It is common knowledge in my family that I do my very best to keep all family member’s Christmas presents even. I will lay everything out before I wrap the gifts to make sure I didn’t spend more money on one person than another. If I realize I have one too many gifts for one person I head back to the store to even up the score for everyone else. I’m exaggerating a little but I do like to bless people with gifts and I do want my friends and family to feel loved. And I don’t want to ever make someone feel like they are loved less than someone else.
I guess that obsession goes back to my issue with justice and things being fair. It must go back to a time in my early childhood when I felt I was being slacked. I’m sure I must have been pretty confused when I was sent to live with an aunt and uncle for a few weeks when I was 3 and my older brother and sister got to stay home. This was when my baby brother was born with a birth defect and needed several surgeries. Dad had to get my older siblings off to school and he had to work. My mother was busy with my baby brother.
As I think about this hang up in me, it brings me again to my Heavenly Father. Do you realize what ALL He did for us when He sent HIS son to die on the cross? He brought us up even with Jesus in regards to worth, value, identity, our inheritance, our future etc. That act of mercy and grace, not only gave us a home in heaven, it gave us a NEW identity, a NEW history, a NEW future! On a scale from 1-10 how righteous is Jesus? I would assume you are saying a 10. Now let me ask you, on a scale from 1-10 how righteous are you? Now think about it before you answer. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” According to that verse we too are a 10! When we accepted Christ, a whole change took place inside of us in our spirit. Our spirit was brought alive by God and HE now dwells in us. What is true about Jesus is now true about you! YOU are holy, righteous, forgiving, loving, patient, acceptable, adequate, competent, pure and TOTALLY RIGHT with God. This is who you are! A person’s behavior ALWAYS follows what he believes about himself. Do you see that your behavior will begin to change when the Holy Spirit convinces you of who you truly are? We are now in a lifelong process of being conformed into the image of Christ in our Soul. This is why Jesus says, “Work OUT your salvation.” It’s in you and it is you.
I’m so thankful that our Heavenly Father gave us EVERYTHING in Christ. (II Peter 1:3) We are not slacked! We are not lacking! We are not deficient! Will you believe HIM?
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