Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

  A healthy, balanced personal relationship with Jesus can lead to an empowering awareness of identity, a fulfilling sense of belonging in a community built to last forever, and an exciting destiny that is without the limitations of our present reality.  The identity of children of God is divinely revealed.  It is not based on fleeting emotions or unstable human ideas but based solidly on Christ and His Word the Bible.  Through trusting in Jesus, every person has the potential to have a family bond that unites one’s spirit to other followers of Jesus through time and space and to God Himself for all eternity.  Born again believers share a destiny not found in living up to cultural standards of outward appearance, wealth or success, but in the adventure of following Jesus in this world and into the New Heaven and New Earth to come.  The key to discovering these priceless treasures lies in daring to trust in God, choosing to believe that His Word is true and trustworthy, and living out the life-giving principles found therein.  God wants you to know who you are, know that you belong, and know where you’re going.

  I’m not sure of how this came to be, but I developed a strong bond with God from a very early age.  As long as I can remember I have believed in Him and that the Bible is His Word.  I have always examined and evaluated information and experiences through the lens of Scripture.  From my mother and her parents, I learned that the Bible should be my only rule of faith and practice and that I would find true fulfillment by embarking on a journey of discovery with Jesus.  Our world is filled with so much confusion, heartache, fear and despondency.  I am grateful that God’s love and truth bring clarity, healing, courage and hope. 

     Just because I can’t remember a time when I didn’t believe in God and the Bible, that doesn’t mean that my life has been without intense pain, overwhelming grief, seasons of questioning, and stubborn rebellion.  How trusting God makes a difference is that no matter what is happening in my life or the world around me, I can go to Him and find healing, comfort, answers and the forgiveness needed to move forward.  In Jesus I find who I am.  In Jesus I find family and home.  In Jesus I find my destiny. 

     I hope that in the coming year you will join me on a spiritual journey of discovery! Each day I will post a brief devotional as I read the entire Bible following a plan that places the events of Scripture in what some scholars believe to be chronological order.  Every other week I will feature a special teaching concerning our themes of identity, community, and destiny in Jesus.  Let’s move forward in faith, hope and love together!

Yours in the Love of God,

Kenton Cheek