What Do You Want To Be?

Growing up, I probably wanted to be a teacher in the beginning, but by second grade, I knew teaching wasn't for me.  After that, towards late elementary and early junior high, I wanted to be a fashion designer.  I liked the "in" fashions at the time, and was different than everyone else in my small town...I never, ever wore jeans, except to show my calves in 4-H and that was only because I had to.  Following the fashion designer years, I wanted to be a home economics teacher.  That was my favorite class, and even though I couldn't stand to sew and cringed at the thought of teaching it, I was willing to do it to pursue my dream.

A few year later, I began dating my husband.  I still planned to teach home ec, but the program began disappearing in Oklahoma colleges.  Only one had it, and it wasn't close to where I was going to live. I married, just went to college for the closet degree that went along with that field, and finished going a year and a half from graduation.  I've thought about going back some day, but mostly just liked to tease our daughter that I would just wait and go with her.  The funny thing is that she's more "done" right now with college than I am! Ha ha!

Deciding what to "be" when you grow up is difficult. There are so many choices! So many options! So many things to do that it's hard to even imagine.  I'm actually doing what I never realized I wanted to do when I was young - be a stay-at-home mom.  Staying "home" was definitely nothing that appealed to me. I was a "go-er".  How funny that now I'm thrilled when I do get to be home more than a day or so at a time!

Last night we heard a lesson about being a child of God vs. being a Christian.  It was actually very interesting and something I had never thought of before.  He talked about how that when we obey the Gospel, we become a child of God, but that to be a Christian means to be a follower of Christ.  I knew all of that, but think about this that he said:  We can be a child of God BUT STILL choose not to follow Christ.  We see it all of the time, actually.  One may believe, repent, confess, and be baptized, yet still not TURN away from the things of the world to follow Jesus.  WOW!  That is so true.  It is not just a one day thing.  It's an every-day-I'm-striving-to-follow-Him thing!  And if and when we fail, we don't turn away, but keep on going....striving to follow Him more closely.  When we do fail and turn away, continuing to grow further and further away from Him, that is when we are in trouble.  His grace is sufficient, but His death was worth more than just a one time commitment that it quickly forgotten.  Because He loves us so, He wants us to love Him.  And loving Him is striving to do His will.  It's striving to transform to His image.

Being a child of God and a Christian - a true Christ-follower - THAT is what we should all want to be! Nothing else in the world matters more than that decision.  No degree is more important than having our names written in the Book of Life.  No life choice is greater than deciding to dedicate your life to Him.  Living with Him in eternity is more important than any earthly destination.

What do you want to be?  I pray you want to be a child of God AND a Christian.  Faith is belief PLUS obedience.

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:4

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Why You Can't Say No To Religion

Why, you ask?  Because the Bible says to put your religion into practice.  So, for that very reason, as a follower of God, His children must follow the teachings in His Word.  And, His Word says that you can't say no to religion....although it is being taught in many places all over the world.  Religion simply means our external worship to God.  When you say no to religion, you're saying no to the external worshipping of your Heavenly Father.  But a child of God just can't keep it all to herself/himself! She/He must let her/his light shine!   

(Check out Blue Letter Bible to look up the original meanings of words. This is the link:  http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2356&t=KJV

What those who debunk religion may be opposed to the church organized to have worship together.  It's just a ritual to them, maybe.  Of course, that's possible.  We can make it a "going through the motions kind of thing", if we're not careful. We also have to be careful that we don't become selfish in our thinking, and believe that worship to God is all about how "I" feel and what "I" get out of it, instead of concentrating on worshipping the Father!  Yes, we can encourage one another when we meet together, but the absolute primary goal is glorify God, not self!

Others may dismiss worship as meaning not be a Pharisee, as Paul was before he was blinded by the light - the BRIGHT light! Paul was an "all rules, no grace" man of God until He was struck with the truth - that Jesus did away with all of that.  Obedience is still in effect, but not so that one can just check of a "do to" list and call it good.  We aren't to be like the Pharisees, legalistic in our thinking.   

“The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee.  Acts 26:40-5

Paul (then named Saul) learned the truth. He realized he had been in error, living as a Pharisee and as a persecutor of Christians and Jesus, himself.  The Lord told him what to do to restore his eyesight.  Immediately after, he was baptized.  Not only was Paul's name changed, but his heart was changed!

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Acts 9:17-19

So, God doesn't want us to have that Pharisaical, rules-only, strictest religion.  What does He want us to have?  He tells us in the scriptures below:

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 

1 Timothy 5:1-4 NIV

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.     James 1:26-27

These scriptures say that we should take care of your own families....repay our parents and grandparents for all they have done for us.  It pleases God.  And we should keep a tight rein on our tongues.....and care for orphans and widows....and keep ourselves polluted by the world.  WOW!  That's quite a list, isn't it???!

Different Bible translations have a few more "religion" references in them.  I think Colossians 2 pretty much sums up the whole idea that Paul learned and that God wants us to know about His Son and Our Savior.  It's a life of freedom in Christ, but also striving to be obedient.  It's not a legalistic obedience, but an obedience because of our love for God for what Jesus has done.  

Please take the time to read Colossians 2 in the link below (Bible Gateway, NKJV).  

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%202&version=NKJV

ARE YOU A NEW CREATION?

(Original post from Oct. 2010)

After hearing about God and about Jesus, a person will either believe that the Bible is true or they will believe that it is false.  They will make a decision about what to do with the One True God and the Savior Jesus Christ based upon what they hear and what they believe.

Hearing and believeing that Jesus is a Savior makes a person realize that they have sin in their lives.  Sin seperates us from God and Jesus is the only one who can draw us closer to God.  But, He can only draw us closer to Him if we allow Him to work in our lives.  Believeing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the Savior and the one who can wash away our sin, will cause us to repent of those sins.  Repenting is turning away from sin and drawing closer to God.  He draws us near to Him when we allow Him to be a part of our lives.

Jesus wants us to have a new life...a life that is ready to surrender our will and a life that is ready to do His Father's will. We put our faith in Jesus and give our lives to Him.  He can take our dirty, sinful life and make it new.  I like that, don't you?

There are so many scriptures that refer to our relationship with Jesus.  Here are a few of them.  Pay attention to the specifics of our relationship with Him. (I'm numbering the scriptures to discuss them at the end. I am also enlarging the text I will be referring to later. I try to use the whole passage thought, so that the full meaning is understood. (Be sure to open up your own Bible and check the scriptures for yourself!) Don't take my word for it. Take GOD'S WORD for it!  Let Him speak to you through His Words.

#1:  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:26-27

#2:  In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,  not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us;

he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:11-14

#3. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

1 Peter 3:19-22

#4. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Romans 6:1-7

So let's look at each of the passages from above and consider our relationship with Jesus:

#1:  By faith we become sons (or daughters!) of God.  This happens through Christ Jesus and we clothe ourselves with Jesus at baptism.

#2 and #3 and #4: Each of these passages deal with our relationship with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.  The gospel is the "good news".  What is the good news?  It is Christ's death burial and resurrection. The best way to understand this is by the following illustration.  When I first saw an illustration similar to this several years ago...even though I had been baptized several years before that time...it was the greatest thing!  It truly illustrates these verses and shows the significance of water baptism.

(Illustrations by Robert Swain)

So, here we see a wonderful illustration to the scriptures that teach that we are baptized into His death, we are buried with Him through baptism, and then just as Christ was raised up from the dead. We also are raised to walk in newness of life after baptism. There must be a death, burial, and resurrection before this new life is possible. Only in baptism does our old sinful person die and our new person rises free from sin. We are transformed from death to life. We become a new creation. PRAISE GOD!

Baptism gives us a new life because of what Jesus did - because of the gospel!  He willingly died on the cross to save you and I!  He was buried and raised up to give us a death and burial of our old, sinful life...and resurrection resulting in a new life! 

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us so much!  Thank you, God, for loving us so much!

 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 Peter 4:17

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

 2 Thessalonians 1:8

    
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:15-16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Romans 1:16

The Chronicles of Biscuit - The Most Important Decision....Biscuit's Baptism

The Chronicles of Biscuit: Stories about our youngest son, Tyler, whose nickname is Biscuit.

I had plans to not do a "Chronicles of Biscuit" title for this special post, but I had to because today Biscuit was baptized! And, when we arrived at the building, Biscuit's Uncle Ken had made this special screen for him!  So, I had to use the "Biscuit" :).  How sweet is that??!

Biscuit began asking questions about salvation, sin, forgiveness, and baptism some time ago....over a year ago.  But when we would ask him other questions, it was obvious he wasn't really sure about everything yet.  But yesterday, right after worship, Biscuit said, "I need to be baptized!"  We knew he was serious and that he understood why he needed to be and what baptism did.  He wanted his dad to baptize him, but my husband was preaching out of town.  In fact, he wasn't going to be home until 10:00 p.m., and Biscuit would have been asleep by then.  My husband and I talked about it and decided that tonight, after a full day of school for the kids, work for him, then a football game tonight, we would finally all be together after the football game.  Biscuit's baptism was planned for then....around 8:30 p.m.

Last night Biscuit told me that he wanted to invite a few people....a few friends and family.  He had some special friends from camp he wanted to invite.  They live about an hour and fifteen minutes away, but we wrote them to tell them about it, anyway.  A few of the friends responded immediately that they wanted to come.  Biscuit was so excited!

(Biscuit with special friends: Matt, Jim, and Caylie)

This morning, as soon as Biscuit woke up, he had a plan.  He wanted us to sing some songs, then have his baptism, then sing some more songs.  I thought it was pretty neat he was planning the whole event himself!  My husband contacted his brother/our minister, and asked him to take care of the songs.

So after the football game tonight, a few friends and family met together for Tyler's baptism.  It was a special night for all of us, but more importantly, we know that God, Jesus, and the angels are rejoicing in his decision, as well. Our youngest of four children has now turned his life over to God and has put on the Lord in baptism.  All four of them have been baptized by their daddy!

My Facebook status said the following:

Tyler has HEARD the word of God since birth, he BELIEVED in God from a young age, as well, and knew that Jesus died for Him. Now Tyler has realized that sin separates us from God and that Jesus is the only way to get forgiveness for those sins and to become a child of God. Tyler has REPENTED of those sins, CONFESSED that Jesus is Lord to all who were present and to the Heavens above, and he will continue to do so. Tyler has made the decision to change his status from UNFORGIVEN to FORGIVEN by being BAPTIZED tonight. 

Praise God for Tyler's heart! 

Today after school, Tyler jumped in the car with a big smile. I asked if he was excited. He said yes. Then he said that this was one of the biggest decisions he would ever make. I said, "Yes, it is. What's another one?" He said, "Who I'll marry"...paused and said, "I'll probably be like Grammy and not go to my graduation." He was thinking Joe's mom didn't walk across the stage at graduation, but got married then instead. She actually did, but missed her Senior trip for her wedding. He's right.....that's the 2nd most important decision he'll ever make. 

Tonight Biscuit DID make the most important decision he could ever make.  I pray that he lives a long life of faithful service to God, that he continues to grow in the faith and in love, and that he strives to be a servant to God by imitating the example of Jesus, the Savior.

To his friends and family:  Please pray for Biscuit had he begins this new walk with Jesus, and thank you, in advance, for your love and support. 

On this Gratituesday, it's easy to see what I'm grateful for:  God's gift of salvation; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus - the gospel; and for Tyler's decision to walk in this new life.

To see what others are grateful for, visit www.heavenlyhomemakers.com.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Romans 6:4

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 

Galatians 3:26-27

QMCC 2012

My family spent last week at one of our very favorite places - Quartz Mountain Christian Camp.  This camp is special to us for many reasons, but the main two are that my husband and I met there and his uncle began this very session that we attended and now he and his brother are the directors for that session.  It's been a family thing for many, many years.

On Sunday evening the campers hiked to the top of one of the bigger mountains.  They had a devotional and ate a Passover meal of lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. 

This years' theme was an Olympic "Go for the Gold" theme.  The main lessons/classes were on the book of Ephesians.  Each "family" group came up with a family name, a flag design, and an anthem.   The flags were flown on the flag pole and used in other ways, as well.

Since July 4th fell during the camp session, we had a special evening of red, white, and blue activities.

We had purchased a LOT of glow in the dark balloons, called Lumi-loons.  They were so neat and were blown up and floating in the swimming pool.  It was going to be the location for that evening's devotional.  However, many of the balloons blew away and popped because of the wind.  We were disappointed, but the campers were asked to throw their glow stick necklaces into the pool to help with the "glow" effect.  It ended up very neat, even without all of the balloons.

The greatest part of the evening was that one of the campers decided to commit her life to God.  She decided to accept God's gift of His Son, Jesus as the sacrifice for her sins.  She boldly proclaimed her belief in Him and was baptized with her fellow campers, counselors, and friends standing all around the pool to help welcome her into the family of God.  What an awesome sight!

Thursday nights devotional focused on the cross.  Many cross pictures were taken by staff members.  This one, taken by a friend, turned out very neat for the slide show.

Earlier Thursday evening, the families presented their flags and we had a mock Olympic torch lighting ceremony.  My husband and brother-in-law dressed up in togas to receive the flags.  They also had funny shirts - with hot dog and hamburger/fries motif - to wear for the rest of the evening.

On the last morning of camp, some of the Seniors of the campers went up "Devo Mountain" for one last time.  My daughter took this beautiful picture.  

There is nothing like the experience of camp - especially a camp like QMCC.  It's a mountain-top experience like no other.   This song below sums it all up very well!

The Greatest Friend

Author Unknown

Verse 1
Oh Lord I thought the day would never come
When I could lay my burdens down and walk with you,
But each morning as I greet the rising sun
The fondest of my dreams have all come true.

Chorus
The greatest friend you'll ever find is on a lonely mountain.
The highest high you'll ever reach is when you kneel to pray.
The brightest light you'll ever see is when you close your eyes.
Oh Lord you are my first love,
At last I realize.

Verse 2
Oh Lord I need a mountain to climb on.
Just a quiet place to go and know you're there.
Oh Lord I need to spend some time with you.
Jesus spent the night with you in prayer.

Chorus

What Now?

So everything is going along fine.  Life seems to be going good.  No big problems.  No big worries.  Then, BAM!  All of a sudden everything begins to spiral downhill, faster and faster and you feel like things are out of control.

For a time you were walking  along just fine - at peace and content with your new life.  Why now all of a sudden things changed?  It's a time in your life when you say to yourself, "What now??"

After becoming a Christian and life seems like it just can't get any better, you might think that nothing would ever get in the way of your intimacy with God.  You might feel that following Jesus is pretty easy to do. Resisting sin is easy. Reading the Bible isn't a chore.  It's something you long to do frequently.

So, what now?  What has happened?  The simple answer is "life".  Life happens.  Life around you doesn't stop after you become a Christian, though in some aspects you and I might rather it stop.  Life is sometimes painful.  Life is sometimes difficult.  Temptations sometimes come back in full force.  Sometimes you and I find it hard to resist.

It's at those pivotal moments that you have a choice to make:  You can either continue in your new walk and walk with total and complete faith and trust in God, or you can try to make it on our own - forgetting about that intimate relationship you have with Him and give in to your sinful, old life.

When you and I fail - and we all do - God is ready, willing, and able to forgive us. However, God's gift of grace and mercy should not cause you and I to want to keep sinning - rather our love for Him should make us want to live a holy and righteous life.

Because Christ's blood cleansed you from sin and will continue to cleanse you, you should want to live your life for Him.  As you will see in the following passage, baptism into Christ is like being baptized into his death.  (For an illustration of this, click this post) Then you, too, are resurrected, just as He was resurrected.  You are now dead to sin and alive in Christ!  You are walking in a new life!

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—  because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.  For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 

Romans 6:1-14

New Clothes!

Let's go shopping, okay? Let's go looking for clothes. Do you like to get new clothes? Most of us do enjoy new clothes from time to time - some more than others, of course.

Suppose there was something you could clothe yourself with that would make you feel like you were brand new? Suppose there was something you could clothe yourself with that would help you for the rest of your life? Suppose there was something you could clothe yourself with that would give you a support system that is unbeatable and unmovable and unending? How much do you suppose that new clothing would cost? How much would it be worth?

Romans 13:13 talks of something, or rather someone that we can be "clothed" with that can do all of the things mentioned above: "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ..."

Really? Clothe yourself with a person? With the Son of God? With Jesus Christ? Yes! Absolutely! The kind of clothing that is better than anything else that you could ever wear!

But how? How can one be clothed in Christ?

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for

all of you who were baptized into Christ have

clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:26-27

The word baptism comes from the Greek word ‘baptizo’, which means to

immerse, plunge, dip, or bury in water.

Here are 3 important questions for you to ask yourself:

Are you clothed with Christ?

In the verse above the word "clothed" is translated from [endunw-enduno], and properly means to envelop in, to hide in, and to put on something. As an example of this, look at Matthew and the story of a man who was invited to the wedding of the king’s son and the wedding garment was even provided for him to wear on the joyous occasion. However, he refused to put it on: “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless”. Matthew 22:11-12

Are you thankful for your clothes?

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24

 Are you living like you are clothed with Christ?

Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Romans 13:13-14

On this Gratituesday, I am GRATEFUL for new clothes and the newness of life found only through Christ Jesus!  Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Make Me New, Lord

After hearing about God and about Jesus, a person will either believe that the Bible is true or they will believe that it is false.  They will make a decision about what to do with the One True God and the Savior Jesus Christ based upon what they hear and what they believe.

Hearing and believeing that Jesus is a Savior makes a person realize that they have sin in their lives.  Sin seperates us from God and Jesus is the only one who can draw us closer to God.  But, He can only draw us closer to Him if we allow Him to work in our lives.  Believeing that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the Savior and the one who can wash away our sin, will cause us to repent of those sins.  Repenting is turning away from sin and drawing closer to God.  He draws us near to Him when we allow Him to be a part of our lives.

Jesus wants us to have a new life...a life that is ready to surrender our will and a life that is ready to do His Father's will. We put our faith in Jesus and give our lives to Him.  He can take our dirty, sinful life and make it new.  I like that, don't you?

There are so many scriptures that refer to our relationship with Jesus.  Here are a few of them.  Pay attention to the specifics of our relationship with Him. (I'm numbering the scriptures to discuss them at the end. I am also enlarging the text I will be referring to later. I try to use the whole passage thought, so that the full meaning is understood. (Be sure to open up your own Bible and check the scriptures for yourself!) Don't take my word for it. Take GOD'S WORD for it!  Let Him speak to you through His Words.

#1:  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:26-27

#2:  In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,  not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us;

he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:11-14

#3. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

1 Peter 3:19-22

#4. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Romans 6:1-7

So let's look at each of the passages from above and consider our relationship with Jesus:

#1:  By faith we become sons (or daughters!) of God.  This happens through Christ Jesus and we clothe ourselves with Jesus at baptism.

#2 and #3 and #4: Each of these passages deal with our relationship with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.  The gospel is the "good news".  What is the good news?  It is Christ's death burial and resurrection. The best way to understand this is by the following illustration.  When I first saw an illustration similar to this several years ago...even though I had been baptized several years before that time...it was the greatest thing!  It truly illustrates these verses and shows the significance of water baptism.

(Illustrations by Robert Swain)

So here we see that we are baptized into His death, we are buried with Him through baptism, and then just as Christ was raised up from the dead, we also are raised to walk in newness of life after baptism. There must be a death, burial, and resurrection before this new life is possible. Only in baptism does our old sinful person die and our new person rises free from sin. We are transformed from death to life. We become a new creation.

Baptism gives us a new life because of what Jesus did - because of the gospel!  He willingly died on the cross to save you and I!  He was buried and raised up to give us a death and burial of our old, sinful life...and resurrection resulting in a new life! 

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us so much!  Thank you, God, for loving us so much!

 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 Peter 4:17

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

 2 Thessalonians 1:8

    
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:15-16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Romans 1:16

CRUSH!

Today was our son, Jacob's first football game.  He was so excited and played quarterback for his elementary (5th & 6th) team.  I haven't ever really liked football, myself.  I grew up in a smaller town than Tipton  and we didn't have football.  When I  go to the games, I can't ever even find the football!  I did keep up with Jacob because of the number on his jersey....well, most of the time, anyway!

When the football practices first began last week, Jacob was looking forward to getting to "crush" people.  Just that word and the thought of football - with the boys all smashing and hitting each other - isn't something that's appealing to me and I don't get it! But, it is, always has been, and most likely always will be appealing to Jacob.  He's been a rough-and-tumble kind of boy since he was born!  The thought of him "crushing" someone isn't something I like.  But, the idea of him being "crushed" by someone else.....well, I like that even less!

When our first two children (a girl then a boy) were born and in their toddler years, my husband, Joe and I thought we could have written a book on child rearing.  It was that easy.  Really.  No problems.  Not too tough to discipline.  But, then along came number three (this post isn't even going to talk about #4 :)!!!) and we would have had to throw that "book" away!  Everything that had worked with #1 and #2, suddenly didn't work with #3!  It was really strange to me, but my husband understood it more.  He grew up with five brothers and sisters and so there were more differences with them.  I had one sister and we were six years apart, so it was harder for me to understand.  Joe knew Jacob was more like him in many ways, so he understood him.  He gave me some good advice on dealing with Jacob.  He would say, "Don't crush his spirit".  There's that word again - "CRUSH"!

Well, I realized (eventually) what my husband meant.  Jacob wasn't going to be like #1 and #2.  No.  He was different.  But, those differences weren't "bad"....they just made Jacob, "Jacob".  I didn't need to waste time trying to make him something he wasn't going to be, but I could still help to mold him, teach him, and discipline him.  I just had to do it in more creative ways!  Jacob and I worked together on a lot of those things and it made a special bond between us that is still there today.

Jacob decided to become a Christian about a year ago.  He came to the decision by realizing that when he did wrong it was sin.  He realized that not only did his wrong-doing disappoint us or maybe get him in trouble, but that his sin was offending God.  Jacob realized that he needed Jesus in his life to get rid of that sin (see verse below).  My husband baptized Jacob.  I cried!  It was a special moment for all of us.

Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Romans 6:3-7

So, through Jacob, I learned to "mother" in a different way.  I learned not to "crush" his spirit, but discipline and nurture him in different ways that I had with the others.  I actually became more protective of him because of that spirit and also because he's always been smaller than friends his age (something he thinks is neat!).  And now, Jacob is on the elementary football team and HE'S CRUSHING PEOPLE AND THEY'RE CRUSHING HIM AND HE THINKS IT'S FUN!!!!  I worked all those years so as not to "crush" him and that's what football is all about! 

I still don't get football!

Change

Things change. Some of those changes are good. We have more and more opportunities. We have better capabilities and more knowledge to make things better, stronger, and faster. In technology it seems that as soon as we buy something, a new product is on the market with better storage and smaller packaging. Some things change and it's not good. We see more violence, more divorce, more hatred in the world.

People also change. Our looks change. Sometimes we don't want them to, and sometimes we want them to. Our attitudes change. Sometimes that's for the good, but sometimes it's for the bad. Our personalities change. Again, sometimes that's good, but sometimes it's not. Our situtations change. Things may be going along great and then - BOOM! - something happens that catches us off guard and we have a low point in life.

As Christians, we should change. But, that change should be moving us closer and closer to God. It should be change that makes it evident to those around us that we are walking with Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

So, ask yourselves these two questions:
1. How is one "in" Christ?
2. What should this "change" be?

Romans 6:1-4 tells us the answers to these two questions.

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

Be sure to continue reading in your own Bible to the end of Romans 6, as the thought of a new and changed life continues.

So, the first answer is that we are "in" Christ when we are buried with him through baptism. Our heart already began to change when we realized that our sin was separating us from God, and when we realized that Jesus was the only way to get to the Father. "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," John 14:6. After baptism, we are then beginning our "new life"...just like a newborn baby!

Then the next phase of changing begins. Our sins have been washed away, but that doesn't mean that we will never sin again. The change now is that we die to sin. Dying to sin may be something that happens quickly, or it may be a slow death. In other words, it may be a sin that we battle daily and have to work hard to put it to death because its got a hold on us. But, with God's strength and the help of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), we can change into what God wants us to be. The blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us and make us "new" as we confess our sins to Him.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

Yes, the world around us changes. Everything about it and everyone around us. Hopefully, we are changing for the better every day, little by little, as we grow as Christians. But God, Our Heavenly Father never changes! "I, the Lord, do not change," Malachi 3:6. Jesus Christ, our Savior never changes! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Dear God,
Thank you for never, ever changing! And, I thank you for your Son and that He never changes, either! But, God, I do ask that you will help me to change. Help me to be what you want me to be and what you know that I can be.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen