Welcome to the PoG Blog! Notice the scripture today and how it flows with the theme of being God's "authorized agents" in our world!
John 20 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
So Jesus has just risen from the dead earlier on the day recorded above. It is evening and He appears to His disciples who were scared, worried, dismayed, confused and Jesus-less. He appears to them and speaks short succinct sentences! He is doing His Jesus thing. And at the heart of His "Jesus thing" is "giving"! He comes giving - its a Jesus thing. He brings what they need the most - Peace -Power and Purpose - to do what He has taught them to do. The disciples were now to go into the world "giving" - literally being gifts to a broken world. "As the Father sent me - so I send you!"
That is an amazing sentence - "As the Father sent Me so I send you!" That is an awe inspiring calling and empowerment. Jesus was sent as and divine gift to a fallen broken world. Jesus came to bring restoration and wholeness by making a restored life with God possible. Jesus is now sending His disciples as "gifts" just as He was sent.
It gives me a great sense of purpose and identity today as I consider myself a "gift" from God to the world of people I live with - a gift in the way of Jesus! I have the authority and commissioning to be a "gift in the way of Jesus" in my little corner of the world.
Last night my wife had a terrible sinus headache that woke her up during the night. It was one of those debilitating kinds of headaches so she woke me up to help her get some medicine to take. I remember thinking "I don't want to wake up! Can't she read the bottle on her own!" (I am not proud of those thoughts - but they just happen) THEN some of the words from yesterday's message came to mind. "We have the authority to say "No" to sin and "YES" to righteousness. I remember my half asleep mind say "YES! YES! YES!" Their was some power and authority in that mental conversation that moved me out of the state of negotiation into the place of "doing a good thing". I got up and figured the medicine thing out for my wife.
Now I realize I was not doing anything exceptional here but I do believe I am called to be a "gift in the way of Jesus" to the world around me. I have missed way too many opportunities be who I really am "a gift in the way of Jesus"!
This is an aspect of my new identity in Christ! I am a "gift in the way of Jesus!" Now I get to live like who I am!
What do you think about being "a gift in the way of Jesus" to the people and world you live in? How does this identity affect how you live today?
Enjoy being the "gift" you are!
delton