Tag: Belong

Christ’s as Promised

The promise of belonging to Christ is upheld from the beginning. Hear me out here. Abraham was chosen and blessed by God to be the father of nations. Remember that Abraham belonged to God. As a descendant of Abraham, therefor I belong to God. Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and therefor Jesus and I are brothers. As Jesus is Christ and Christ is God, I therefor belong to Christ.

“29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” — Galatians 3:29 (ESV)

I know that was a bit much to go through and believe me, there is a lot more to it, but that is the basics. I belong to Christ and that all was promised from the time of Abraham. I am Christ’s through the lineage of Abraham. It was promised to Abraham that his offspring would be numbered as many as the stars.

“4I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,” — Genesis 26:4 (ESV)

Abraham (who belonged to God) was promised to have a lineage that was virtually infinite. I am in that lineage and therefor through that lineage belong to God as well. It was foretold and promised and God’s promises are kept and unchanged.

I have to look backward to move forward. My wife, as a teacher of history, harps on the idea that we look to the past to avoid the same mistakes in the future. We should also look to the past to understand our own future. Here, in looking back at my belonging in the lineage of Abraham, I know that I belong to Christ as he did and therefor I know my future with Christ will be great and rewarding.

I belong to Christ through promises of God. As God’s promises are unchanged and will always be fulfilled, I am confident in my future.

What promises have you had in your past? Are you trying to make sense of something “someone” told you as a promise and then were unable to keep it? What if you placed your faith in the promises of God, beginning with the promise of belonging to Him?

Christians Belong to Christ

What a morning for me as I read and study. I have been a Christian for a good number of years and have followed Him and the direction He had for my life. This morning I was reminded of something that I frankly had forgotten and may have just put in the back of my mind as I have traversed this world, I “belong” to Christ. Yes, I belong to Him, I do not just follow Him.

“25So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” — Acts 11:25-26 (ESV)

I want to take a moment to talk about this Saul noted above. Saul was the Jew persecuting individual who was converted to Christianity and went on to lead a life of discipleship for the LORD. At this point, he was not known to all as Paul (which we more commonly know him as). He was “new” to the field of apostles and yet, at this point in his life as he was teaching in Antioch, was referred to as a Christian along with others.

Now, the word “Christian” is used three times in the New Testament, and this is the first of them. Notice who it is referring to, those who were the followers of Christ and not just everyone who heard of Him or just seemed to go to church. Those who followed Christ were those who “belonged” to Him and were not just around some of the time. I have to take a deeper look at myself and determine if I am a follower who belongs to Him or someone who just says they are.

When Paul was converted to Christ, He went to study Him and the Word of God. He did not just jump in claiming to know all. He devoted himself to God to “know” Him and be able to spread the gospel as Jesus had. Paul (as Saul noted here) was only focused on the one thing and that was spreading the gospel of Christ and that demonstrated his belonging to Christ.

I look to my inward and outward self to see where I fall in the following of Christ. Am I just a person who is calling on Him in my time of need, or do I belong to Him to spread the gospel as Jesus had. Am I able to confidently say that I belong to Christ or am I here for others to literally “see”. Am I concerned with how God sees me or the way the world sees me.

As a Christian, it is my goal to follow Christ wherever He would have me go and do whatever He would have me do. I do for Him and not for me. I study to know Him and bring Him to others and not for my own enjoyment. I belong to Him and will do as I am instructed to carry out His work.

How do you see yourself in your relationship with Christ? Are you one who shows up to the events of Christ or one who belongs to Him? What if you were to fully belong to Christ and follow Him wherever He would have you go and do whatever He would have you do?