Skip to main content

My Identity in Christ #6 - I am reconciled to God


Now that my Bible Study group has finished Priscilla Shirer’s Armor of God study, I need to keep moving in the right direction.  Continuing the series of blog posts taken from the list Priscilla included in her 6th week of Bible study regarding our identity and inheritance in Christ.  I pray these reflections will open your eyes to how much God loves you.  Read them as if you wrote them.  Meditate on them.  God bless you.

I am reconciled to God - My Identity in Christ

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines reconciled as “Brought into friendship from a state of disagreement or enmity; made consistent; adjusted.”  So, by definition, we were God’s enemies when we were brought into friendship with Him.  How did this happen?  Romans 5:11 plainly tells us that Christ is responsible for this reconciliation.  Researching this piece of my identity got me thinking about whether I’ve ever experienced this change in relationship status with anyone else.  Sure, I’ve experienced a form of reconciliation with some people I’ve been at odds with.  But I’ve never been reconciled to another human being as completely as I have been to God.  I wonder if this is just impossible for people to achieve this side of Heaven.  Or is it my own hardness of heart and lack of forgiveness?  Might it be possible to reconcile with the family member that has hurt you so often you don’t really want to deal with them anymore?  What about the co-worker who talks about you behind your back?  How about the person you thought was a friend who suddenly began to bully you?  These situations are difficult and I struggle with them because I’m very often ungodly.  But today as I meditate on this aspect of my identity in Christ, I am reminded that…

I was God’s enemy.  Now I am His friend.  Jesus made this reconciliation possible.  When He offered it, I simply accepted it.  Thank You, Jesus!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Homiletics Training: Content

Homiletics .   By definition, “homiletic” is the art of preaching or writing sermons.   I think we would all agree that our pastors study the Bible thoroughly to deliver sermons every Sunday to their congregations.   The beautiful news is that every child of God can use this discipline to study the Bible for themselves. As a member of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) Leadership, part of my required preparation each week is to prepare homiletics for the passage we are studying.   BSF offers an engaging seminar on how to use this method to study the Scriptures.   I’ve taken the seminar several times under two different leaders and I’ve learned something new every time I’ve attended.   I’ve also been doing the process of homiletics for over ten years and I can say that there is no better teacher than the Holy Spirit in this process!   So keep practicing.   Keep sharing and discussing.   I’ve been posting my homiletics on this blog for quite a...

Homiletics: John 12

Contents ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture, fit on one line ): 1 1-3 6d b4 Pass J2Beth dinr Marth servd, Laz@tbl; Mary $$$$ perf J ft, wipe w/hair, hs filld frag 2 4-6 Judas, l8r betray obj: why wasn’t perf sold, wrth 1y wages, didn’t care abt poor, thief 3 7-9 Lv alone, she sv perf 4my burial, u alwys hv poor; MW lg crwd came bec of J & 2C Laz 4 10-13 CP md plans kill Laz-on acct o hm mny bel; Nxt dy grt crwd: Hos! Blest=He cm in nom o L 5 14-16 J fnd dnky, sat, as writn: Dtr Zion, c ur king cming seatd on dnky colt; @ 1 st Disc undrstd 6 17-19 crwd w/Him whn Laz raisd spread wd; Mny went 2 Him; Phar: lk how wrld gone aftr Him 7 20-23 Som Gks to Phil: we like 2CJ; Phil 2 Andrw, Phil&Andrw told J: hr cm 4 SoM be glrfd 8 24 VTITY unle...

Homiletics: John 10

Contents ( not sentence, direct verbiage from Scripture ): 1 1-2 VT ITY Phar, any1 enter shp pn by gate=thief/robbr; 1 enters by gate=shepherd 2 3-4 Gatekpr opns gate 4 hm/shp listn/he calls shp by name/leads out/shp follo bec kno voce 3 5-6 They nvr follo stranger, run away bec recog voce; J used fig o spch, Phar understd 4 7-8 Thrfr J: VT ITY I gate 4 shp; all who cm b4 me=thievs/robbrs, shp listn them 5 9-10a I gate, whoevr entr thru me savd/they cm/go/find pasture; thief cm only steal/kill/destry 6 10b-12 I gd shepd, lay dn life 4 shp; Hird hd shepd/own shp, see wolf/abandn shp/wlf attck/scattr 7 13-15a Man run bec care nthg 4 sheep; I gd shep; kno sheep/sheep kno me as Fr kno me/I kno Fr 8 15b-16 I lay dn life 4 sheep; have othr sheep of this pen...