June 11, 2023
Greetings and blessings to all of you. The Bible says we are children of God. In I John 3:1-2 “see what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God…” Understanding our identity as children of God will directly manifest itself in our love for God and other Christians. We are called to love one another even our enemies. Also, as children of God we are now heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. This means that we have a new identity and a new destiny. That is good news in light of our culture that is celebrating “another identity” from the evil one. Our identity is no longer defined by our past, our accomplishments or our failures. Instead, it is defined by our relationship with God as our dear and caring Father who watches over and protects us. He carries us as His precious infants. Our identity as children of God motivates our love for God. How could we not love one who carries us, cares for us and loves us? And because we love Him we obey Him. In John 14:15 it says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. This love is not burdensome task but a natural response to a love that has been shown to me. Our identity is of importance when we meet together in church. It is expressed in action to each other as we meet together; learning how to serve, to forgive; to bear another’s burden; to support and encourage one another during difficult times. As we continue to grow in our understanding of our identity in Christ we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds and the power of the Holy Spirit. During this time in our society the media tries to indoctrinate us with Critical Race Theory which want us to forget about our identity in Christ, what we know about sin and our sin nature and they definitely want us to forget about the Power of Forgiveness. Rather they want us to focus on a perceived “oppressed and the oppressors.” The potential danger in that is hate with division between the races. Our Christian Worldview is established in Christ. We are in a loving relationship with Christ who gives us wisdom and understanding so we can navigate through all the evils with love kindness and grace. We are called to discern what is good and what is evil and reject any aspect of worldly ideologies (Marxism, Communism, Progressivism, etc.) that come against the Word of God. Christians are defined by faith, and hope..but love is the greatest of these. (I Cor. 13:13).Go forth and share the Word.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC