What Is Jesus Saying?
"...it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me;..." Galatians 2:20
Meditating - uttering, muttering, and pondering - on this verse gets me serious real fast. Thoughts of conversations and actions that have taken place throughout the day come unbidden. Some of these memories bring rejoicing but others...oh those others. Just thinking about the exasperated tone of voice used when reminding my three-year-old not to take something that doesn't belong to him without asking makes me shudder as does the remembrance of how severely I was lacking in patience towards another forgetful child. If Christ is living in me, what is He saying?
Yeah, whatever He might say, it wouldn't be what I said. Pretty sure He wouldn't have crossed His arms as He huffed in frustration or thrown up His arms in exasperation or....or...or...um hmm, the point is rather obvious. Sometimes, Christ wasn't the one speaking through me today, every day. "They will know we are Christians by our love" these words from a once popular Christian song have been going through my head for over a day as has the topic of Love, God's Love. More specifically, the topic of what Jesus is saying through me. If I no longer live, what is Jesus saying through me?
Taking it down to the nitty gritty, what is He saying through me in my home? To my children? To my husband? Is my family able to know I am a Christian by my love? Could I be convicted if accused of being a Christian on the testimonies of my family? of my church family? of the mailman? the clerk at the store? the librarian? anyone? What is Jesus saying through me or is it Him speaking at all?
Verse 21 of Galatians chapter two, the verse following the one at the top of this post, says "[Therefore, I do not treat God's gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholely superfluous.]" Does this reach out and grab anyone else or just me? I don't follow the Jewish law but do I follow Laws of my own making, religious laws made by me/mankind and not by God? May it not be so. I simply cannot allow His death to be wholely superfluous.
If Jesus isn't living through me in my home, He isn't living through me. What a horribly heartbreaking thing it would be to win the world to Christ while allowing myself to live before my family in a way that drives them away from His love. If I were the only Christian my family knew, would they be drawn to His love through me, or would they go as far as they could, fast? Dear God, make me like You. Make my words Your words of Love. Cause my eyes to see my family as You see. Alter my vision so that I see ways to minister to their needs and heal their hurts. May my heart be ever drawn towards home first and then go out from there. You instructed me, in Your Word, to go to Judea, then Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth making disciples. May I not forsake my home, my Judea if you will. May my loved ones be able to hear Your Words, for mine will be Yours. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.
Meditating - uttering, muttering, and pondering - on this verse gets me serious real fast. Thoughts of conversations and actions that have taken place throughout the day come unbidden. Some of these memories bring rejoicing but others...oh those others. Just thinking about the exasperated tone of voice used when reminding my three-year-old not to take something that doesn't belong to him without asking makes me shudder as does the remembrance of how severely I was lacking in patience towards another forgetful child. If Christ is living in me, what is He saying?
Yeah, whatever He might say, it wouldn't be what I said. Pretty sure He wouldn't have crossed His arms as He huffed in frustration or thrown up His arms in exasperation or....or...or...um hmm, the point is rather obvious. Sometimes, Christ wasn't the one speaking through me today, every day. "They will know we are Christians by our love" these words from a once popular Christian song have been going through my head for over a day as has the topic of Love, God's Love. More specifically, the topic of what Jesus is saying through me. If I no longer live, what is Jesus saying through me?
Taking it down to the nitty gritty, what is He saying through me in my home? To my children? To my husband? Is my family able to know I am a Christian by my love? Could I be convicted if accused of being a Christian on the testimonies of my family? of my church family? of the mailman? the clerk at the store? the librarian? anyone? What is Jesus saying through me or is it Him speaking at all?
Verse 21 of Galatians chapter two, the verse following the one at the top of this post, says "[Therefore, I do not treat God's gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholely superfluous.]" Does this reach out and grab anyone else or just me? I don't follow the Jewish law but do I follow Laws of my own making, religious laws made by me/mankind and not by God? May it not be so. I simply cannot allow His death to be wholely superfluous.
If Jesus isn't living through me in my home, He isn't living through me. What a horribly heartbreaking thing it would be to win the world to Christ while allowing myself to live before my family in a way that drives them away from His love. If I were the only Christian my family knew, would they be drawn to His love through me, or would they go as far as they could, fast? Dear God, make me like You. Make my words Your words of Love. Cause my eyes to see my family as You see. Alter my vision so that I see ways to minister to their needs and heal their hurts. May my heart be ever drawn towards home first and then go out from there. You instructed me, in Your Word, to go to Judea, then Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth making disciples. May I not forsake my home, my Judea if you will. May my loved ones be able to hear Your Words, for mine will be Yours. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.