The story as God's people is one filled with the narratives of abandonment and adoption. This fits with one of the primary questions we begin to ask at adolescence,
"Do I matter?". This question can continue to plague us as we learn that part of answering this comes with the revelation of new life in Christ is the abandonment of the old. It seems we often in our minds and hearts visit the places where Jesus completed the atonement of sin and seek to live as if it never happened.
This may take place because we are not willing to surrender the labels or power these experiences or malformations within have on us. However, we are the adopted and brought into harmony with the Father through the atonement that seeks to remove all traces of the former way. In God's eyes, this is instantaneous and complete when we comprehend faith and confess penitence.
Yet, for the effects to manifest ( i.e. purity), that is where we find ourselves walking the road of discipleship. The twists and turns of our lives become the anthology in the library of our minds of how we are "working out our salvation". We can recall the moments that add to the understanding of the race we are running and how the Holy Spirit has been there to uphold us from falling. We also can walk into moments where we have glimpses of what will come in glorification* and these encounters with God spur us onto to deeper resolves to live with the new life as central.
What I hope we all consider is a process of realizing that we mustn't leave the areas where we are failing to address the hold the old self has still an impact on us separated from the truth that we are the beloved and redeemed. Yesterday, I posed this question to the Church;
Where have we abandoned what we are called to adopt and what have we adopted that the Lord calls us to abandon?
Have we failed to live out the life as the adopted sons and daughters who receive the birthright of Israel because of the Cross? Are we squandering our hope in place of fear and compulsion in a time where we see a greater threat in the world we live in to our freedom found with the new life in Christ?
My hope is that we don't shrink away from the truth and believe for any circumstance or season we are in personally, that we have been abandoned. Further, may we hear the call from the Lord to not abandon one another and remain faithful in heart and deed to the call to love one another as we have loved the Lord. In all things may we walk in the way of Love as beloved Childen of God (Ephesians 5:1-2).
Keep Looking Up!
Pastor Micah
*"Sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God's grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration, entire sanctification and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son."
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