Galatians 2:19-20 (NIV) “For I through the law I died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Romans 1:16 (NIV) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
Though I was often in church and Vacation Bible Schools as a child, I finally met Jesus and asked Him to be my Lord and Savior at a Young Life camp in 9th grade. It was an amazing thought that the God of all creation would choose me to adopt as His child. I felt I didn’t deserve it, but by faith and tears running down my cheeks, when the speaker asked if anyone wanted this unconditional love, I was compelled to stand and ask Jesus into my life! I’ve never regretted that choice that made me feel like I was dancing on Heaven’s golden streets in anticipation of a great banquet with my King, Jesus.
If you have laid down your life and will for Jesus’ life, you probably had similar feelings. As new believers, we walk around in a shine of peace and real joy. What’s important to us has just taken a paradigm shift and we want to learn all about Jesus’ life and ways. Our adventure with Jesus has begun, and He loves a great adventure! Friends and family give us a Bible and direct us to read certain books, join a Bible study or small group fellowship, attend a specific ministry, serve in certain ways, speak, walk and dress in different ways. They all mean well, but it can be very confusing. Didn’t Jesus seek us out the way we were?
The truth is that Jesus chose us as we were, AND that He wants us to grow and mature so that we can be His hands and feet serving in this world. He has planned our days for good things, and He is the author of our faith. He walks with us through each step of our journey on earth and prepares us for good works, and develops in us spirits that exhibit His love, peace, joy, faithfulness, endurance, patience, kindness, and so much more. We are all individually created with our unique characteristics, skills, understanding, and languages of love to share. That’s good in our Creator’s eyes, and He cherishes our spiritual journeys. He just wants us to be the best version of ourselves that we are in that moment, not perfect, but becoming more and more like Jesus. He wants us to be comfortable being complete in Him. When we repent, He continually washes us clean with His word. We gave up our old life at salvation for a greater resurrected life in Jesus. In our new life, we seek His will to follow it.
We practice who we are in Jesus in our daily walk. He shapes us and molds us in His way to grow us. To mature us in Jesus, we have been provided the Holy Spirit to teach us to understand God’s word, the Bible. The Holy Spirit will teach us who Jesus says we truly are and, when we seek His guidance, He will renew our minds from false beliefs about ourselves. As He leads us, we find that each Bible book holds stories of wisdom needed in the face of difficult circumstances, heroic acts of faith, and changes of direction for poor choices. The Holy Spirit will illuminate that Paul’s letters to the churches of the faith remind the reader who God says His children are. He teaches us about courage through the stories of Gideon and Joshua and faith in the desperate trials of Israel and young Queen Esther. The Holy Spirit may lead us to a Bible teacher, radio minister, worship singer, or neighbor from whom we observe goodness and fruitfulness in the witness. These will become catalysts to increase our faith and understanding,
When you submit to Jesus, He has a plan that brings you discipleship, teaches you how to converse with Him in prayer, reveals wonder, heals wounds, teaches self-control, and grows deeper faith and spiritual strength. He sets us in communities with brothers and sisters whom He will use to develop His character in us.
As we listen to Him through prayer and reading scripture regularly, we begin to find the path Jesus wants to use for us. Our part is to seek His new mercies daily through worship to draw us closer and sharpen our ability to hear His voice. We rest and reflect in His presence and are refreshed. We receive His plans for us and partner with Him in them. We may journal to better notice trends, repeated lessons with further revelation, and reminders of how He prepared us for opportunities and challenges. We realize that He really is always with us and we are encouraged. The path differs for each of us but overlaps with other believers and disciples. Seek Jesus daily. He will surprise you with His wonderful adventures, and you will become the light of Jesus to others.
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