A Resurrected Life!

The bottom of the bottom line in a life resurrected by God is His love to and then through us. THAT is what resurrection does :)

So what are the qualities of a resurrected life? Let's consider four of them here.

Many of my readers could share long and deep on their own experience of new life due to confronting the claims of Jesus Christ in the four Gospels, taking that Good News about God, forgiveness and eternal life to heart and walking with Him. Over time the stories just stack high!

A NEW life means NEW... not same-old, and you must think -changed- and not as you were before. That's foundational reality.

This past Easter, Pastor Jimmy Clifton of Missio Dei Uptown, Chicago brought among other excellent points, the following to the screen during the message. To many of you it may look simple but it's profound as can be:

Each of these four NEW things are fully centered in relationship to Jesus Christ.

Note, resurrection happens -after- death... a new body and new way and experience of living! There is a real sense of dying to self along and along as we follow Jesus. To be sure- it's not a "prayer for salvation and poof! All changed!! Nope. One day at a time.

There are moments when we forget or do not consider who we are in terms of identity because our new and true identity is not founded on our own personal desires, whims, reasoning but God's Own desire and new creation of who we are and are to become and actually be!

I've often thought how typical it is to think about ourselves as the world rather than God Himself does. This is why it's so very crucial to study and live out God's Word (Bible) rather than allowing other merely human views of identity to form who we really are in Christ Who changes us that more and more we would reflect His nature.

For myself as example, my core identity is not pastor, musician, speaker, not even worship leader though I'm called by Him to be and do those things - but I'm first a child of God! My identity isn't in what I do but who I am in terms of inner attitude, thought, behavior based on HIS thoughts and desires for me to reflect Jesus- my Lord and Savior... not merely what I do.

Even mentioning those areas as examples in my own life, in each of them others have their expectations of how I do and should perform those functions but often are quite wrong in terms of how God Himself has formed me. In particular with regard to my self-talk, that is, it's all about HIM and not my own sense of identity apart from His actual desires as to who I am and do what He calls me to do as He calls me to do it. One of His sons by the new (spiritual) birth, servant, husband, father, grandfather, brother in Christ are my identity. Jesus' death and resurrection gave each and all of these to me! Before, it was all about me.

The second point is again, a most essential, important relationship- each of us can have with God. Jesus is called "Emmanuel" which means "God WITH us". Unless our relationship with Him is daily, applied by our prayer (both listening and speaking with Him) , scripture study and focused on how He desires our fellowship with others to be (regardless if they're believers or not) as well as our sharing the Good News of Jesus with others, all other relationships miss what He has for us! Far too many professing followers of the Lord live in a disconnect in this point. Relationships on Sunday don't carry over to the rest of the week or beyond the local meeting!

Such a relationship and commitment is totally new for people who have lived merely for themselves over any length of time.

Without this, you're doing religion (human created god beliefs) and not relationship with Jesus Christ -and that's a MAJOR issue!

The freedom God brings, offers and gives us IF we'll grow in learning to do things that please Him is so very new that it's hard to imagine if you've not walked with Him daily.

It's not only freedom from sin but freedom to now live as the Lord calls us to (for example, see John chapter 15 for details).

Myself a serious musician for nearly seven years prior to knowing Jesus in a personal way, songwriting, in bands, solo gigs and playing shows in all sorts of places large and small I thought I knew what this was going to be like as a follower of the Lord. I didn't.

Getting on stage realizing I was now representing Jesus (!!!!!!) and how I acted off stage, in people's homes, how I did business and how I interacted with EVERYONE was a very new thing for me. Prior it was -all- about me. I rarely interacted with audiences even from the stage. My relationships with other musicians was more in envy or harsh judgment than with kindness, respect and consideration as well as appreciation when out doing shows with other bands. All of that had to and did change.

Quite a different feeling playing music in ministry (to serve) versus to simply make a buck and "wow" a crowd thinking I was hot stuff! NEW means new freedom -though some think "Oh no... now I have to allow Jesus to be Lord of my music and career too!" as if He's going to mess things up rather than teach you new things and cause you to recognize the freedom from your old attitudes, arrogance, self-focus and lack of genuine care for people you meet and influence. The freedom from old sin habits is not just a freedom from but a freedom to a practical holiness, cleansing and the opportunity to bear witness to the Lord and not just me, myself and I! It honestly shocked me how all this began to work out in my early days of serving the Lord with music- and the principles will apply to you if you serve Him first and above all else regardless of your profession, ministry calling or gifting. The freedom God works in us can at first feel more like a prison and as time goes on it becomes clearer that He called you out of one- largely of your own design!

Of course plenty of people spend their lives -and indeed waste them... trying to figure out why they exist at all. God made us for Himself first and foremost. We are called to serve others and He gives us talents and gifts to do just that. For all humans, our purpose is summed up in our identity, relationship and the freedom we find in Jesus. As we discover the gifts and talents He's given and recognize His call to use them for His glory and the benefit and blessing of others we recognize (sometimes only in retrospect, looking back over time) we are living out His intended purposes for our life.

I've become fond of praying "You set me up!" with a laugh because for me it's been clearer as the years pass that His plans for my purpose unfolded and continue to. By God's grace and careful nurture in His Word (Bible), prayer and hearing the wisdom of godly folks who truly know us and can recognize the gifts He has given us we find new purposes. The active work of the Holy Spirit is in part to move us and move -through- us to serve -and a key and absolute purpose for every single follower of God is "servant". Make no mistake, that is an extremely new concept for people who have long been focused on themselves. It sure was for me and I learn more about servanthood every day in my walk with the Lord and people.

So hopefully you've been encouraged and maybe even enlightened by all this? I pray it'd be so -because if not, you're stuck.

God knows how to move us out of our self-made quicksand and praise Him, He continues to do it for me!

And as always, thanks for stopping by :) -Glenn