Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

4 December 2024

Reading From II Corinthians 5-9

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin^[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

–II Corinthians 5:16-21

     Human beings struggle with how they see themselves and others.  Our unhealthy perceptions have the potential of leading to destructive behaviors.  The Lord has the ability to renew our minds, giving us His healthy, eternal perspective on our lives and the world around us.  We need to know and apply the wisdom of the Word of God in order to be spiritually healthy.  Much emphasis in the Body of Christ in recent years has been placed on the concept of having a relationship with God rather than going through the motions of religion.  I would take it a step further and say that we need healthy, balanced, life-giving relationship with God. We need to see ourselves and others as God see us. We are thoroughly loved by Him. All His thoughts toward us are holy.

     When we make the decision to trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are born again and we become new creations in Christ.  We go from spiritual death to life and God begins to transform us from the inside out.  His desire is for us to be conformed to His image, which means that as we grow spiritually, we become more and more like Jesus.  He created every individual to be unique, and so the goal of our sanctification, the process of becoming holy, is to become the highest, best version of who He has created and called us to be. 

We are changed from glory to glory. While the core of our being is in perfect relationship with Him, it takes a process of perfection for that holiness to radiate out into every area of our lives. While this ongoing process is occurring, we wrestle between flesh and spirit. No one but God is perfect in our present reality. We need to have patience, grace and mercy with ourselves and our brothers and sisters. This journey will have its crescendo at the resurrection, when we will receive our glorified bodies and be perfectly united with God. Our goal is not to be gods or goddesses, but to be partakers of His diving nature, to be more like Him and live in perfect harmony with Him.

     Before we were born again, we were enemies of God.  But by the blood of Jesus and the spiritual washing of rebirth and renewal applied by the Holy Spirit, we are made friends of God adopted into His eternal family as His sons and daughters.  This Good News, the plan of salvation in Jesus, is the message of reconciliation.  It is His plan, should we choose to accept it, to bring whosoever believes and receives into His family. In Him we learn our true identity, join His eternal community, and discover our destiny. He wants us to share this experience and knowledge with others.

This reconciliation is by grace, through faith in Jesus and not by works or any religious ritual. It depends on our acceptance of the gift of salvation freely given us by Jesus through His atoning sacrifice. We are justified, made right with God, through the blood of Jesus. At the moment we accept Him, we are born again and the Spirit of God takes up residence in our hearts and lives. The Spirit is given to us a deposit guaranteeing our place in the celestial kingdom to reign with Christ eternally in the Presence of Heavenly Father.

     As sons and daughters of the Most High God, we are commanded, commissioned, empowered and equipped to share His love and message with those around us.  Your friends, family and all those the Lord puts in your path are counting on you to help them be reconciled to God by sharing the Good News with them.  This should be a joy rather than a burden.  Some of us are more shy and introverted than others.  I believe that God can show us how to shine His light through our special and unique God-given personalities.  We each have our own abilities and strengths and He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Ask God for the courage needed to be His ambassador to your world.

“Lord, we ask You right now to bless us with the courage we need to share Your love and message of reconciliation with others.  I pray that we would realize the necessity of learning more about You and Your Gospel so that we can share it through our testimonies with those around us.  Forgive us for the times we have not taken advantage of the opportunities You have created for us.  Thank You that we are works in progress; You’re not finished with us yet.  We are grateful for Your grace and mercy to us.  Open doors in our lives for us to minister to others.  We love You and we worship You.  Amen.”

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”

 –Mark 12:28-31

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 –Matthew 28:16-20

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

–Acts 1:8

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervorand taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

 –Acts 18:24-26