Dear reader, these words may alleviate your concerns over the ordinances. Perhaps you say, “I am afraid to be baptized—it is such a solemn thing to declare myself to be dead with Christ, and buried with Him. And I don’t feel confident in coming to the Master’s table—I am afraid of eating and drinking judgment on myself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” Oh, trembling believer, Jesus has given you liberty—don’t be afraid. If a stranger came to your house, he would not go into your family room without invitation—he would stand at the door or wait in the hall since he is not at home. But your child travels freely around the house. It is the same way with the children of God. When the Holy Spirit has allowed you to feel the spirit of adoption, you can approach the Christian ordinances without fear. The same rule is true for the Christian’s inner spiritual privileges. You may think that you should not expect to be “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8)—if you could just get inside Christ’s door, or sit at His feet under the table, you would be content. But you should not have any less privilege than the very greatest Christian. God makes no distinction in His love to His children. To Him, a child is a child; He will not make any child into a hired servant, but will prepare the fatted calf and call for music and dancing as much for the one who wandered as the one who never went astray (see Luke 15:11–32). When Jesus comes into the heart, he issues a general license to be glad in the Lord. Nobody wears chains in the court of King Jesus. Our admission into the full privileges of the faith may take time, but it is sure. Perhaps you are thinking, “I wish I could enjoy God’s promises, and walk at liberty in my Lord’s commands.” “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” Remove the chains from around your neck, captive child—Jesus makes you free. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening
Oh that I would be reminded of this more often.
Its not hard to pick up a chain of guilt and lay it upon your neck. It's much harder still to remove it.
My friend, guilt is as much a part of living as is the rest of it. But, as we read, it doesn't have to be that way. By no means have I arrived in what you are reading today. I can easily relate to Paul's words of himself. Considering himself to be the chief of all sinners. I am, unfortunately, the kind that can get fixated on the why of a problem for longer than I should. In that understanding comes a problem of letting go when I have asked for forgiveness from Jesus. He's trying to get me back on my feet, to help me get moving forward again, and I keep looking back at what just happened. In this I doubt that I am alone.
There's many songs in recent years that I cling to that aren't hymns. TobyMac has several that I lean on. One such is "Move".
It's got a lot of reminders in it that we are on a mission, a journey if you will, and staying in a fallen down state isn't where we are to be. Those Jesus healed and forgave were given orders to move, to go, to tell, some were told not to tell, but to just go...an they told anyway. Some may say it's the 'walk it off' mentality.
Been still reading in Corinthians lately and 2,000 plus years ago Paul was eluding to how difficult life could be for a believer. He wasn't teaching on peace and prosperity. He was talking about how life could be and should be for those married and unmarried people. His advice and commands point toward people living in a right or better relationship with Jesus in the midst of life's happenings.
We have countless books and so-called specialists in this world yet the one place people ought to look for understanding in people problems is as old as time itself. Yes, the Bible.
Remembering who I am isn't always at the forefront of my mind. Sometimes the circumstances and conditions hit so quickly that I am in a reaction mode instead of an action mode.
Be mindful of whose you are. If you are saved by Jesus Christ, you are a child of God. Your time on this Earth is a visit until we are called to come home. Home being Heaven. This sin cursed world isn't going to develop into some utopia because of the ideals of people. It's going to be a struggle til we go home. If you aren't saved, you face this world alone, without the peace and assurance of the Holy Spirit of God. There's only one place to get it, that's in Salvation in Christ Jesus.
These are hard times on the Church in general. Many places across this world are banning the Church from gathering. Satan is believing he is hurting the Church in this. He cannot stop the prayers of God's people.
Remembering whose we are in Christ bolsters our faith. Let go of the chains we have around us. Let them fall. Cling to the truth of Christ. There's not much time left until the Rapture happens. My prayers have become more on the day to day than the long term. Keep doing what I can when I can. Trusting God to provide the way forward. Getting up n moving when sin knocks me down. Jesus said to remember He overcame the world.
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