has secured our victory. Let’s together remember Who we are, be who we are, and minister before God as representatives of Christ, wherever He has placed us.
-Dave Andrews
KJOL Station Manager