A Sentence That Changed My Life...

It's amazing how a sentence spoken at the right time can absolutely change your life. A client of mine passed the GED and her teacher said, "You are smart! I hope you're planning on going to college." She never thought of herself as smart, but that one sentence stuck and she did go to college. It all started with a sentence!

A sentence that changed my life was spoken by my friend Baxter. He said:

"The gospel is the good news of what became of Jesus and what became of us IN HIM."

That simple sentence has captivated my heart and imagination for more than a decade now and it has changed my life.

I used to think the gospel was more a really good offer than really good news. I always thought that it was a declaration of a possibility IF I had sincere faith, not a declaration of a reality that a very sincere Savior had done all that was needed to be done.

Yes, I did hear something about the finished work of Jesus, but I was always led to think I had to do something to put the finishing touches on it.

The summons of faith in the New Testament scriptures is a call to "believe" not "become". To trust not strive.

What became of Jesus? He lived! He died! He rose again! He ascended to the right-hand seat of the Father! He was accepted there!

What became of us IN HIM? We lived! We died! We rose again! We ascended to the right-hand seat of the Father! We were accepted there! (And are to this day!)

"At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message - just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

"God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. "

Colossians 1:21-23; 27

Take some time and really reflect on the implications of that one simple sentence!