Marked People

You may be familiar with this idiom: "a marked man".  It generally refers to someone who is in danger of harm from someone else.  Or, it can mean a person bears some distinguishing mark which sets him or her apart from others.  Jesus was a "marked man" for most of His ministry, and then he showed the "marks" of his crucifixion in His hands, feet and side, in appearances after His resurrection.

What marks do you bear in your body?  In mine, I bear a scar in the middle of my forehead from a tumble I took as a toddler, and one on my knee from one I took as a youth.  My body shows evidence of giving birth, twice....various adventures in the dental office, pierced ears...I could go on with this boring recitation, but won't.

A family friend broke a bone last week.  Now, that bone will heal.  But, when it is viewed on the x-ray, it will always show evidence of having been broken.  The bone is forever changed.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and Ephesians 1:13-14 brought it to the forefront of my mind this morning.  Here are the verses :

3And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christ – you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

(NET)

Let me juxtapose here another, related verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17 - -

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away--look, what is new has come.

(NET)

There is such a thing as "spiritual DNA".  We are born with a flawed type of it, a type that is hopelessly contaminated wtih sin.  But when we hear the gospel (1:13 above) and accept Jesus as Savior, that DNA with which we were born ("born into sin") is forever, eternally changed.

It's pretty amazing, really.  Think of it as a "chemical change".  I took just enough chemistry in high school to be dangerous, (thank you, Dr. Singh!).  But, I did learn enough to know that when two things are merged/combined, they might make a mixture, defined as a combination that can later be separated.  For example, if you combine iron filings with grains of salt, a magnet will separate the iron from the salt for you. A mixture is not a "forever change".  Both (or however many) different entities retain their original properties, clear and distinct from each other.  There is no chemical change that occurs.

When you combine things like vinegar and baking soda, however, there is a chemical change.  You can see it occur, and after it occurs, the chemist is no longer able to separate the vinegar from the baking soda again.  They are both forever altered.

So, what does that have to do with salvation of the soul?  When one accepts Christ, His Holy Spirit enters the body, soul and spirit in some way we cannot quantify or fully comprehend.  The "old" becomes "new", the scriptures declare!  This is a forever change.

In Ephesians, Paul describes the Holy Spirit as a "mark", making Christians "marked people".
Is this a mark that one can physically see?  Sometimes.  Unbelievers or yet-to-become-believers will sometimes remark, "There's something different about him/her..."  I don't know about you, but I've met people I immediately knew were believers, not by their appearance, but rather by the presence of the Holy Spirit in and around them.

This happened to me at a conference, and I'll never forget it.  A lady came up to me at one of the breaks - - a lady I'd never met or heard of - - and asked if I was a Christian.  She said she could see the Holy Spirit in me.  Not so stunning when you consider Romans 8:16 - - -

The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children, 

(HCSB)

True Christians all have the same Spirit, the Spirit of their Savior, and that Spirit testifies that they are God's children.

21Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, 22who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NET)

We are "God's own possession" because His Spirit inhabits and possesses us.  Christians are as marked for all eternity as Christ's wounds are.  God will keep His Word.  He is unchangeable.  We can rest in that certainty of eternal destiny.

Have we received all of our eternal inheritance in Christ?

Not entirely, and we won't have received all until we are with Him, in glory.  But, because of the Holy Spirit, because He has marked us, we know we have as much of God's wealth that we can possibly handle here on earth and WILL receive all of the riches in Christ Jesus when we step onto the golden shore of that beautiful land called Heaven.

"O say but I'm glad!"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jN-h1wEfyc

Father God, thank you for marking Your children as Your very own.  There is such comfort and peace in that!  We know that our salvation grows and matures as we battle daily the sin nature that continues to be a part of us.  But, we know that we can never be separated from You, from the love that is ours in Christ Jesus.  I'm so grateful to be Yours, and to know that I am forever Yours!  In Jesus' name, amen.

Renewal and Transformation

Isn't "renewal" a beautiful word?

"We just renewed our lease!"
"This skin cream will promote cell renewal!"
"He wants to renew our vows (in Hawaii)!"

Christians are told that, when we enter into a forever relationship with Jesus Christ, we become a "new creation".  And, we do!  Forever!

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

2 Cor. 5:17 (NKJV)

The problem is --- all things don't seem to stay that way, do they?  We get knocked and slammed around by circumstances "beyond our control" or by our own sinful choices.  We feel like the child who went out to play in her Sunday dress, fell into the mud and then anxiously, guiltily sought out her mother to show her the mess.  We desperately want to experience that "newness" again.  We long for the beauty that is renewal!

Paul speaks of this in Romans 12:2 (NET).  Here, he shows us Christians who are slogging through the "nasty now and now" how to get renewed.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. 2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.

We discussed the first step to renewal in yesterday's blog post.  In a nutshell, the first step was to yield our bodies to God, to exercise our faith by yielding our will in that regard, by laying our fleshly desires down on the altar of sacrifice.  But, that won't totally accomplish the beautiful spiritual renewal spoken of here.  How do we complete the process?

We do it by nurturing the relationship.

I have a friend I see about once every month or so.  We make an appointment to have breakfast together.  It's great!  We spend the time eating bagels at The Frog and catching up.  She's probably my oldest friend.  And while we are very good friends, we are not intimate friends.  While we say we are "family", it's not the same as talking with her on a daily basis and sharing with each other about the true ups and downs of our lives, supporting each other, showing love to each other.

I have another friend who keeps saying, "Let's get together and do lunch!"  But, it never happens. Her intentions are good, I think....But, again, actions speak louder than words.

At Christmastime, Hubster and I send out about 150 Christmas cards to our friends.  Some of them, we have not seen in years!  We are still friends, but that's about all we do to grow those friendships, due to distance, mainly.

By contrast, another friend has a lifelong friend who IS truly "like family".  They speak on the phone or text on the phone every, single day.  They help each other in times of trouble and care for each other in a deep way.  They nurture their relationship.

Now, I want you to think of your relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.  Which of the scenarios described above characterizes it?  God hasn't gone anywhere. He is not separated from us by physical distance. He's still there, eagerly looking for more than a "Christmas card".

The way we deepen that relationship, achieve that blessed renewal is by spending time with Him.  I'm not talking about going to a church service and sitting there, disengaged, thinking about 1000 other things while your hiney warms a pew.  No, I'm talking about getting into God's Word every day, learning more about Him.

Some of you may argue with me that prayer is pre-eminent here.  I completely agree that prayer is important, but Bible study is even more important.  Why?  Because the more you learn about Him, the more you will want to talk with Him in prayer.  Otherwise, our prayers tend to be merely "gimme sessions".  He speaks to us in our spirits and minds as we read His word, and it cleanses/renews us!

25 Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word,27 so that he may present the church to himself as glorious—not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (NET)

Remember the little girl in her dirty Sunday dress?  The word of God washes us and renews our minds.  When we read about Him and His plans for us, for this world, our will is brought more into alignment with His.  We then long to talk with Him in prayer.  It is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit how - - - He uses first Bible study and then prayer to change us.

What mama just leaves her child nasty?  What mama just lets her baby lie around in its poop or would say to that little girl, "Well, now you've done it; you can just wear it for a while."  God is not like that!  He longs for us, deeply desiring to transform us, to mold us more into the likeness of His Son, Jesus!

When we move closer to God in this way, it means simultaneously moving away from the ways of this world.  The two - - the world and God - - are at odds with each other.  Paul warns us to not allow ourselves to be pressed into the mold the world casts for us.  A "moving toward" involves a "moving away."  Don't think for a moment that you can embrace the ways of this sinful, ungodly world and also take hold of what God has for you.

Diving deep into God's word, nurturing our relationship with our Savior, reveals to us just how antithetical to God the world's views are.  This world has been blinded, by the evil one, to the ways of God.  When you literally "see things God's way", you can clearly see this dichotomy.

We all must choose, Christians, whether we are going to head toward renewal and transformation, as the pupa becomes the butterfly, or whether we are going to walk around in our mud-stained clothes. Paul issues an imperative, because this beautiful transformation involves willful obedience on our part.  It's yours, if you choose it.  What will your choice be?

Father, thank you that, although my sins were as red as blood spilled in anger, Your most precious Son washed them "whiter than snow".  I hate my sin, but I long to hate it even more, to hate it with Your righteous hatred of it. Teach me to love what You love and to hate what You hate. Teach me to love people, all people, because it was for all of us hopelessly stained sinners that You gave Your most beloved Son as a ransom.  I don't want to walk around in the filth I accumulate every day, the stain this world puts on me.  Wash me, Lord!  Renew me and fill me ever more deeply with Your Spirit.  Transform me into the beautiful Bride You always intended for me to become.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Hello "New"!

Good morning!

Part of the human experience is "dirtying things up".  Houses don't stay clean.  Babies don't stay "changed".  Our cars tend to become "rolling trash heaps", especially in busy families.  It's just a constant battle to keep things clean!

Perhaps that is part of the allure of "new".  New things are clean and fresh and usually beautiful. They smell so good.  They look so good!  We love them.

But, more than the sensory gifts of "new", newness represents a fresh start.  Don't we often want this? Like the little child who erases her pencil scribbling on her classwork to the point she tears a hole in the paper, we long for a new, clean sheet...a second chance.  We long for redemption.

Today's focal point in the Scriptures is 2 Corinthians 5:17, a beautiful jewel in yesterday's passage:

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away--look, what is new has come!

(NET)

This verse bring hope to the weary, the beaten down, the despairing.  It hands a crisp, new sheet of paper to the frantic soul, searching to be made clean.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior, a spiritual transaction takes place between us and Him.  It is as if He hands us a fresh start.  At that moment of our salvation, He places His Holy Spirit within us, forever, takes away all of our sins, forever, and (metaphorically speaking) puts His indelible stamp of ownership on our foreheads.  This transaction brings a transformation: at that moment, we become a new creation of His!

Now, this may seem confusing because this verse does not mean that we will not ever again battle the filth of the human condition.  "Becoming new" does not take away our humanity.  Unfortunately, our in-born, sinful nature co-exists alongside our new, re-born spirit.  So, while He forgives all our sins -- past, present and future, we will continue after our salvation moment to lapse into sin.  We will get somewhat dirty, and will have to regularly come to Him for confession, forgiveness, a spiritual bath, if you will.  Still, the victory overall is ours, because we belong to Him, who has triumphed over sin and death.

Although we will still continue to struggle against sin, Christ "remembers our sins against us no more" (Hebrews 8:12).  Isn't that a precious thought?  So often, we find it hard to accept His forgiveness, his offer of cleansing and newness, because others will not forgive us, or because we won't forgive ourselves.  This is one of Satan's traps.  God has promised that He removes our sins "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12).  While this does not usually mean that we escape the earthly consequences of our past sins, we do in Jesus Christ escape the eternal death that is payment for them.  In our omniscient God's mind, they are eternally "forgotten".

Part of knowing Christ is that we look at things in a new way.  For one thing, in our salvation experience and then resplendent walk, our view of Jesus Christ changes.  Before coming to know Him, our view of Him was tainted by Satan's lies and the world's false portrayals.  Once He lives inside of our hearts, we come to know Him, spirit to Spirit, ours communing with His.  The unbelieving world stops at examining Jesus's earthly life; but we, His own, plumb the depths of His Spirit's riches.  The world is mesmerized by a baby in the manger.  We worship a risen and glorified King on His heavenly throne.

Therefore (as Paul would say), because of this, "and so", when we receive that new sheet of clean paper, that fresh start, what we write on it is different.  We not only view Christ differently, we view others differently also.  We enthusiastically embrace our spiritual gifts .... gifts He gave us to use in the ministry of reconciliation, blogged about yesterday.  We see people not as family, friends, or acquaintances, but rather as people for whom Jesus gave His all, so that they, too, can become a new creation, so that they, too, can receive forgiveness for sins and eternal life in Heaven.

The salvation experience is a glimpse of Heaven, actually.  As humans, we love newness because it gives us a taste of the eternal newness, completion and perfection we will experience that moment we leave this earthly body and come face-to-face with Him.  The image of God in every human, Believer or not, longs for that, because it is how He created us from the very beginning.  He created us to long for the peace which is only found in Him.

Do you know Him?  I don't mean "know OF Him".  But, have you encountered His offer of salvation and accepted Him into your heart?  If not, reach out to Him in prayer, asking Him to rescue you from sin and it's inevitable consequences (eternal death).  Only He is able to hand you that beautiful new start.  Reach out and take it today!

Father, I know that this post was meant for someone today who feels like there is no hope, that there is no escape from his or her past decisions.  But, Lord God, You are the God of the impossible!  It is only You who can "make all things new".  I thank you, Lord Jesus, that you took the payment for all my sins and gave me that "fresh start" so many years ago.  It is a "foretaste of glory divine" to know You and to walk with You, every day of my life.  In Jesus' name, amen.