Philippians 3:8 – 9 “. . . that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
I am a proud Texan. I live in the beautiful hill country of Central Texas. Much of my family lives in the thick, piney woods of East Texas. I have friends who live in the dry, parched deserts of West Texas. Though our surroundings look very different, we have one thing in common. We are all Texans, because we all live in Texas.
I have friends in California, Oregon, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Louisiana . . . the list goes on and on. I also have friends in other countries around the world. Many of them would make wonderful Texans. But they are not Texans, because they don’t live here. They can wear cowboy hats and boots. They can try and imitate our charming drawl. They can even invest their money in oil wells! But that won’t make them Texans.
I know many moral, upstanding people who, sadly, are not Christians. They are loving, kind, generous, compassionate, and trustworthy. They are good in every sense of the word. But they cannot be found in Christ. They haven’t placed their faith in Him. When God looks at them, He doesn’t see His Son. And so, one day when they stand before Him and roll out their long lists of good deeds, He will say, “Depart from Me! I never knew you!”
I also know many Christians – myself included – who have really messed up. We all mess up! Fortunately, our status in God’s family is not based on who we are, but on where we can be found – in Christ. When we, by faith, accept God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, He adopts us into His family. We are in. No matter how badly we may mess up. It should be our goal to look and act like Christ. But even when we don’t, our identity in Him does not change.
The most morally upright person may, on the surface, look like what we think a Christian should look like. But if a person is not found in Christ, if he/she has not placed faith in Christ alone for salvation, that person is not a Christian.
I am so grateful that God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Creator of heaven and earth would accept me as His child. He invites all to join the family! If you have never accepted that invitation, you can do so now. Just tell God that you believe that His Son died to take the punishment that you deserved – that we all deserved. Thank Him for that gift, and then – you’re in! Then, once we are in Christ, it should be our desire to let others see Christ in us.
Dear Father, Thank You for Your gift of salvation. I know I am undeserving. I want to live each day so that others can see how wonderful You are.
Amen
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