Galatians 3:26-4:7
26for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. 41I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Grace and Peace,
This weekend has been one of questions for me. After listening to a few pod casts by some predominate pastors at this time I have found myself asking “Who am I in Christ?” Where do I belong in the body of Christ?” But what am I really asking?
My soul is looking for a place to belong. My spirit is crying out, “Father who do you say I am?” I feel confident is saying that we have all asked this question at one point or another. Our lives can feel so uncertain at times, especially when we take our focus off Christ.
Part of this is due to a realization of knowing that I have failed. I thought by playing it safe and not trying the risky or scary and that if I never tried I would not fail was the thing to do that would most honor God. But in reality, by never trying I failed before I ever started.
God calls us to incredible things. For some it may seem mundane or plain, but for us it may seem incredibly terrifying. This is something I experienced when accepting God’s call for my life. One reason I ran from it was that just by thinking about it stopped me in my tracks with fear. I view God’s call with the weight of eternity. As a Pastor, not just a Christian, people will look upon me for the spiritual guidance – for the direction of their lives and decision to accept or reject Christ, their decision for eternal life or eternal damnation and death. Finality. Forever. For the rest of eternity.
I doubted God’s judgment (which was wrong) and it has left me questioning.
You see, I have no false sense of my inability to get it right or how I have messed up in the past. My sin will always keep me from success because it keeps me and separates me from God and his Son Christ Jesus. But when I rely on Christ, when I move out of the way and let God be God my chances of success raise exponentially.
Which brings me to answering my previous question of who does God say that I am. When I try to answer the question on my own I am left with an unanswered question. Because on my own I am nothing. On my own I separate myself from Christ. But God’s word tells us that, “we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.” This includes finding our place to belong. You see ultimately as a Christian I am his. No if, ands, or buts. Finality. Forever. For the rest of time. Just like our own children, we may fight, disagree, and have to punish them, but they will forever be our children and we love them.
So to answer my question, I am a loved child of God, through Christ Jesus. And His Holy Spirit which resides in my cries out Abba Father and in response the Father responds with, “Yes my son, Erik.”
Please let that sink in for a moment.
God responds by calling us by name and his. Taking ownership of us. Despite what the world would have us to be or what labels we may give ourselves we are his. And at the end of the day when we are left with our thoughts, doubts, and dreams but we can find answers in God and His word.
Dear reader, today my hope is that you find who you are in God if you are seeking this. I want you to come to know the Father just as I have… my Father, Souvenir King, and Dad. In the world we are broken, but in God we are made whole and through his Son we are made His.
There is no doubt or question in that.
Shalom,
Erik
