20 December 2014
A Real Birthmark
James 1:16-18
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
Today is my birthday! My kids were sitting around asking me this morning about gifts I’ve gotten over the years; it was a fun conversation. But it really made me think about these words from James: Every good and perfect gift comes from God, my Father, Creator of the universe! He doesn’t give bad gifts. He only knows good, he only does what is good, and he only gives good things. If something bad happens in life it is due to the fact that we have an active Enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). God makes good things happen out of bad things that happen (Romans 8:28), and God provides a way out to the one who is tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13), which is also a really good thing! God is good! And he has been so good to me in every way for my whole life!
He never changes or casts a shifting shadow... God doesn’t say one thing and mean another, set impossible hoops for me to jump through, or try to trick me in anyway!
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word... The most fun part of having a baby is all of a sudden, without anyone opening the door to the room, there is another person present! When we believe in Jesus and obey God’s Word, that gives life to a new person, a person who wasn’t there before. We now live for HIM and not our sinful nature. We become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) indeed.
And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession... God sets Believers aside from all other people. We don’t turn into perfect people, he just places us in the set of people who aren’t going to have their sins held against them anymore (Romans 3:24). And God generously gives his Holy Sprit to all who believe. The Holy Spirit is HIS mark on me, making me different, proving I belong to HIM. A real mark of my born again birth!
Ephesians 1:13 says, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. God marked me as his own the moment I believed in Jesus same as the hospital showed to whom I belonged by tagging me with the same wristband they gave my mom in the hospital 45 years ago today!
Dear God,
Thank you for birthdays, my actual one and my spiritual one. Thank you for setting me aside and marking me with your Holy Spirit proving that I belong to you. I LOVE belonging to you. I love the good gifts that you bring into my life. I’m so thankful for my parents, my siblings, my in-laws, my kids, and my husband and our life together! I love YOU very much and thank you and praise you in Jesus’ name, amen.
A Real Birthmark
James 1:16-18
So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
Today is my birthday! My kids were sitting around asking me this morning about gifts I’ve gotten over the years; it was a fun conversation. But it really made me think about these words from James: Every good and perfect gift comes from God, my Father, Creator of the universe! He doesn’t give bad gifts. He only knows good, he only does what is good, and he only gives good things. If something bad happens in life it is due to the fact that we have an active Enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). God makes good things happen out of bad things that happen (Romans 8:28), and God provides a way out to the one who is tempted (1 Corinthians 10:13), which is also a really good thing! God is good! And he has been so good to me in every way for my whole life!
He never changes or casts a shifting shadow... God doesn’t say one thing and mean another, set impossible hoops for me to jump through, or try to trick me in anyway!
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word... The most fun part of having a baby is all of a sudden, without anyone opening the door to the room, there is another person present! When we believe in Jesus and obey God’s Word, that gives life to a new person, a person who wasn’t there before. We now live for HIM and not our sinful nature. We become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) indeed.
And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession... God sets Believers aside from all other people. We don’t turn into perfect people, he just places us in the set of people who aren’t going to have their sins held against them anymore (Romans 3:24). And God generously gives his Holy Sprit to all who believe. The Holy Spirit is HIS mark on me, making me different, proving I belong to HIM. A real mark of my born again birth!
Ephesians 1:13 says, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. God marked me as his own the moment I believed in Jesus same as the hospital showed to whom I belonged by tagging me with the same wristband they gave my mom in the hospital 45 years ago today!
Dear God,
Thank you for birthdays, my actual one and my spiritual one. Thank you for setting me aside and marking me with your Holy Spirit proving that I belong to you. I LOVE belonging to you. I love the good gifts that you bring into my life. I’m so thankful for my parents, my siblings, my in-laws, my kids, and my husband and our life together! I love YOU very much and thank you and praise you in Jesus’ name, amen.
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