WHOSE WE ARE
Through Lent, I will be doing a series on the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer. See the link on this page to view the prayer.
I Corinthians 6:12-20
Matthew 4:1-11
"I am yours and you are mine"
When my father died, it put me into a kind of identity crisis. My mother had died six years earlier, and at the age of 45, I felt like an orphan. For 45 years, I was Art and Pauline's girl, and Art and Pauline were my parents. Whose was I now?
My friend, Melissa, who had recently lost her own father, reminded me as she reminded herself, that God is the father, the father, our father, and no matter what our circumstances, we are still God's beloved children.
God is Father, in response to Satan's attempt to tempt Christ, Jesus declared that God is the source of life, and that we live, not just on bread alone, but on ev ery word that comes from the mouth of God.
God is also the Lord God, whom we are not to take for granted. We cannot expect that God is at our beck and call to do our bidding. We are to worship and serve the Lord God alone.
In other words, the Lord is our loving and gracious master whom we give our loyalty and honor; the one we look up to for guidance and care; and the one we obey and serve.
Though Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth about sexual immorality, I wonder if the underlying issue was really about a lack of understanding of whose they were, and who or what had mastery over them.
Paul told them that they not only belonged to Christ, mind, body and soul, but they were also members of or parts of Christ's own body.
Christ paid for the gift of redeeming grace, for their salvation, with his blood, suffering and death -- a great price, indeed. To accept this gift and then give theiry loyalty and obedience to their own self-destructive unloving desires rather than Christ cheapens the gift.
As we participate in the lenten practices of reflection, prayer, study and fasting, perhaps this is a good time for us to ask ourselves just whose we are. Who or what really is our Lord and master?
Would this master sacrivice eeerything for us, like Jeus has?
Does this master love us no matter what, like God does?
Will this master never let us down and always deliver on its promises like God does?
Is this master the source of life and eternal life?
Is this master really worth following?
And when we choose to turn away from other masters and turn back to God, God's love in action, God's grace in Jesus Christ, rains down on us, drenching us with forgiveness and joy. Joy, becuase, God loves us so much, and is always ready to welcome us back.
I Corinthians 6:12-20
Matthew 4:1-11
"I am yours and you are mine"
When my father died, it put me into a kind of identity crisis. My mother had died six years earlier, and at the age of 45, I felt like an orphan. For 45 years, I was Art and Pauline's girl, and Art and Pauline were my parents. Whose was I now?
My friend, Melissa, who had recently lost her own father, reminded me as she reminded herself, that God is the father, the father, our father, and no matter what our circumstances, we are still God's beloved children.
God is Father, in response to Satan's attempt to tempt Christ, Jesus declared that God is the source of life, and that we live, not just on bread alone, but on ev ery word that comes from the mouth of God.
God is also the Lord God, whom we are not to take for granted. We cannot expect that God is at our beck and call to do our bidding. We are to worship and serve the Lord God alone.
In other words, the Lord is our loving and gracious master whom we give our loyalty and honor; the one we look up to for guidance and care; and the one we obey and serve.
Though Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth about sexual immorality, I wonder if the underlying issue was really about a lack of understanding of whose they were, and who or what had mastery over them.
Paul told them that they not only belonged to Christ, mind, body and soul, but they were also members of or parts of Christ's own body.
Christ paid for the gift of redeeming grace, for their salvation, with his blood, suffering and death -- a great price, indeed. To accept this gift and then give theiry loyalty and obedience to their own self-destructive unloving desires rather than Christ cheapens the gift.
As we participate in the lenten practices of reflection, prayer, study and fasting, perhaps this is a good time for us to ask ourselves just whose we are. Who or what really is our Lord and master?
Would this master sacrivice eeerything for us, like Jeus has?
Does this master love us no matter what, like God does?
Will this master never let us down and always deliver on its promises like God does?
Is this master the source of life and eternal life?
Is this master really worth following?
And when we choose to turn away from other masters and turn back to God, God's love in action, God's grace in Jesus Christ, rains down on us, drenching us with forgiveness and joy. Joy, becuase, God loves us so much, and is always ready to welcome us back.
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