I realize that I have not been the constant blogger that I intended to be in the beginning, and I probably could come up with 100 different excuses as to why this is true. The truth be told I’m not sure what happened.
This serves as an update to what is going on now at Free Union. We have gone through a study on God’s vision for our church, and a study on relationships. Looking specifically at how we can interact with those in and outside the church. Now we have started a study on the book of James.
The book of James serves as my favorite book of the Bible. Probably because I’m always look for the read deal. The genuine artifact when it comes to Christians. So often we are blinded by the mask we wear and people miss out on seeing the real you.
When I began my first year at Eastern Mennonite University, I already had two years of my education behind me. Yet this was my first experience of being away from home. The first day I stepped on campus was one week before the rest of the students because I was to be a Ministry Assistant for my residence hall. When I walked into my bare dorm room and looked around I had to pose to myself the question, “who are you going to be?” When faced with a new surrounding and environment this is a realistic question to ask yourself. After all, there was only two people on the campus that knew me and they weren’t going to give away my secret identity.
We as Christians struggle with our identity because we are stuck at a crossroad. Paul references by saying that we are a new creation, yet we constantly battle with the old creation. Our humanness has a habit of getting in the way of our God. James states in 1:22 “Do not merely hear the word and deceive yourself, DO WHAT IT SAYS!”
If you have an issue defining who you are, let me inform you who you are. You are redeemed by the blood of lamb, and much as Jesus tells the adulteress woman, we should go and strive to sin no more.
Be the real deal.