Let’s jump right into the tough stuff today. Before coming to know and trust
Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we are in rebellion to God.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. Colossians 1:21 (NIV)
Ouch! What an opening line. That is a tough concept because in general, we like to think we are pretty good at our core. We like to put ourselves in a class of not one of “those” people. Colossians paints quite a different picture of us. It puts a biblical truth on our worldly ideas.
As we come into a relationship with Christ we must arrive at that truth. We are in rebellion or enemies of God and to come into peace with Him we have to come to terms with this. We have to admit that we are sinners in need of a Savior while recognizing that Christ is that Savior.
Being Christians we often wrestle with who we are in Christ or who we become in Christ. We let our own thoughts or the thoughts of this world establish our identity. We are even willing to stand on that identity without pause.
But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—Colossians 1:22 (BSB)
Today as I sat reflecting on these verses from Colossians, I was overwhelmed with this reality.
When I became a believer in Christ, I didn’t understand who I was. You can read my testimony here. Because I thought living “right” for Christ was more about doing. To be honest, I failed miserably at the doing. My messes became messier until I found myself in a pit.
Here is what I didn’t understand about this beautiful story that I want you to understand and believe to be true for you.
Before accepting Christ as our Savior, we were not able to be at peace with Him.
But after being reconciled to Christ, we are given a new life. Reconciled means that we are brought back to a state of harmony or peace with God. This is not because of what we are doing.
Colossians reminds us it is because of the death of Christ’s physical body we can be made new. Because of this new covenant, we have a new hope.
I want to put this into a different perspective for us but not for one moment down playing it’s reality.
Imagine with me if you will, you want to go to the royal castle but you have offended the king, in the worst possible way. You have been a rebel to the throne. You have lived your life your way and because of this you cannot be in His presence.
One day you realize that the king is the only way for you to live your life in peace. Peace with him, peace with others, and peace with yourself. So, you ask the king to forgive your rebellion. After doing so, the king asks to see you.
As you enter his castle, the royal trumpets are blown and the royal guard announces you to the king. “Your Highness, I would like to present to you, your daughter, the Princess.”
As the king turns to you, He rejoices. Because he no longer sees you as a rebel, but in his presence, he sees you as holy and without fault. All your evil deeds have been cast deep into the sea and he only sees you as his beloved child.
That may or may not seem like a huge leap. But that is what you have as a new life in Christ.
Because of the death of Christ’s physical body. You are able to enter the presence of God as holy, unblemished, and blameless. In God’s presence you are presented as His son or daughter, an heir (Galatians 4:7). You are dressed in His royal robes of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10)
For a long time, I lived in my sin. It became familiar and comfortable. It was an identity I was willing to rest on because it was the one I recognized. To break free of that took Christ restructuring and mending.
For many years, I held onto my past. It had become this medallion of shame that I thought I had to bear. A scarlet letter that I was sure everyone saw and condemned me by.
That is not who I am in the presence of God.
In Christ, I have a new life. I am not that person. I do not have to wear my shame like a chain around my neck.
I am presented to God by Christ Himself as holy, clean, and blameless. Soak in that with me for a while.
You may not feel you have a past to escape but the reality is we are all in complete rebellion before we accept Christ as our personal Savior but we DO NOT stay there.
Because Christ is the Living God, raised from the dead. Sitting on the throne at the right hand of God, we, too, can be made alive, holy and free from our past.
We are free to face this new life with confidence in who Christ is and who He says we are in His presence.
I don’t know about you but that is a word that I need to be reminded of. Today that word overwhelmed me. To think that one day, I will stand before my God and King and will be presented as holy in His sight. His grace blows me away.
It allows me to move from rebelling to rejoicing. Rejoicing in the sweet name of Jesus.
Personal Reflections:
How do you see yourself? Is that how God sees you? Are you willing to believe the God who sees and knows you intimately?
Do you have guilt or shame that needs to be left at the throne? Are you willing to part with it in your life?
Today as you reflected on the presentation of you to your Heavenly Father, what emotions stirred in you?
Given a new life in Christ gives us the opportunity to rejoice, what words of praise do you have for the Lord?
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This week’s featured friend is Carlie Lake From Dust Towards the Heavens. I love these beautiful lines from Carlie’s about page – “earthen vessel saved by God. I don’t deserve His mercy and can’t do anything to earn His love, so rather than use my introverted personality as an excuse, I’m learning how to rely on His power to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Christ in this prickly world. Humbled that He chooses to use me at all.” Thanks for joining us, Carlie. I am glad you are here!
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Jesus, my Rescuer! I am so glad He never gave up on me. Thanks for the linkup, Jaime.
Love it, Susan. It is who we are and what we need. Rescued. Amen! I am glad that God never gave up on me. I know I would not be in a good place but because of His relentless pursuit of me. I know I am His! Thanks for joining us, friend!
Thanks so much for hosting!
Thank you, Debbie, for joining us here every week and inspiring us with your work. Have a great week!
Often, I find myself caught up in doing, when what God asks of me is just to BE — thanks for your gospel orientation in this space, Jaime!
It seems like a tough balance, doesn't it Michele. The doing and the just being but the balance is God. Ephesians 2:10 says For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In Christ we were made to do good works. It says in James faith without works is dead. So there is certainly a place for works but it all comes through a heart for Christ. It is evidence of our faith.
In Christ, God sees us through the lens of Jesus and it He is based on who He is and what He did for us on the cross. Not based who we are or what we have done. I praise God that He sees me through the light of Jesus.
I am so glad you are here joining us, Michele. Have a great week!
Thank you for this truth that we are who we are BECAUSE of Christ, not anything we do! Great link-up Jaime, God bless you
Thank you for joining us today, Jennifer. You are so right, it is Because of what Christ did for us that we are saved and we are who we are. I am glad you are here, friend!
Jaime, thanks so much for featuring me on your blog. I am humbled, encouraged and blessed. I always enjoy visiting your site and can be sure to find sweet biblical encouragement. Like today; thanks for so beautifully outlining our only path from 'rebelling to rejoicing'. The sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice is a truth I have to chew on often, otherwise I fall back into my old mindset of doing. Blessings to you, my friend!
Very Happy to be featuring you, Carlie. I enjoy your work and I love to share friends posts. Isn't wonderful to know that there is a solution to get from rebelling to rejoicing. As I look back at my life, I wish had had more of those rejoicing moments but then again maybe these moments may not have been so sweet. I am so glad you are here. We are all truly blessed by you!
What a great metaphor, Jaime! Really puts things into perspective–not to mention, the many very blunt and clear-cut Bible passages you've shared! Thanks for reminding us of where we've come from and what Jesus has done for us who believe!
Thanks, Beth, for your always encouraging words. I was hoping it felt realistic to life but really lead us to seeing Christ for the King that He is. There are so many verses that seem clear-cut but leaving us scratching our heads. I am just so grateful God didn't leave us hanging. He gave us an amazing book to really get to know Him. What a blessing it is!
Jaime- beautiful post! To hear all my messes are exchanged for the title of princess is amazing and hard to grasp.
I don't appreciate this like I should. Thank you for the reminder 🙂
So glad you are here, Julie. I don't know if any of us truly appreciate it like we should. It really is so amazing. I am just glad that one day, when we see Jesus face-to-face we will see Him for who He truly is and we will see ourselves for who we truly are in Him. To steal the line from Mercy Me, I can only Imagine!
Jamie, Loved this and your thought provoking questions at the end. These are things I need to be reviewing in my own life because it’s a daily journey, isn’t it? And as always, I appreciate the link-up. Thank you!
It certainly is, Leslie, a daily journey. Little reminders throughout God's Word tell us just that. Take up your cross daily. Give us this day our daily bread. Another good one is, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself. Daily, Christ will be our bread. He is daily-sufficient. Thanks for joining us here.
Thanks Jamie for the invite, I have linked and I have visited some members here and enjoyed their work for Christ. Love your post.
Glad you are joining us, Linda! Thank you also for visiting some other of the wonderful writers here. There are so many great ones to chose from. Thanks also for the encouraging words. Have a great week.
Ah, Jamie! You know my passion to have others embrace and live in the reflection of their true identity as a child of God! I so loved how you described it here in this post! Thank you for blessing me today ♥ And thank you for hosting!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
I love that you share your passions so greatly with others. I am glad that we share similar passions. It nice to be in that company. Thank you so much for the encouragement and posting with us here today, Lori!
It definitely took time for me to break free from my old identity. I can remember thinking, "If they really knew …" But God was faithful and He has set me free to be, and believe I am, who He says I am for the most part. But it seems there are those nooks and crannies where some of those thoughts try to hide out, aren't there!
Your honesty always inspires me, Donna. I have been there so many times thinking if they only knew who I was, then what. My cover would be blown. My vertical relationship and healing through Christ was essential for my relationships here to be what they are. I am who I am not because of anything I have done or messed up doing but because of who Christ says I am.
You are right, Donna, the devil, loves to throw our past in our faces. He wants to lie to us and about us so he can destroy that solid foundation of Christ that we stand on. It is important for us to recognize when those are lies and learn to lean into Jesus more. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, friend!
Thanks for hosting. It has been a bad week here, just dealing with all the lies and dishonest behavior of my work administration team. They screwed me over a promotion and I was disqualified due to something after going through the process at the last minute and since they never gave me formal letter (no matter how many times I ask in writing), so it never happened in their mind-my word on . Now, they are messing with a student and are not documenting what is happening (I am), so it becomes his word against theirs but they proclaim how honest and pure everything is in meetings it has rocked whatever faith I have.
Now, there are many end-of-year event coming up and I am being asked to help out usually I do no questions asked but now I really want the administration to fail as I am watching many of the honest and integrity driven (who taught me way back in the day) people retire suddenly-they were working on Monday and decide to retire on Friday. The problem is if I don't help out the students will suffer in these events. I have a lot of questions in my mind.
I have read this a couple of times and thanks for sharing it, I needed it.
Patrick, I am really sorry that you are having a bad week but I appreciate your openness and honesty. I am encouraged that God's Word was there when you needed it this week.
Faith, can be hard, especially when placed in the wrong source.
I did a Bible word search on the word "Authority". I was trying to find a verse to encourage you that I was studying last week that talks about praying for authority. The search, however, gave me verses that have to do with Jesus and His authority. He has authority over all. Although for a time, it does seem like sin and evil reign, for me it always comes back to who truly reigns over all? My faith cannot be shaken when I put it in the authority of Christ, the Creator of the universe. Although the things here feel big it may help to put them in the smallness perspective they truly need to be in.
Putting our faith and trust in humans, that can only fail us, rattles our faith. They were not meant to do what only Christ can.
You being there to support the children will matter more to the children in the long run rather than the pain of the others. I don't think they always notice. But people will notice kindness and going above and beyond, especially the kids and that is what you do it for.
I will be praying for you. If you have questions, I don't pretend to have all the answers but you can certainly send me an email.