John 3:2-3
Adam and Eve's wrong choice impacted all of humanity. As a result of their disobedience, every person since that time has been born into sin.
Because our hearts are sinful (Jer. 17:9), we're not fit to be in God's holy presence. But He nevertheless desires a relationship with us. For this reason, Jesus--who did no wrong--bore our iniquities and suffered the death penalty we deserved. Then He rose from the grave, proving that everything He'd promised would surely come to pass. In this way, He provided His followers with access to the Father. Salvation is a free gift to anyone who places trust in Jesus and personally receives His sacrifice as the atonement for sin.
Several changes occur in us when we receive this amazing gift. First, we are made new (2 Cor. 5:17). Though fleshly patterns of behavior will linger, salvation results in forgiveness, a purified heart, and adoption as God's own children. Second, we become a part of the body of Christ. In other words, we belong to the precious family of past, present, and future believers. Third, we belong to the kingdom of heaven, which means that even though we continue to live on earth in nations run by human leaders, we operate under the authority of Jesus Christ.
What amazing grace is available through God's Son! Christ died to take our punishment and give us access to our heavenly Father. Then He makes us new, gives us a family of believers, and invites us to participate in His kingdom work. Bask in His love, as it gives us worth and purpose.
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I woke up this morning around 4:30 and immediately my mind went to God and I started thanking him for this new day and for yesterday and for any future days I may have on this earth with my family and friends and I asked him to allow His light to shine through me. Just as I see Him through Charlotte or Courtney or Humberto or Anthony . . . and then my mind wandered, as most minds do, and I started questioning why other Americans hate Christians (mostly why some of the people on Facebook detest Christians and enjoy degrading them) and then my mind thought about how Muslims kill because a cartoon was made or a piece of paper with their bible written on it is accidently thrown away. And then I wondered if the same people who take joy in speaking so hatefully of Christians are as quick to do the same with a followers of Islam? Then my mind went to remembering that I have heard that there is a battle waging in the heavenly regions. I have to look that up because I read so much, and not of all it are things that I should read, some is fiction, some is just conjecture and then it all gets mixed up with what is real, so I need to see if that is true or just a story. But if war is raging in heaven then maybe what we do here on earth will help in heaven . . . so yeah, my mind goes crazy here in the dark. :)
But the cool thing is what I read from In Touch Ministries about how we change when we truly accept the gift that Christ gave us, when we believe and when we love.
The last sentence ("Third, we belong to the kingdom of heaven, which means that even though we continue to live on earth in nations run by human leaders, we operate under the authority of Jesus Christ.") So no matter how the world turns, cos it is going to turn, we need to continue to stay true to what our Lord wrote and follow His laws above all. Don't fear. We aren't the first to go through this - look at Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Hopefully we won't have to go into a lions den or a raging oven but taking our stand with God may feel like we are.
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