Yes, I am!

A painter does not exist to stir colors.  He mixes paint to create beauty. We can get so close to our lives, so wrapped up in work, projects, people, and plans that we lose sight of real LIFE.  (Well, I do, anyway. Do you?) We can mistake the ‘doing’ for the ‘being.’  There is a reason I exist that includes oil changes and lawn mowing, but that is not the ‘all’ of it.  My true identity is found in that fact that I am a child of the living God, a citizen of His eternal kingdom, called to make the world beautiful, and privileged to make the invisible God a real Presence in the envelope of time and space.  When people do not have that vision or when a Christian loses it, life devolves into a struggle for money, sex, or power. Without the divine, we become like the creatures of the forest, fighting to survive. Period.

Paul’s letter to the Romans, that amazing treatise on God’s grace, says "Now this wonderful truth … assures us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory." (Romans 4:23-5:2, NLT)

Righteous! God offers us full acceptance.  We need not live shamed, in guilt, or feeling alienated from Him. The Cross connects us to our Abba and settles, once and for all time, the question of His love for us.

Peace with God!  There is no need to avoid Him, to pray tentative prayers from a distance.  We are (not because of perfect performance) living in harmony with Him, filled with His Spirit, one with His purpose.

Highest privilege, where we stand!  We are not subject to the accusations of the evil one, nor need we be pulled down by the nagging voice of our old sinful nature. God has pulled us to our feet and give us a Solid Rock on which to stand.

Confident, joyful, anticipation!  Yes, yes, yes… there is hope for the future.  Our bodies will die, but a grave is not our destiny. We are already alive in Christ, so death is just the transition point from living within the confines of time and space to an existence beyond them.

By faith, live the Truth He states about you.  Sometimes we read those passages and nod but we leave them on the page, so to speak. Pull it out and place it in your mind, at the forefront of your conscious thoughts today.  It will make a difference.

Here’s the word from the Word. "So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life." (Colossians 3:1-3, The Message)

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Jesus, You Are My Life

You are my life,

O precious Christ.

You are to me

The pearl of greatest price,

My love for You will never die.

Jesus, You are my life.

O holy fire,

Love's purest light.

Burn all desires ‘til

You are my one delight.

My love for You will never die

Jesus You are my life

O conquering King;

Conquer my heart!

And make of me a pleasing gift to God,

My love for You will never die

Jesus You are my life

I come to You.

I run to You.

There's no greater joy,

Than knowing You.

Steve Fry

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