Word-Filled Wednesday ~#28~ All Because of Jesus

PASSAGE: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." ~I Peter 2:9 [emphasis mine, KW]

LESSON LEARNED: You may want to read that again . . . I'll wait . . .

I often tell people who have only known me as a Christian that I have lived two utterly & completely different lives. Boy-howdy! Have I ever! I lived the life of Amazing Grace: I was a wretch, I was lost but now am found, I was blind but now I see. All by God's grace, all because of Jesus' sacrifice, all because of the wooing of the Holy Spirit.

Now, any honest Christian will understand that most of us don't "turn into Jesus" the moment we accept Him as our Savior; as my pastor recently said, it is a process. "Babies are born fully alive, fully human, but they spend the rest of their lives maturing; a Christian grows the same way, spiritually." I'm glad the Lord understands & extends His grace, mercy, love & forgiveness to those of us who stumble & have chronic foot-in-mouth disease.

But sometimes, the "old man" still tries to stir the pot of my life. That's when I draw upon the truth of Jesus & who I am BECAUSE of Him: I am chosen, I am royalty because I've been adopted into the household of THE King, I am holy & Paul even referred to me as a saint. Can you believe it? I belong to God, I am blessed to be able to declare His praises & I know the difference in life with Jesus & without Jesus because of His work in me. Real life began when He pulled me out of darkness into HIS wonderful light! (May 20th, 1982) And wonder upon wonders, ALL I had to do was ask.

And He has done the same for YOU!

All because of Jesus.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><