Are You One of God’s Chosen Ones?
Good Morning Friends,
I have a pile of identity badges at home from conferences and clubs I have attended around the world. They served as proof of my identity so others could know about me. They got me into meetings and meals. I have name badges for church as well to let others know I belong and as a welcome to others. All this prompts me to ask who I think I really am….whose I think I really am. Friends, wearing the tag is ok but the challenge in our day to day lives is to live out our Christian identity. Belonging has to be balanced with actually being engaged so that others can recognize us by our attitudes and actions. Are You One of God’s Chosen Ones?
Scripture: As God’s chosen ones… holy and beloved… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:12-17 (NRSV)
Message: I do so yearn for the church to be identified as a nourishing culture of grace and love more so than as a place of rules and pretense. Our human pride does have a tendency to make us legalistic. As a counterbalance, today’s message is about putting a face on grace that is more than the building we call church. To do that we need to remember our heritage of how God’s grace worked its way into us so we might be freed to express it to others. So today we celebrate God’s grace and reflect on its identifying characteristics of compassion, kindness, gentleness and patience. But beyond that we are to put on the badge of love as a perfect bond of unity. We are to live out this new identity of a called out assembly that is not bound by walls. When we each look in the mirror we are to see a person driven to demonstrate whose they are. We are to see a person who has chosen to let Christ’s peace rule.
Pray we have grace driven authenticity. Pray that those who believe in God’s grace extend it to others as their identity and witness of Christ’s heart for the called out assembly. Pray we wear the badge of real righteousness. Pray our actions of love come from the Holy Spirit. Pray that God’s kindness draws us to repentance. Pray we are willing to waive our rights and preferences for the cause of Christ. Pray that the Word and truth of Christ lives in us. Pray our identity is authenticated when we become a person of grace in our interactions and relationships with others. Pray our identity is not limited to being part of a body but also The One Body bound together in love.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 