The Word - January 18, 2012 - You Are Christ's

"........or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come....all are yours, And you are Christ's and Christ is God's" (1 Corinthians 3:22b-23).

"You are Christ's---and Christ is God's!" Just a few short words, and yet they are a statement which says it all. They are full of peace and joy. If each of us, to whom they apply, would dwell on the meaning of them daily, how completely fulfilled we would be.

"Christ is God's" gives us a candid camera shot of the entire story of God's love and grace. As the Only Begotten He always existed in the form of God, One with Him, absolutely and completely God in every way. But He came down to earth, took upon Himself the form of a servant, taking His place in the likeness of man; became obedient unto death, even death on the cross.

This is how God brought us to Himself in the person of His own Son, by whom He has redeemed us, in whom He has exalted us and with whom He has given us all things. We belong to Christ. We are His, who is one with God, by whom and for whom all things were created. The Son of God became poor, even to the poverty of the cross for such as you and me. There He took our place and in His own body He bore our sins and died in our stead.

We are Christ's, whom God has appointed the head of the new creation as heir of all things. In Christ and with Him we are the heirs of God. God and Christ are inseparable and so are we and Christ, those of us who have trusted Him and have His life. Everything Christ has belongs to us; all Christ is, one day we shall be; where He reigns forever, we shall reign with Him.

Beloved, do you get it...do you really understand? Does your faith take you to this truth? Is it possible you can only read it and only pause there for a moment without true understanding? God's demand of us this hour is for us to exalt Christ. And finally if we always have the person of Christ uppermost in our hearts, we shall walk in obedience to Him as our Lord.

"Astonished at Your feet we fall, Your love exceeds our highest thought,
Henceforth be Thou our all in all, You who our souls with blood has bought;
May we henceforth more faithful prove,
And ne'er forget Your ceaseless love."