Who I Am...

IN CHRIST. WHO I am in Christ. Let me list off to you  my friends you who we are when we put off the old ways of thinking, the old self that we were born into. The person He died to set us free from. The sinful self. The flesh. The sinful, selfish, self-seeking, self-focused, self-ambition seeker, the one who thought of themselves before they thought of others and the one who was never satisfied. (you know what I mean)  That is the person who God set me free from (and you) IN CHRIST, by Christ, through Christ's death on the cross. From the moment we said the words.."Jesus I need you, set me free from who I am in my sinful flesh" and Thanked Him with our lives for His gift of new life, abundant life, life that only begins for real as we enter into eternity. The life that will not fade and glory that will not cease. That is what we have in Him. Here is the list of what I have in Him from the moment I heard His voice, predestined to respond to His call...I received this:
*Grace
*Freedom in Christ
*Strength that is not my own
*Eyes to see what I could not see on my own
*Ears to hear what I could not hear in my own hearing
*The gift of serving Him
*The gift of walking with Him
*The gift of having a friend with me at all times
*The gift of knowing I am NEVER forsaken
*The knowledge of what He did on the cross
*The blessing of experiencing the ABUNDANT life
*The gift of eternity to come
*His wisdom as I ask for it
*His hand in mine
*His word!!!!!!!!
*The love that He makes available to me so that I can give out of that to others
*New Mercies EVERY MORNING (forgiven past, present and future)

OK...so these are just a few..but this is just what I wanted to start with so that you my friend could have your eyes opened along side of mine to see all that we have in HIM.
There is one new thing that can be added to that list that I just figured out was actually a gift and not a curse, I really have learned this just in the past week. The gift of partnering with Him in His sufferings. I know it is not something we tend to think of as a gift but in the economy of God, the fact that are considered worthy of suffering for the one who died to make us whole, is amazing. Think about it this way. The way you love your significant other. Even the title, (that I never really use) Significant other, means that they are considerably more significant to you that perhaps even yourself. We get the opportunity to do something in way of self-sacrificing for them...or in some extreme cases, say someone "takes a hit " for someone they love. I would do that in an instant for my children! But in this world were Jesus's name is not a name commonly said with much love, if we profess the name of Jesus and stand up for the name of Jesus and then we take a hit for the name of Jesus? This is a blessing. We are suffering for the name by which we are saved. suffering comes in all shapes and sizes, and it does not always equal catastrophic pain, it may entail just being left out of a group of friends, or being slandered by another, Paul in the Bible tells us to "count it all joy.." and other other echo his words as we take hits for Jesus in the Christian faith. We are to count our sufferings all joy. So, added to my list of gifts, I also add..."being given the gift of being considered worthy of taking hits for Jesus." The one who died to set me free is worthy of my devotion. And this life is but a wisp. A vapor, and then, the life we have with Him in eternity, where every tear is wiped away, and every sorrow gone, that is where we can say, "Now I rest in eternity of peace with the one I love.(Jesus)."
And if my friend, this idea of eternity seems "to good to be true.." Consider this: The void you feel in the pit of your soul when the party ends, and the crowd leaves, the late' has been drank all gone, and the good times are just not rolling anymore...what then? Do you feel vacant in any way? Do any of the gifts I  mentioned above seem like something that you possess in your being? If not...then why? Ask yourself these questions! They are questions worth asking! People will go to great lengths to find happiness but the one thing they fail to consider is that in this life of pain, that perhaps they are missing out on the one true source of joy that will not fade or vanish. Do you know that you can have joy even in suffering? Even in pain? HOW IS THE SO you may ask? Because you have the giver of joy who lives inside of you if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who I am in Christ will not fade. And on the day of His return, (which I can almost taste!) All the pain of today will be washed away. It is to good to be true, but the catch is, is that it's TRUE! The Gospel is True!!!! The gospel of faith, through grace, by no works of our own, but by the gift of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of salvation is true. Man screwed up in the garden. God made  a way out for us, and His name is Jesus. Do you know Him? If you don't, find a Bible, open it up and start getting to know Him. You can buy a Bible at the store for less that 5 bucks these days. Get one, open it up and get to know the giver of all the gifts I just listed. Trust me, it will change your life for now, and for eternity.