One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” [Mark 1.9-11]
With all the watered-down religion we see in the earth today, I often wonder just how "saved" those of us who claim salvation really are.
If Jesus is our example (and He is), and we are bought and brought into the Family of God by His work on our behalf, why don't we hear God say, "This is my dearly beloved son (or daughter)" when we are baptized?
When we tie a knot in a rope, more times than not, we give the rope a firm tug to test the knot. Likewise, when we have a repair done on our vehicle, we usually give it at least a few moments of 'test drive' to be sure the repair was effective.
When we are saved however, we are usually content to say, "I believe" and leave it at that. In the examples above, we don't tug on the knot in a rope to test our strength, but to see if the knot is capable of holding. Nor do we test drive our repaired vehicle to see if we can drive, but to see if the car is capable of being driven.
Why then, when we are saved, do we not expect some confirmation from heaven rather than our own? Is it enough to say, "I feel different"? Wouldn't that be God's place to confirm our new identity?
The thing is, when God spoke to Jesus as He came up from being baptized, that was just the beginning confirmation of what would be many. Every miracle Jesus performed was God confirming Jesus' membership in His family.
Should not all those who are God's family expect confirmation(s)?
Father, I realize that the implications of what I have written here today are not something believers wish to consider. Help us - help me - to become increasingly more conscious of Your presence and will in our lives and even seek daily confirmation of our relationship with You.
No comments:
Post a Comment