On mission with God
Each of you should continue to live in whatever situation the Lord has placed you, and remain as you were when God first called you. This is my rule for all the churches... And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ. God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you. 1 Corinthians 7:20, 22-24 Our conversion because of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ brings change but it does not mean all change. We possess different positions in life. You are either married or unmarried; we are either employers or employees. No matter what circumstance of life was before we came to know Christ as Lord and Savior, God was already involved in our life. Let us not assume that when we accept the new life God gave us that all our past or present circumstances are to be regarded as a mistake or an accident. “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalm 139:16). One thing that characterizes our life in Christ is the compulsion to serve Him. This was what Paul was telling the believers in Corinth. The problem with most Christians is the lack of motivation to get involved in carrying out God’s redemptive work. He reminded the believers that “God paid a high price” so they would obtain salvation. We honor God when we are no longer “enslaved by the world.” We were not saved so God could deliver us from the penalty of sin and qualified us to go to heaven. Though these are the benefits of knowing Christ but we were saved to have a relationship with Him and this relationship should motivate us to serve Him. “Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (Romans 6:13). God called us from our former life which was characterized by selfishness and self-centeredness to a new life empowered by His grace so we could be in mission with God. We need to respond willingly and let His power be manifested through us when given the opportunity. “Remain as you were when God first called you” only this time rely in God’s power and take every opportunity to serve Him for His glory.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
