Position

It is rather early on a Saturday morning that I am writing to you today. Turning to the first chapter of Galatians, I began reading, "Paul, an apostle - not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father..." The phrase "...not from men nor through man..." made for pause in my spirit.

There are many, including myself, who work very hard, to do and be what is believed that God would have us be. Even this week, I had the privilege of listening to a young adult describe the dilemma in his own heart and mind regarding his attempts to avoid behavior that is considered not Christ-like.

I felt sad as I listened to him, becoming aware of how often we buy into the idea that, somehow, our performance is more important than God's Grace. Our behavior is important, this is true. However, the song (based on a Psalm of David) reminds us that The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercy shall never come to an end. They are new every morning....new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness O Lord! Great is thy faithfulness! God new we would fail him and fail Him daily. The Lord graciously reminds us and Paul had a firm grasp on this reality; Our position with Christ is not based on performance for or from the approval of man but on the work of the Cross. Thus, Paul was able to confidently state, "Paul, an apostle..."

Be encouraged today! Your position with Christ is secure; Not because of man's approval or because someone says so. In His hands, you are secure because Jesus paid the price and our Heavenly Father deemed it to be so. Paul had a handle on this and it freed him to be himself; succeed or fail. And, he was honest about ALL parts of him. Nothing frees us more than being honest with the Lord (and those we trust) about our successes and failures. His love and mercy is available every morning. We can then state with assurance (place your name in place of Paul's), "Brenda, a child of God...not from men nor through man...but through Jesus Christ and God the Father..."