What do You See When You Look at Your Selfie?

What should you be seeing if you are a Christian?  Is your true identity being revealed?

What does God see when He looks at you?

What does God see when He looks at any Christian?

What is true about all Christians?  (Part 4 of 4)

A Christian is a person who is: (from Have You Taken Any Selfies Lately? 1-3)

Loved by God.

Chosen by God.

Adopted into God’s family.

Filled with the Holy Spirit.

Called by God.

Given faith to believe.

Favored by God.

Eternally saved.

Created by God to do good works.

A light in this world.

An ambassador.

Now that you know all these things about yourself, and this is only a partial list, how should you (if you are a Christian) respond?

You need to know that you did not, and cannot, earn or deserve any of the qualities listed above.

What is a good response for something unearned and undeserved?

Your response should include the following.  Again, this is just a partial list of responses.

Respond by:

• Loving God and loving people.

…. “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. ³⁰ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’  ³¹ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31 NLT)

• Walking humbly with God

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.  (Micah 6:8 NLT)

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.  (1 Peter 5:6 NLT)

But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12 NLT)

• Worshiping the Lord continually.

Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker…  (Psalm 95:6 NLT)

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (Romans 12:1 NLT)

Then I will praise God’s name with singing,
    and I will honor him with thanksgiving.  (Psalm 69:30 NLT)

Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.  (Psalm 100:2 NLT)

• Treating others appropriately.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  (Colossians 3:12 NLT)

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  (Ephesians 4:2 NLT)

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  (Philippians 2:3 NLT)

Conclusion:

A Christian is a person who is:  (from Have You Taken Any Selfies Lately? 1-3)

Loved by God.

Chosen by God.

Adopted into God’s family.

Filled with the Holy Spirit.

Called by God.

Given faith to believe.

Favored by God.

Eternally saved.

Created by God to do good works.

A light in this world.

An ambassador.

A Christian should respond by:

Loving God and loving people.

Walking humbly with God

Worshiping the Lord continually.

Treating others appropriately.

^…. anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

(2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend

+4

Francis Scott Key describes America as “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. 

July 4^th is a day set aside each year to celebrate our nation’s birth. July 4^th is a time to celebrate America’s independence.  July 4^th is a time to be reminded of the fact that freedom came with a price.  Many people fought and died for the freedoms we now experience.

July 4^th is also a good time to be reminded that genuine freedom comes from God, not from government.

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.       (2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT)

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence

“It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor”               -President George Washington

“I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land. We need God’s help to guide our nation through stormy seas. But we can’t expect Him to protect America in a crisis if we just leave Him over on the shelf in our day-to-day living.”   -Ronald Reagan

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.  (John 8:36 NLT)

³¹ Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³² And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (John 8:31-32 NLT)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD … (Psalm 33:12 ESV)

Enjoy your Independence Day Holiday.

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

+3

What do You See When You Look at Your Selfie?

What should you be seeing if you are a Christian?  Is your true identity being revealed?

What does God see when He looks at you?

What does God see when He looks at any Christian?

What is true about all Christians?  Part three.

A Christian is a person who is: (from previous posts)

Loved by God.

Chosen by God.

Adopted into God’s family.

Filled with the Holy Spirit.

Called by God.

Given faith to believe.

Favored by God.

Eternally saved.

What else is true about Christians?  What else is true about you, if you are a Christian?

A Christian is a person who was created by God to do good works.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

A Christian’s life has purpose and meaning.  God has given Christians important responsibilities to carry out.

A Christian is a person who is called to be a light in this world.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)

 A Christian is an ambassador.

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT)

A Christian is a person who is:

Created by God to do good works.

A light in this world.

An ambassador.

^…. anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

(2 Corinthians 5:17NLT)

“Have You Taken Any Selfies Lately?” will be continued in future posts.

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend

0

Our Father in heaven,
   may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
   as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need,
   and forgive us our sins,
   as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
   but rescue us from the evil one.  (Matthew 6:9-13 NLT)

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!                                                                                                                   (1 John 3:1 NLT)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend

+1

What do you see when you look at your selfie?

Is your true identity being revealed?

More importantly, what does God see when He looks at you?  What does God see when He looks at any Christian?

What is the true identity of all Christians?  Part two.

A Christian is:

Called by God.

A Christian is a person called by God.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9  NLT)

Given faith to believe.

A Christian is a person who has received the gift of faith from God.

Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.  (Romans 12:3 NLT)

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.  (Romans 10:17 NLT)

For the word of God is alive and powerful. (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT)

Favored by God.

A Christian is a person who is favored by God.

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. (Ephesians 1:11NLT)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28 NLT)

 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.  (Hebrews 11:6 NLT)

Eternally saved.

A Christian is a person who will never lose his/her salvation.

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, (John 10:28 NLT)

 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.  (Philippians 1:6 NLT)

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39 NLT)

A Christian is a person who is: (from previous post)

Loved by God.

Chosen by God.

Adopted into God’s family.

Filled with the Holy Spirit.

A Christian is a person who is: (from today’s post)

Called by God.

Given faith to believe.

Favored by God.

Eternally saved.

Is this what you see when you look at your “selfie”? 

^…. anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
(2 Corinthians 5:17NLT)

“Have You Taken Any Selfies Lately?” will be continued in future posts.

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend.

+5

What do you see when you look at your selfie?

Is your true identity being revealed?

More importantly, what does God see when He looks at you?  What does God see when He looks at any Christian?

What is the true identity of all Christians?  (Part one)

A Christian is:

Loved by God.

      A Christian is a person who is loved by God.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:9-10 NLT)

 Chosen by God.

A Christian is a person chosen by God to be holy and without fault in the eyes of God.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  (Ephesians 1:4 NLT)

 Adopted into God’s family.

      A Christian is a person who is a child of God and is an heir of God.

⁵ God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  ⁷ Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. (Galatians 4:5&7 NLT)

 Filled with the Holy Spirit.

A Christian is a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit.

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”       (Galatians 4:6 NLT)

^…. when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.  (Ephesians 1:13NLT)

A Christian is a person who is:

• Loved by God.
• Chosen by God.
• Adopted into God’s family.
• Filled with the Holy Spirit.

^…. anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
(2 Corinthians 5:17NLT)

“Have You Taken Any Selfies Lately?” will be continued in future posts.

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend.

+4

Remember

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for everyone who has died serving in the American armed forces.

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  (John 15:13 NLT)

Today and throughout the year we ought to remember those who placed themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedom.

Remember

Today and throughout the year we should also remember someone else who willingly died for us.

Jesus Christ died for us so that we could have a rich and satisfying life.

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.  (John 10:10 NLT)

Jesus Christ died for us to free us from the grasp of sin and allow us to live for what is right.

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.  By his wounds you are healed. (1 Peter 2:24 NLT)

Jesus Christ died for us so that we can spend eternity with Him in heaven.

Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.  (1 Thessalonians 5:10 NLT)

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.  (John 8:36 NLT)

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend.

+2

…. the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.  (Micah 6:8 NLT)

• Do what is right

 Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so all will go well with you. … (Deuteronomy 6:18 NLT)

 ⁹ How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.  (Psalm 119:9 & 11 NLT)

 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. (Galatians 6:9 NLT)

 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:17 NLT)

•  Love mercy

 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. (Matthew 6:14 NLT)

•  Walk humbly with God

 “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45 NLT)

As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NLT)

Do what is right

Love mercy

Walk humbly with God

  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (James 4:10 NLT)

   Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend.

+4

“Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.”

(If you have not read the Good Friday post I suggest that you read it now.)

The Resurrection

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.  And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” (Luke 24:1-7 ESV)

 More than 500 people saw the resurrected Christ.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 ESV)

40 days after Easter Christ was taken up into Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God.

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19 ESV)

Christ is now preparing a place for all Christians in Heaven and will come again to take all believers to be with him.

 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:1-3 ESV)

Do you believe this?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 ESV)

… because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 ESV)

You may also want to read “Whoever  Believes”

Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend.

0

Good Friday is the Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Jesus died on a cross a little more than 2000 years ago.  Jesus suffered the slow, public, painful, humiliating death that was generally reserved for those who had committed heinous crimes.

• Scripture tells us that Jesus is the Son of God.

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;  and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I (God the Father) am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17 ESV)

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them …  And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:2-7 ESV)

• Scripture tells us that Jesus created the world.

He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16 ESV)

All things were made through him (Jesus), and without him (Jesus) was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3 ESV)

• Scripture tells us that Jesus is God.

In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. (John 1:1 ESV)

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23 ESV)

I (Jesus) and the Father are one.” (John 10:30 ESV)

• Jesus Christ, God the Son, out of obedience to God the Father, died on the cross.

… but (Jesus) emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8 ESV)

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18 ESV)

• Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25 NIV)

… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8 ESV)

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the creator of the universe, God the Son, willingly came to earth in human form to die on a cross so that our broken relationship with God could be restored. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  (Romans 5:6-8 NLT)

 Click here to view previous posts on the Seeking His Kingdom website.

If you liked this post, share it with a friend.

+2