What’s your story?

I really mean it. What’s your faith story? Do you ever reflect on what life was like before you “met” Jesus and what has changed as a result of your encounter? Did your encounter create a dynamic that keeps you looking forward to more of him? Did you meet the “real” Jesus? I suspect there must be a legion of counterfeits out there because too many people cannot look at their lives and attest to the changes this “faith transaction” made and continues to make.

One of the reasons people do not share their faith more regularly is because they do not think their life changed that much when they received Christ. No big deal, I guess. But wait! Finding Jesus is a huge deal! His mission is to be our life-changer and he doesn’t fail at his work. The faith Jesus embeds in us and the work of his Spirit is absolutely transformational. Ezekiel 36:26 speaks of God taking our heart of stone and changing it to a heart of flesh. He begins at once upon our profession of faith and creates this new heart within us and continues to shape our hearts to beat in sync with his. Jesus work is usually a process, not a “shake and bake.” Our minds and bodies would probably not sustain all that change overnight.

Jeremiah 17:9 says prior to Christ our hearts were “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can understand it?”  Granted that’s not a very complimentary statement, but coming out of the gate we really don’t give God much to work with, even though we may think otherwise. Just think for a moment about the “positional” changes (the way God sees us) God affords us through Christ. We are forgiven. We are righteous. We are redeemed. We are reconciled to him (no longer enemies). We set apart for good works and he has plans for us. I realize this is gibberish to a non-Christian, but are these things precious to you? We have a reprieve from death. Death and fear of it no longer need hold us captive. 

We now have someone infinitely powerful and wise to guide us and share our earthly burdens. We have been healed. If from nothing more than healed of sin and free from the sting of death, we are free from those burdens. Do you ever consider how great a salvation we have received? Free from feelings of guilt and condemnation from the One who knows us intimately from thought to action. It’s definitely beyond us to envision the degree of holiness our God possesses. It’s also not a doable task to assess the degree of sin and unworthiness in which we came to Christ. That latter point would be deeply depressing were it not for the fact that God put that behind us and behind him.

Has your new birth given you something to shout about? Do you see your salvation as a treasure you have found? Are there benchmarks in your life that only God can claim to have made possible? Are you noticing the transformations God yearns to create in you? You can trust this statement: Christ in you is far more spectacular than being healed of Covid19 or even cancer. For people outside our faith and doing life apart from Jesus’ redeeming power it is like looking at fish from outside the fishbowl. Are you glad God has got you? Then splash a little water to those on the outside. Tell them a thing or two about the difference the “real” Jesus makes in you. Think About It.