WHO you are...

I did NOT say... WHO are you! I'm asking... who you are - now and becoming?

Since you have accepted Jesus' invitation and made Him your Lord... do you know who YOU are? Just like there are many roles you play in your secular life, you have spiritual roles as well. Such as? Well you are: a child of God, you are a soldier in His army, you've been made a co-heir with Christ, you've been given a gift from the Lord for ministry (not necessarily professional ministry), but we ALL are called to ministry - for the equipping of the Body (of which you are now a member). Those are some of the roles that are now yours to learn about, work on (remember the Lord has prepared work for us to do... and it's not 'make' work), grow in, enjoy and share, etc.

Are you surprised at you? Are you pleased with what you see? Do you know what you want or need to do next... and how to do that? To repeat me: yes, the Lord saved us just as we are, right where we are. However, I don't think He ever planned on us staying in the same spot. I think He has plans for us and our opportunities to touch lives is far greater than we imagine. All we need do is to turn to Him each morning to discover if He has plans in the day for us.

   "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of

    peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." [Jeremiah 29:11]

   "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which

    God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." [Ephesians 2:10]

Both verses affirm that saving us was the first of many steps. When you take the step of asking Jesus to be Your Lord you open doors that you didn't even know existed and opportunities to touch lives regardless if you are a seed planter, a waterer, or a harvester - all are important and have a part of the process. Look at your own life. Someone planted the seed even though you may not have recognized it as such... someone added (watered) to this by sharing their experiences ... and someone helped you to accept the Lord's invitation (harvest). Even if your born again experience was all by yourself, those acts were also evident to help you decide. It is always your decision.

So now the question is... growing. Are you growing? By this I mean are you reading and studying the Word, praying, fellowshipping. All these acts are part of our maturing. I'm going to share scripture that tells us we need to grow, how to grow, and the results.

   "... as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow     

    thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. [i Peter 2: 2-3]

   "...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..."

   [2 Peter 3:18]

   "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us

    go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead

    works and of faith toward God," [Hebrews 6:1]

   "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach

    you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need

    milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in

    the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those

    who are [b]of full age, that is, those who by reason of [c]use have their senses

    exercised to discern both good and evil." [Hebrews 5:12-14]

  "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you

   not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are

   disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified."

   [2 Corinthians 13:5-7]

The reason, purpose for our growing is so that we can take our place, our role described in Ephesians 4:13-16

   "... till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of

    God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

    that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with

    every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of

    deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things

    into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit

    together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by

    which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying

    of itself in love.'

See! Growing is for you... but it is also to aid you in fulfilling your ministry responsibility in sharing your gift with the body. YOU always determine who you are. And it is seen by what you share.