LIFE IN THE SON - Part II
It is mission critical that we
recognize and receive JESUS CHRIST, THE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE. Because whoever gets THE SON…GETS
EVERYTHING!
I John 5:11-12 offers clear affirmation: And this is the
record…that GOD hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in HIS SON. He that hath THE SON
hath LIFE; and he that hath not the Son of
God hath not life.
Ephesians 4:13-15 should be the end-goal of every believer: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love may GROW UP INTO HIM in all things, which is the head, even CHRIST.
Let’s take an honest look
in the mirror for a moment, shall we? Do
you know why the majority of us do not live well-balanced, productive and
joyous lives? Because most of us seek to
discover happiness by plugging into sources of happiness that are NOT real. Most of the sources of happiness we seek are
mere illusions, dim and distant shadows of what THE CREATOR
originally intended and designed for us.
Key Question: Haven’t
we learned yet that the possessions, the pride, or even the people we are tempted
to center our lives around are transient images, mirages and substitutions for true
happiness? Yes, all of us are indeed THIRSTY for something (and we ought to
be) while traversing this sometimes barren desert called life. And, at times, we THINK
we have spotted some thirst-quenching oasis that is overflowing with
life-giving water, but when we actually change course and travel there, we discover
one more dusty, dead and dry place. Does
this ring familiar or resonate with any of your life experiences?
Sisters and brothers,
do you want to know what JESUS has to say about this? The Master teaches that we can indeed achieve
true and lasting fulfillment…genuine happiness…lasting peace…limitless joy…but
it is not of this world. Yes, we may
find it IN this world…but it is not OF this world! That’s why the Bible says “Love not the
world, neither the things that are in the world,” because what we are searching
for is not really IN this world…it is IN JESUS! (I John 2:15)
Perhaps you have seen the old television commercial that promotes Prego
spaghetti sauce. The commercial simply
says this about Prego: “IT’S IN THERE!” According to them, everything you need to
create a delicious spaghetti sauce is inside the Prego jar. That’s what I say about JESUS.
Whatever you seek, whatever answers you need, just remember: IT’S IN THERE! YOUR FUTURE is already present and absolutely
possible via your sure covenant connection and intimate sibling relationship
with THE SON, JESUS CHRIST!
How so? The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is our ELDER BROTHER. That is, Jesus Christ is the ELDER BROTHER
of EVERY BELIEVER.
Romans 8:16-17 offers
affirmation: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST.”
All right, let’s think
this through. We believers are HEIRS of GOD, The Father, and JOINT-HEIRS with GOD, The Son.
As you know, a father
is the benefactor of an estate and a son (not gender specific here) is
typically the beneficiary
or heir of an estate. So, since believers
are JOINT-HEIRS with THE SON,
we receive through THE SON all that The Father WILLS TO US
and WILLS FOR US. And, since JESUS CHRIST,
THE SON, came BEFORE US …does it not follow logically that
JESUS CHRIST is our ELDER BROTHER?
Consider this. Every parent knows how important to get the first child walking along a
righteous, respectable and orderly path.
If the first child is respectful and
right…the children born afterwards have a MODEL to emulate and duplicate.
First natural truth, then spiritual.
According to Romans 8:29, Jesus Christ is “the FIRSTBORN…among many brethren.” Our ultimate goal, according to Ephesians
4:15, is that we believers
will become just like our elder brother. That is, we seek to “grow up into him in all things…which is
the head, even CHRIST.”
So during my prayer
time, I gaze over at JESUS (with a spiritual eye) and whisper
to Him: “When I
grow up…I want to be just like YOU!”
Because, as the
scriptures mandate, I am striving diligently every day…TO GROW UP
INTO HIM…i.e., TO BE JUST LIKE HIM when I grow up! Every person on the planet should have that
same spiritual aspiration.
Stay tuned…because there is more to
come on Monday.
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