WHO AM I? 12/4/11

WHO are you? I know we have all asked that question of
ourselves and some know the answer. Probably the most asked question is; where am I headed; or where am I going? If you are anything like Jim, when he gets behind the wheel of the car, he starts heading for the church. I mean that literally! Jennifer and I always have to remind him when we get to the corner, so he will turn in the right direction. However, his response is always; “Well, we can go this way!”

I WAS watching a young preacher on TV who was preaching in Singapore. Very western oriented and spoke with halted English, but what caught my attention, he was talking about a scripture that I always had trouble understanding. I have had good instructors but this scripture just seemed to elude me. However, I get excited when I hear preaching on any scripture that I have had trouble with. But then I get excited just hearing God’s Word!

HE reminded me that Satan was a master when the old Law was in place. But Satan is no longer in charge of the mezzanine, and to the Christian he is hardly visible from the back of the balcony, because we are under the new covenant; established by Jesus Christ. Who are we? We are called Christians! We are baptized believers in the Son of God and according to Vines Dictionary of New Testaments words, His name Jesus Christ suggests His glory and His name Christ Jesus suggests His grace! His grace was shown on the cross!

IN 1 JOHN 4 we read about the source of love. John repeats often in his books that God is the source of love. God is not only love but He abides in love! In verse 17 John says; “In this, is love perfected with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as he is now, so are we in this world.” Because of Jesus’s love and our connecting to Him though water baptism, we are perfected in His love by being as He is, right now. That is while Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God, in His most Holy state, we too are just like Him, right now, here on earth; right now! He was crucified on the cross, buried and raised whole. We were buried and raised into a new life; we are whole!

IN OTHER WORDS; while we are being told by the Doctor that we have a lump in our breast, we can say okay; because we also know that we are in His perfect Love, right now; at the same time! Therefore we are just the same as Jesus is RIGHT NOW and He is without a lump in His breast! The lump in our breast means nothing compared to our being the same as Jesus is now. This gives us a better picture of understanding that while we were sinners God could not look upon us, but through the Cross where Christ became as us, God can now see us because when He looks upon us, He see’s His Son; Jesus Christ, as He is now.

ANOTHER aspect of this verse says we have confidence for the day of judgment. That judgment is when man is judging us, not God. Man looks at us before our transformation and sees us, as they are! After Christ becomes our Savior, then we don’t have to worry about what man thinks! Walking in the footsteps of our Savior gives us the boldness and the confidence to become the person He has created us to be. He created us to be like His son, as He is right now!

A STORY GOES that a Sunday School teacher was walking down the street. At the same time a boy from her Sunday School class saw her and tugged at his mothers sleeve. “Look Mom, there is God; see her, she is across the street.” Following in the footsteps of Jesus is not easy. Jesus walked in unison with His father. Teaching God’s Word is not easy; because the teacher will be judged with that in mind. Knowing that we are to be like Christ as He is now, is not an easy thought, is it? But I am thankful that I have met the Master!

WHO AM I? I belong to Jesus; He has set me free! Where am I going? He prepared a place for me when He died on the cross; that place is heaven! By Jane Ann Crenshaw 11/18/11