February 27, 2014

“Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!” Romans 1:5-6 The Message

You … an original? No one else has your life’s ingredients transformed through grace but you. Everything about you is original through “this gift and call of Jesus Christ”. The distance between who you are in Christ and who you were is the cross. It doesn’t matter if the breach in your life was barely visible or immeasurable. The only gift that could restore .. repair .. and reconcile you is Jesus. The work He is doing in you is on display everyday. Sometimes it feels tedious and you wonder if God is actually doing anything in you that makes a difference. The truth is that Christ is working out every detail of your life. The implications are eternal. The Spirit’s applications are in all the everyday layers of your life: your relationships .. your work .. your time and whether you are really trusting Christ in those areas. You alone (and Christ) know whether you are living out of the Spirit’s indwelling life or using your own strength to make life work. Obedience is not a popular word. It means you’ve admitted to yourself .. others .. and God that you need help. That can take years and usually does with Christ shaping His original work in your life. But it’s okay .. He has your life on display as a gift of grace. Your role is simply to pass it on. Really passing it on requires a love that you can’t manufacture. It’s something that happens to you on the inside. When it does .. you’ll begin to change .. slowly at first .. then gradually .. and then out in the open where Christ is your life. You probably won’t see what others see because you’re no longer comparing yourself to others. You’re no longer chasing an ideal or trying to do your best. You’re learning to love the life that Christ is living in you … an original life. It only takes a moment …

“Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.” Galatians 5:25-26 The Message

Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Son-shaped Originals following Jesus … (kchesterp1@gmail.com)