Holiness Journey: Set Our Footing…
…getting established in a new direction
Colossians 2: 6-7 (NAS) says…“Therefore, as you have accepted Christ Jesus as the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Or, as the Living Bible states… “And now, just as you have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Hello there, we hope you had a wonderful Easter/ Resurrection Sunday Celebration with Family and friends gathering to share in Christ’s Death, Burial and Resurrection! This Easter Celebration season is the most foundational Holiday (i.e. “Holy” day) in which Christian believers come together from all over the World to honor Jesus Christ! “Jesus Is Risen! …He Is Risen Indeed!!”
We’ve got alot of ground to cover…Let’s go! 🙂
Over the last several blogs we have looked at God from 3 different perspectives, yet still God. This is the concept of God being Triune, or 3 beings as one unit. We have talked alot about how God the Father devised a plan to rescue and redeem us, and to adopt us back into His Family, by way of His only begotten Son; God the Son, Jesus. Who paid the redemptive sin price that provided for our adoption as Sons and Daughters of God the Father. As we become children of God, we receive God the Holy Spirit as God’s spiritual presence in our lives to guide us as we seek daily to love, honor, and obey God in and through our lives. We establish our faith journey being led by our Guide, the Holy Spirit of God, as we pray, ponder and meditate daily on God’s written revelation to us, so we understand all that God the Father wants us to know: His, plan, His purpose, His pleasure for our best lives…personally.
As you consider these foundational truths, you may want to read over and refresh the previous blogs on Family and Adoption. We spoke of the Family traits that all of us have, and how we seek to reflect God’s Character traits, through our lives. The blogs on adoption will also be useful to ponder how we have been “grafted” into the Father’s Kingdom; The people of God, in the Family of God. It is so very important to process and ponder these foundational truths in order to understand who we are as the people of God, through Christ; and how to walk confidently, indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, in our daily relationship with Him.
Relationships are built on spending time…
For most of us, Facebook has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Although we may “Love it one moment, and despise it the next”. The one thing that has been amazing to me is the way I can, if possible, reconnect with old friends and family, that have been lost over time…even years. Connecting in new ways with the people in our lives, and cultivating those relationships; are crucial to keeping them fresh, vibrant, and active. Doing life in “real time” with family and friends builds the transparency and trust our relationships need as we grow and appreciate each other. God knows this first hand, because He created us to love each other, to need each other, and to work with each other. This ultimately shows us His desire for our relationship with Him. We were created in His image, for His pleasure and glory, to do His work.
So what does my relationship connection with God look like? Now that we are His, He is excited for us to begin. He has created everything we need to connect with Him personally… and, as we have mentioned, He has given us a tour guide (the Holy Spirit of God) to lead the way. As we have mentioned in an earlier blog…
Heartlife believes that a close and intimate relationship with God is firmly founded upon an intimate prayer connection, intentional and reflective study of God’s Word; and an expectant eye for watching God at work around us and joining Him daily.
Just as we spoke of earlier regarding the preparation time for a new member coming into our Family (Birth or Adoption); God the Holy Spirit was already working and preparing for your new life with Him. It is the Holy Spirit of God that prompts (convicts) us of our sin and separation from Him, and orchestrates many “life events” to reveal our need for Him. But as we have said before… the choice is always up to us. The Holy Spirit seeks to woo us to Himself, but He will not force the issue. He will not force His way into our lives. This time of “wooing” continues until we commit to accept God’s Life-changing gift of Salvation through Christ, and surrender our lives to live and walk daily in the presence of God; or die into a Christ-less eternity separated from God. When we submit our life and will to God’s desire and plan, we become New Creations through Christ. The sins that plagued us in the past separating us from God are totally wiped away in God’s eyes, and we receive a New Spirit, (the Holy Spirit of God) to be our Leader, Guide, Counsel, and Teacher for our new life Adventure.
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit of God is an amazing, yet complex issue for many believers. In our next time together, we will talk about how the Holy Spirit works in and through our lives, to enable us with power and conviction to walk confidently in our new Faith-life journey with Him. Blessings til then… ♥