Devotion
Knowing Who We Are In Christ
By
Martha Noebel
CBN Staff Writer
CBN.com
-- "How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father
of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in
him.
"Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had
settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.
Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ.
(What pleasure he took in planning this!)
"He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving
by the hand of his beloved Son. Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his
blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people--free of penalties
and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free,
either. Abundantly free!
"He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly
need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it
all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be
brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything
on planet earth.
"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.
Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye
on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose
he is working out in everything and everyone.
"It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this
Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free--signed, sealed, and
delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment
on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for
us, a praising and glorious life." Ephesians 1:1-13 MSG
I wanted to write an article on knowing who we are in Christ. The Lord spoke
to my heart to look in Ephesians. I believe this first chapter says it all.
We are wonderfully made with a marvelous plan in mind. We aren't a mistake
but a part of an awesome plan!
The scripture speaks of the great price Christ paid for all of us. How we
are free of all debts from the past. It shows us that we have the right to
walk in total freedom. The words in Ephesians were "abundantly free."
Christ has made us free to walk in the light of His great love with destiny,
purpose, and vision. He has promised to show us why we were created and that
our lives are to be filled with glorious living! What is glorious living?
That is the signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit life of walking
in confidence. We are not to be intimidated by others but to walk with our
head up high.
God wants us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving made
available by the sacrifice of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Everyday, He
keeps blessing and blessing His people and unless we take the time to realize
it, then we don't even notice. How sad is that?
I want to live a life of knowing my place in this world. I want to be thankful
for all God has done for me. I want to walk in the confidence of who I am
in Christ, forgetting the things of the past that have held me captive, and
step out into the glorious blessing of being all that God has called me to
be.
You can do that too. It takes determination and a knowledge of whose child
we are. We are children of God and He loves us very much. Let's celebrate!
Send your comments to Martha
More from CBN.com's Easter section
More
Devotions on Spiritual Life
More from Spiritual Life
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|