I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
An Eternal Status Change
Have you ever had a major status change? Maybe you graduated from school, became a parent, or got a promotion at work. It can be disorienting waking up the next morning and everything has changed.
We all go through an instant status change when we become Christians. God has the power to transform us into things that we could never be on our own. Scripture says that while we were once considered enemies with God, we are now considered children of God.
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
John 1:12-13 NIV
In 1 Peter 2:9-10, we see a list of additional status changes. Peter says that we are a chosen people–that means that God specifically sought us out, even while we were still stuck in our own way.
Peter continues, saying that we are are a royal priesthood and a holy people. We have been transformed by God’s Spirit, and we are now part of God’s royal family. Instead of being held captive by our past, we are blameless and free in Him.
While we have to work hard to achieve a promotion or graduate from school, belonging to God’s family is free and available to anyone.
Our status before God is completely changed simply through faith and grace.
You can probably remember what your life was like before you received the mercy of God. What other benefits have you experienced by being in God’s family?
Spend some time thanking God for His incredible gift to you. Think of a few ways that you can show your gratitude to God this week.
Sacrificial Love
Jesus, all powerful and completely perfect, chose to give up His life for us. He willingly went to the cross to be crucified, the most painful death imaginable, because He loved us so much.
And He invites us to do the same.
1 John 3:16 tells us, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
How can we demonstrate this kind of sacrificial love in our own lives? How can we give our time, attention, or resources to help someone in need? Are we intentional to listen and be present for others, even when it's not easy or comfortable? Are we willing, if it comes down to it, to give up our lives for the sake of God and others?
This kind of love is challenging. It asks us to look beyond our own needs and to see the needs of others. It calls us to be selfless. The good news is, Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything for someone else that He wasn’t willing to do for us first. He knows ...
“And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.”
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