Before and After

The goodness and newness of God 

Too many people think God is mean, and unfair. I know He is sweet, and loving, and fair and kind and holy. A holy God demands righteousness. On our own we cannot be righteous enough. 

On our own we are like filthy rags. No amount of self-help, or self-actualization will change that. We are not capable on our own to reach God. 

This is why He made a way. A bridge between Him and us. This is why He sent Jesus to us. In Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven of our filth and cleansed spiritually. This renewal cannot be explained in words. It is supernatural. But the effects can be measured some. 

Before I knew Jesus, I was lost. After Jesus, I am found. 

Before I was hard. I am softer now. Before Jesus I was mean. Now I live with more compassion. Christ changes us from the inside out. 

Before Jesus I was a zero waiting for a hero. I was nothing. But God saw I could be more. HE made me for more. He made you for more too. 

God adds value where there was none because He loves. He loves us like a Father should love. Completely, wholly, and with undying devotion God chases us. He is unrelenting. He is faithful. 

He will never leave me. He will never hurt me. He will always be my answer, because He is my source. I want more of Him than anything else in this world. 

He wants us too. He chose us. He loves us with a holy jealousy. A righteous concern over our love and well being- that kind of holy jealousy. He is holy and he wants a holy people. We can only be holy as he is holy. When we surrender...when I surrender to all he is and has for me, then I am continually being made holy, like Him. 

Not so I can lord it over others, but so I can shine the light of His glory and draw men and woman, young and old to him. His heart is for us. He is not against us. He loves us. He cares. He sees everything and He waits on us to come to him and call on him.

 

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts 2:21

This is what I know. My God is good. He is kind. His mercy is new every morning. He is my home. He is my love. He is my life. 

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him." Psalms 34:8

 Join the Conversation: 

There is no place I would rather be than in God's presence, as one of His. What about you? 

Are You in Uniform Christian Soldier?

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Right. Wrong. 

Righteousness. Sin. 

On our own, we will never naturally choose right over wrong every time. If we had been made this way, God would not have given the law. 

Just think about the ten commandments. They are a list of things we should choose. We should choose God, we should choose honor, we should choose others first. We should choose to love, we should choose life. We should choose integrity. 

Yet somehow, we always miss the mark. Missing it by a millimeter or missing it by a kilometer: it does not matter because we still miss it. 

On our own we were lost and God provided a way for us to return home: to Him. That way is Jesus. Through Jesus we have free access to the Father. Where once we were so wrong, in Christ we are made right once more.  

Now that we are His, we are in Christ we should live in that right standing with God. We should strive to live and breathe and have our being be an example of God's redeeming power to the world. 

Get in Uniform

One way we do this is by wearing the armor of God: the uniform of a Christian.  

Everyone recognizes a uniform. It sets the normal everyday citizen apart from the ones who are willing to lay down their lives for others. 

Think about that. 

By wearing the armor of God you are identified as a Christian (in Christ), and that identity tells the world you should be ready to lay your life down for them. 

The Breastplate (aka Kevlar) of Righteousness 

The Breastplate of Righteousness is like the Kevlar vest that police and soldiers use in the natural. It protects the vital inner being. The heart, the kidneys, the stomach, the liver, and the lungs are protected by a Kevlar vest. The Breastplate of Righteousness is similar. It protects us from the cruel potshots the world can take against us and the "bullets" the devil fires our way. 

It also is a visible sign that we have the protection of the Lord working in our lives. It is a sign to the world that the redeemed of the Lord have benefits they do not. It is not self righteousness that saves, but the righteousness of God in Christ. 

If you are trying to look like a "good" Christian by doing and saying all the "right things" but you are not letting the righteousness of God shine, then you are not in full uniform. The world knows the difference. They should see God's righteousness before they ever see you. 

I know that I have not lived up to this all the time. I have been caught out of uniform many times. I have had to repent and clothe myself once again. 

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"  Ephesians 6: 10-18 

The War is Won 

God accomplished the ultimate victory on the cross. Christ said "It is finished." and it is. We are simply the post war occupying force. We are here to remind people that their freedom was provided for. We are here to stand in the gap for them when the enemy crosses the battle lines and attacks unprovoked. We are here to  point the way to freedom for those people who have run back to oppression because that was all they ever knew. They will not know who is who if we are not in uniform. 

Come on Christian Soldier, you are more than just a fighter, you are a beacon of freedom, you are a sign that God still loves, still cares, and still wants to win the hearts of man. We do not point the way by shouting, by picketing  or by bashing, but we point the way by standing, loving, and praying. 

Join the Conversation

When you see a soldier in uniform, how does that make you feel? 

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