the Father's heart

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Grace and peace to you from God

our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:2

Paul always begins his letters with a greeting that includes a blessing similar to the one above. I usually pass right over the words when I read them, but maybe there is something we can learn from Paul. What was his reason for including the blessing in his letters, and how  can it be an example for us?

PAUL'...

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But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining

toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the

prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

In this Who am I? series, I have attempted to help believers understand who they are in Christ. But you may look at your life and see something entirely different. Your daily experience reflects on...

For you are free, yet you are God's slaves...

1 Peter 2:16

I started my journal every morning for the past week with "Good morning, Lord! I am a servant of Christ." I then proceeded to dig into what being His servant means. I had questions such as, "How can I be Christ's servant if I am free in Christ?" "Isn't being a servant the same as being a slave?" "What do I do as Christ's servant?" This post will seek to answer those ques...

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him

who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:8

Most of my life I've been told I am a saint. Not because I was such a wonderful person or living a great life of service, but because I asked Jesus to be my Savior at an early age. I learned early on that every believer is a saint a...

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Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The

old has passed away; behold the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

What does it mean to be a new creation? What is actually new about you after you are saved?

YOU RECEIVE A NEW HEART AND A NEW SPIRIT

And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.

Ezekiel 36:26

Ezekiel prophesied what we would happen some 600 years before t...

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in

order that you may know the hope to which he has called

you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 1:18

Jerry Bridges, in his book Who Am I?, tells us the difference between adoption in Bible times compared to the way it is today:

Adoption in Paul's day was completely different from our practice today. In our modern culture, adoption usually r...

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we

have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1

Adam's sin brought condemnation to everyone, but Christ's obedience, His death on the cross, brought reconciliation for those who believe Jesus is the Savior (Rom 5:19). Not everyone will believe, and only those who do will be justified and receive new life. Justification means to be declared righteous by God,...

For as in Adam all die, so in

Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:22

I've been a Christian for much of my life and learned early on that, as a believer, I am in Christ. But what does being in Christ mean?

Jerry Bridges says in his book, Who Am I? Identity in Christ (p.18),

The term "in Christ" is the apostle Paul's shorthand expression for being united to Christ. It is one of Paul's favorite expressions, and (includi...

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And God created man in His own image, in the image of

God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:27

Who are you? First of all, you are a created being. You are made in the image of God, which makes you different from other living things, but you are still created. This makes you both dependent on God, your Creator, and accountable to Him.

DEPENDENT ON GOD

Dependency on God is...

I have called you by name, you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

Who are you? When Coach Harrison in the movie, Overcomer was asked that question, he said he was a coach. Later on, Coach Harrison asked his Cross Country runner, Hannah, the same question, and she said she didn't know who she was.

• "I'm a carpenter," my husband might say. But that was his vocation, not who he is.

• "I'm a failure," a friend once told me. She was a Chris...