Change – nobody likes it except a baby with a dirty diaper. In the military change is a frequent part of life. Do you deal with it at some times with peace and calmness and then at others with anxiety, worry, and panic? Why is it that we end up dealing with change in either of these extremes?
As we grow up we are often told that we are children of God but this is not true. We are by nature children of judgment and wrath, until we receive Jesus into our hearts, and are placed in Christ by faith. God gives us the gift of righteousness that is not our own. This righteousness encompasses all the deeply obedient deeds that Jesus did while on this earth. When God looks at us we are no longer condemned/guilty but forgiven and accepted as righteous as Christ is righteous. The consequence of this justification is adoption. We are adopted into the family of God. In Luke 11, when Jesus is asked how we should pray, He said to pray “Our Father who art in heaven… Until Jesus came, “Father” was never used in Jewish prayers to refer to God.
As Christians, we can have an orphan mindset or a son/daughter mindset. A daughter lives in partnership with the Heavenly Father: She is empowered by the Holy Spirit as she seeks God’s will; She sees her sin/failure living under the banner of Christ’s righteousness and not her own; She trusts in the Spirit’s ability to change her and others; She knows forgiveness, and God’s complete acceptance of her, regardless of whether she succeeds or fails in her daily endeavors to live a life pleasing to the Lord.
An orphan mindset is the opposite of all of these: being self reliant; doing life in her own strength; not looking to Lord for guidance or strength; unforgiven and unaccepted. We as believers can fluctuate between these two mindsets, but as we grow and mature in Christ, the mindset of a daughter of the King of King and Lord of Lords prevails. So, as we go through our days twists and turns appear that bring us to the end of ourselves and our abilities, do what you do in partnership with your Heavenly Father. You will be pleasantly surprised at how the Holy Spirit can empower you to bear forth love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self control – and thank Jesus because He made all this possible through His life, death, resurrection and ascension.
Used by permission.
PDF 
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.