Just finished Sunday’s message. I WANT TO LET IT OUT! I’ll try not to blog it early, but no promises.
As a way of getting around that, here are some lines I wrote in my journal today. Only a slice of it made it to the message, but it is definitely worth thinking about…
Before the holidays I started a discussion on the implications and uses of Romans 8:1. The first post reminded us that there is hope in Christ that when we sin, we are not condemned again and lose our salvation. Rather, having been made new in Christ and striving to live a life of holiness, we can be confident that we are in the hands of God and His grace extends to us when we fail, for we shall certainly do so until the day He returns or we are taken to be with Him.
I am reading my second title of the new year, and it has spurred me on to finish this thought started so long ago. The book is “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges, and you will see a review of the book here when I finish reading it. For now, though, let us continue our thoughts on Romans 8:1.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…
(Romans 8:1, NIV)
Most Christan adults have read or heard this verse, written by Paul to the church in Rome. It is a verse that is quickly set to memory, and so finds itself quoted often.
I think, though, that this statement is often misused. Is it true? Indeed…and its truth is powerful and essential to our lives. The trouble comes when we misunderstand what is said, resulting in terrible misapplication.
We started some thoughts on whether it is good for us to long to physically see Christ while we live on this earth. For whatever reason, many have come to believe that they must see Him. Some believe that it will be a sort of seal of approval on their conversion. Others believe that you cannot truly profess to be a Christian until you have seen Him.
There are few in the New Testament who saw Christ following His ascension into the clouds. We talked about two of them in the previous post. Let’s look at one more, and then see if we can tell why they were allowed to see Jesus.
What do you hope or wish for? What is that you long for? Where would you go? Who would you see? What would you do? We all have dreams and desires, for our present, for our future and for the futures of others.
These dreams and hopes are often our motivation for dealing with the ins and outs of our daily lives. We drag ourselves out of bet and push through another work day because we hold to the hope that our will work will be noticed, we’ll get that promotion, start making more money, and be able to buy a home of our own, or take the family on that special vacation.
Most of our hopes and dreams are related to this physical life. Work, home, family, relationships, achievements. We don’t often wish for something in the spiritual realm. If we do, it’s usually related to healing, miracles, or another kind of blessing that actually affects our temporal lives.
That is, of course, with exception. I’ve run into some people who simply want to see Jesus. But is it really as simple as it sounds, and should we be hoping so intently for it to happen?
This morning I had the privilege of getting up early and participating in our local ministerial’s sunrise service. I was asked to give a short devotion, and thought I’d make it available here.
Chris MacKinnon 