Who you are, not what you think you are...
Child of God, do you hesitate to claim this title? Ah, has your unbelief made you forget that you are “greatly loved” too? You must have been “greatly loved” to have been bought with “the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:19 NLT). When God punished His only begotten Son for you, what was that but being “greatly loved?” You lived in sin, and reveled in it—you must have been “greatly loved” for God to have been so patient with you. You were called by grace, led to a Savior, and made a child of God and an heir of heaven. Doesn’t all of this prove a very great and abundant love? Since that time, whether your path has been rough with trouble or smooth with mercy, it has been full of proofs that you are “greatly loved.” If the Lord has disciplined you, it was not in anger; if He has made you poor, you have become rich in grace. The more unworthy you feel yourself to be, the more evidence you have that nothing but unspeakable love could have led the Lord Jesus to save a soul such as yours. The more defective you are, the clearer the display of the abounding love of God—for choosing you, and calling you, and making you an heir of happiness. Now, if there is such love between God and us, let us live under the influence and sweetness of it—let us use the privilege of our position. May we never approach our Lord as though we were strangers, or as though He were unwilling to hear us—for we are “greatly loved” by our loving Father. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Believer, come boldly—for in spite of the whispering of Satan and the doubting of your own heart, you are “greatly loved.” This evening, meditate on the exceeding greatness and faithfulness of divine love—and go to bed in peace. - C.H. Spurgeon Morning and Evening
Daniel is my favorite book. Any time I get to revisit the book I am reminded of a man who was called highly esteemed by God.
Failures happen to every single believer. It's no huge secret, although, Satan would have us believe that whatever we failed at, is singular to our experience.
For decades he had me on that thought. That feeling of dread each time I blew it before God. Each time that I came back to ask Jesus to forgive me.
Then, after some particular sermons, I began to understand aspects of the sin nature. Of Paul writing of his own daily struggles with sin. Doing the things he doesn't want and not doing what he did want to do. If you struggle with this...and I know that you do...we are in good company. From before Paul to beyond Billy Graham, all believers struggle with sin. Some try to deal with it, others go so far as to rename it so it doesn't feel so bad.
Paul spoke of practicing sin. Meaning sins we intentionally engaged in, on purpose, in this life. Perhaps the most widely known is homosexuality. It's an intentional life of sin that God objects to.
Idolatry is another. Read of the letters Paul wrote addressing it in the early Church. Read in Revelation the letters written to the Church's. It's a rampant problem for over 2,000 years.
We aren't alone in our struggles with sin.
The greatest part of our struggle in life is our identity. Most importantly who God says we are or are not. In the end, our identity is what is written in the Lamb's book of Life. Saved or not saved.
Struggling in an through life is common to all men and women. We always have struggled and will until either God says it's time to go or the Rapture.
The importance of realizing your identity is more than you know. The Scripture says we are either wheat or false wheat. We are either destined for Heaven or Hell. Absolutes. No in between.
Those who are saved spend their lives being cleansed and made more like Christ.
Those who are not, live for themselves, in their own self righteousness. Believing they can tell God what defines good and bad.
The judged cannot tell the Judge what will be or not be concerning themselves.
The real kicker is YOU are the one who can set the definition of who you are.
YOU either receive Christ as your personal Savior or YOU reject Him.
You.
You determine Heaven or Hell based on your choice in this life. Once you die that choice is made for all eternity.
My friend, if you are found to be in Christ...live it.
Likewise...if you haven't chosen Jesus as your Savior, what's keeping you? What you have? What you might lose? Fears? Your painful past? Your circumstances now?
Nothing that is in your world or your mind, in your present or your past, is greater than the healing power of God when you come to Christ. An by all means nobody will be standing by you when you face Jesus as Judge to defend your life. It will be just you. If you don't have Christ as your Savior, no matter what you say, your verdict is guilty. Just as I was born half blind and will be until I stand before Christ, so is my sin nature. Born with it and it will be with me until then. The only cure for it in this life is Salvation in Christ Jesus. Only His atonement cleanses it away. Only His forgiveness blots out the transgressions of my life and He remembers them no more. Without it, my friend, your sin will always remain.
Think about your life, you stand before Christ right now, with a choice to make.
Once you stop breathing your choice is made. Written in blood. Either your blood or the blood of Jesus Christ.
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