Tuesday, April 15

We don't live here anymore

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13-14 NASB

A new friend, who is rapidly becoming a source of direction in this chaotic world, told me somethings last night that touched of God's sweet voice. There is, even in the darkest of times, things that God in His wisdom always can do and He has been faithful to use me in His way for His purpose.

Too many of us have a religious background, i.e. being brought up in a Christian environment, going to Christian schools, or knowing of this Israel God, Jehovah. And we don't get whatever the other 'zealots' get, we don't get to be 'touched' by God. And our faith wavers and dims.

We live in the kingdom and cannot see its beauty.

For, if we have accepted Christ (truly), then we are removed from the hopeless darkness of sin's cost and restored immediately to the kingdom--- Christ's kingdom which He began here on earth and gave us the mission to bring more into its boundaries. But we look around the world we see and nothing has changed. So we miss out on the kingdom's glory that is ours to glean comfort and substance from until full restoration.

Its a daily commitment, not to salvation, but to the subjection of our will to the Counselor Christ left us to help us grow and approach the character of Christ which we are to become. It doesn't happen overnight, or even in days, but can be a process that takes us a lifetime to achieve even a small amount of what we were meant to be. We won't ever fully achieve it until Christ comes back.

But, with the commitment comes change and that is what others look to and see. My friend told me I don't act like a Chaplain. They meant I don't have the 'holier than thou' attitude that seems to premeate the church leadership today. No, I don't, because I am a sinner as everyone else is. I have just been called to grow and be changed by proclaimation of the Gospel.

I serve my fellow man because I want to serve God and this is His request for me to fullfill that purpose.

Instead of looking to our past as an excuse not to experience God's grace and comfort in this world, we should look to our past and realize that God's grace and comfort is sufficient to redeem, restore, or overcome those painful memories. We should look to our past with an appreciation of the power of the God who designed us and calls us to Him.

Then the past no longer has power over us. Oh, it may be still painful or distorted, but we can be free from the clutches that create discord in our souls. We can live with the view of the kingdom to come through our earthly eyes.

Maybe this is just another one of those confusing posts that will just cause the readers to shake their heads and wonder what I am saying. Maybe, though, this will speak to the person or persons that God wants to speak to today.

In peaceful chaos,
Jim