Becoming What We Are

Becoming What We Are

 

What is it that kills your joy? I am sure we would all love to say that our circumstances around us have no connection, whatsoever on our attitudes, but that would be a complete lie. We go through each day in a different way, some good days and some bad days, but our outside circumstances should never influence the way we act toward others. In God's word Paul tells us,”We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead" (2 Cor 1:8-9) Paul’s purpose in this passage is clearly for us as believers, to replace our dependency on ourselves with the complete dependency on God, (and his hardships were life threatening! )We have already died with Christ (Rom 6:5-6), and with his death we have been given a new life, we are now considered holy, so we should be holy in all our thoughts and actions, ” But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do..” (1 Peter 1:15). We are the light of the world because His light is in us, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”, ( Matt 5:16). This is what we are and who we are, justified sinners who are known as Saints by God. During times of "kill joy" ( as I like to call it ), in times if joylessness, we need to remember to rest in God's righteousness....the message of the cross...God's promises...and God's GRACE!  

 

By Grace Alone

 

Bobbi