Are we…….Too comfortable with Christ Jesus? Are we…….Too complacent with our faith? Are we…….Too unmoved by God’s authority (over us)? Are we awed by God? Are we stirred (up)? Do we fear God? Are we seeking God’s sanctification or are we content with God’s justification only? Can we see the depth of Jesus’ propitiation for us? What Are We………..?

All BIG Church Words.  Sanctification.  Justification.  Propitiation.  Yes.   All BIG words that we can learn from, define by our daily actions, share with others. BUT can we live in the light of the ONE who represents every word?

The apostle John wrote—-“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4: 7-10)

If you visit often (within our house), OR if you visit our table for dinner (often enough), then quickly you will realize that we really LOVE warm chocolate pudding for dessert.  Yes !!!!!  In fact, my brother-in-law seems to look for it often at the close of our Sunday lunch. As a child, my mother taught us early how the most delicious dessert includes:    cocoa, sugar, milk, (and maybe vanilla) heated in a pot, stirred with a large spoon (to perfection) as the mixture heated over medium heat.

Now, I am not my mom !!!!

Yes.  It is a fact !!!!

****Mom’s pantry was always filled with ingredients.

****My pantry is always filled with boxes (that are filled with ingredients already mixed).

Yes, there IS a difference. Come to our home, sit at our table, share dinner (with us) and we will most probably enjoy warm chocolate pudding for dessert——created from a box.      You know.  Open the pantry, take out the box of pudding mix, pour the ingredients into a pan, and just add milk, stirring over a medium heat until desired thickness.   So Easy.

Now, (if you know me) then you also know I am sometimes forgetful.  When preparing dinner, oftentimes I turn up the stovetop heat too much
OR turn on the heat and then become distracted by other tasks
OR I forget to stir
OR I attempt to attend to other things——oftentimes FAILING to watch closely over the pot—–sitting upon the stove——being heated to its desired consistency.  (Just ask Darrell.   He will laugh and say, “You got that right.”)

Are we too comfortable with Jesus Christ our Savior? Are we too complacent with our faith? Are we not focused? Are we too distracted? Are we stirring (up)? Are we too……………..Are we too unmoved by God’s authority (over us)?

When Jesus faced Pilate, the accusers said Jesus stirred up the crowd of people, teaching them all over the region (Luke 23:5).

Are we too comfortable?

Are we too complacent?

Are we too unaffected, too unmoved?

Are we?

Are we allowing God’s Holy Spirit to stir us (up)?

What Are we??????

Maybe today, the largest question of all is our answer to these final questions—-Why?—-

Are we Uncomfortable for Jesus’ sake?

Are we Complacent About Our God?

Are we Unaffected by our Savior?

Are we Unmoved by the many lost surrounding us?

Are we Untouched by the need surrounding us?

Are we Not Awed by God’s presence living within us?

Justification—-A BIG word that proclaims how Jesus died upon the cross of Calvary so that we could receive forgiveness for our sins against God——so that we could become (just-as-if-I–ed) had never sinned.
Sanctification—-A BIG Word that reminds us how God sent His Son to the world so that we can know God intimately, so we can grow (up) through His Word, through His Spirit, through our fellowship with other believers, through our prayer life, and through Him.
Propitiation—-A BIG Word that leads us to remember how God sent the Son of God to the world as a babe (human flesh and blood—-the Son of Man) so that we might Ask God to Forgive Us, Believe In Him, and Receive His Atonement for our multitude of sins——so we might receive God’s salvation freely given to us.
Jesus’ blood and Jesus’ death upon the cross of Calvary, and Jesus’ resurrection from the grave—–For Each of Us—–So we would not taste death and separation from our Savior——EVER!!!

Are we too comfortable? & Are we too complacent? & Are we becoming (un)awed?

Do we fear God? & Are we unmoved?  Unaffected? & Are we stirred (up)?
If we belong to God;   If we are His;   If we are God’s child…….Then What Are We?