Living Life in the Spirit/Cross the Invisible Bridge of Faith

Romans 8:1-9  speaks to the point of living a life that is totally spirit led in every aspect.  In

fact to live anything less is telling God we don't trust Him, and that is a mistake.  Paul was an authority on trusting God and living His life in the spirit in every aspect.  In verse 9 he states, 9 But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about.  The fact is we should know what Paul is talking about because that is exactly how we live our lives.....in the Spirit.  In verse 28 Paul shares a very important word with us that is very familiar.   All things work for good for those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose.  His purpose is found in the realization the Holy Spirit gives each of us who know Christ.   Living a Spirit-Led life is an exciting life of purpose and intensity.  God's purpose and intensity are so much more than we can comprehend or totally realize, so the pool that we draw from is never ending and fresh.  So how come we don't access that pool of power?  We have a constant tendency to fall back into living our life with a worldly perspective.  A perspective that leaves out what God can do in a situation.  Our perspective should be, "OK, reasoning says this, but let's ask God what His perspective is and what He can do."  When we look at it that way, everything begins to change and hope and faith are reaffirmed and strengthened.   I need that strength to live the victorious life Christ has made possible for each of us.  I need to see the things around me through Christ filtered eyes and see those situations for what they really are; tests to grow my faith.  Not only grow my faith, but concrete my faith.  My son recently put in a new pool behind their home and in one part of the concrete he, along with his wife and children, put his hands in the wet cement and left an impression that dried when the concrete dried.  Now when you go to their home and walk around their pool, you can see their impressions of that time when the pool was almost completed and they poured the final concrete.  It's a reminder every time they go swimming of the process of getting the pool completed.  Our life in the Spirit also has many times when we need to make a mark as a reminder of when God completed another step in our life.  That way every time we start to enjoy the fruit of living in the Spirit we see and remember that point in time when God was molding us to be more like Him.  Life in the Spirit is something that cannot be fully explained, but just commented on because it is different for each of us.  That is even more confirmation of how close God watches and protects us in the varying circumstances of each individual believer.  Now, that's a God who cares and empowers!!!
Listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians about thinking and living as Spirit-filled believers.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven - God-made, not handmade 2 - and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move - and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! 3 4 5 The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less. 6 That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. 7 It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. 
Keep going, but let the Holy Spirit guide your steps and remember, Trust God!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Smothered Light

In Mark 4:20-25 Jesus shares a great truth about the life we are to live and how much He

wants to shine His light through us.
 20 "But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams." 21 Jesus went on: "Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't you put it up on a table or on the mantel? 22 We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open. 23 "Are you listening to this? Really listening? 24 "Listen carefully to what I am saying - and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. 
In relating our need to grow closer to the image of Christ every day,Jesus relates it to a seed that, when taken care of will produce not just fruit, but a bountiful harvest.  This is illustrated as He shares the parable of the sower earlier in the chapter and he gives a warning that equips us to follow through on this great truth about growing as a believer.  Remember this, Jesus is the light of the world and His light is very powerful.  So powerful that it shines through those who follow Him also.  That light needs to be able to grow brighter and brighter in each of His followers and if we will embrace His truth and trust His will, we will shine brightly in our world and lead many to Christ.  This is one of the foundational truths for those of us who are disciples (learners-followers) of Jesus Christ.  In verse 21-22 Jesus shares some Christlike Common Sense that we should all understand.  You don't put a light under a basket if you want it to shine. No Duh!!  He goes on to say, "if you have ears that want to hear the truth then you will hear this message.  I'm listening.  Are You?  We live a in a world of information that gives us plenty of "light dampening truth" that we should not listen to at all.  To listen to a little, compels us to listen to a lot, and before long our light weakens and almost goes out.  In verses 24 and 25 Jesus gives us a warning that we must heed.  Don't even listen to advice that takes you away from shining brightly and effectively.  This advice can come in the form of well meaning direction about not following Christ too much, or it can be so blatant as to say, "It's not worth it to live all out for Christ."  In whatever form it comes in, we must always have an inclination to let His light shine in every area of our life.
Paul spoke to this in Ephesians 4 and following....7 And so I insist - and God backs me up on this - that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. 18 They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself.  
So the truth is this - Don't follow those who are in the darkness any more.  Follow Christ and let His light shine through.  Then you will have some depth in your life and in your thinking, instead of being empty-minded.
What is luring you away from faithfully serving Christ?  Weigh it heavily and then get rid of it and your light will shine brighter than ever before and that is just the beginning.  Satan is a liar and it is his plan to snuf out all our lights.  Don't let Him do it.  Embrace the truth of Christ more and more as you live your life.  Let God "light you up!!"

The pilgrimage continues...


David Warren

Unfathomable

Unfathomable - unable to fully understand the extent of.....As we approach the celebration of Easter, I can't help but think about all that took place leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus.   Today is the observance by many of something called Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday.  This is the time during  Passion Week where Jesus set the example prior to the Lord's Supper, for what a true servant is supposed to be like.  He was on the verge of giving Himself to be crucified and taking on the sins of man, and His example of being a servant was about to ramp up considerably.   His last words to His disciples were filled with more than they could totally grasp, so I'm sure we would have trouble grasping them as well.  We see just the surface, but it's the depth of what we may not realize that can be looked at again and again, as God reveals more of Himself to us through His Word.  There is not a bottom to this pool, and the depth is more than we can handle, except we be fitted with a special breathing apparatus supplied by the Holy Spirit.  When we try to visualize what happened it is more than we can fully understand or appreciate, but just a glimpse causes us to fall on our knees in thanks and appreciation to the one and only Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Last summer I went diving in the lake at my sister-in-law's lake house with a snorkel and fins.  Of course, I was limited with the amount of oxygen I had at my disposal and my ears were limited because of the pressure in the deep water.  At one point I had to make a decision as to if I really wanted to see the deeper part of the lake or just kind of hang around in the middle and not have to feel the pressure of the depth.  I made a decision to go a bit deeper and even though it hurt, it was very much worth it.  I saw where the lake bottom changed and formed little valleys and crevices.  These were things I didn't even know existed when looking at the lake from the surface.  I just never knew because I never went any deeper.  I also saw ahead of me the depth that continued on down in the lake and realized I would never be able to go that deep and survive. It was inspiring and intimidating, much like studying deeper into the ways of God.  I think I sometimes pass on going deeper because it causes me to really have to think deeply about things that are far beyond me, so I stay on the surface and swim with everyone else.  There's nothing wrong with that, but my curiosity compels me to look for more.  Every year we attach a date on a calendar with something that impacted mankind for eternity, and we call it Easter.  This great act of a loving God to reach out to us has become to so many, a tradition, which is base level acknowledgement, so we don't forget it ever year.  But to those of us who know Christ, it is anything but "base level."  The death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is our "life."  It is the moment that gave us our identity as human beings, or our existence.  For us to keep that one thing in mind is to dive a little deeper in the lake of forgiveness, where we will see just how the whole thing is put together.  It may cause some pressure on us that we have to work through as we live in this fallen world, but diving to the depth in understanding will show us things no one can see on the surface.  Of course, when we look closely at all that was accomplished through this act of love, we realize that it is totally unfathomable.....it's too deep to comprehend, but we know it is GOOD and we know it is GOD!!  When we come to that realization it causes the Easter "holiday" to become much more than a yearly thing, but a moment by moment thing.  The realization of what happened on the cross, the grave, and until right now at this moment takes on a whole new form that is lived every day in our lives.  The result of living that out causes us to be known as Christians or Christ-Like.  The effect of that jubilant, freedom living has it's effect in local churches as well.  When we worship our Lord in a service, it becomes an exhaling of all that below the surface relationship that is growing deeper and deeper as we learn more and more of the unfathomable love of God and our praise explodes out of that wisdom.  Our gratitude for life becomes a refreshing, daily walk that draws others to us to find out what is going on in our lives.  Dead end philosophies are replaced with open ended hope that is offered to all who come to Him.  Worldly, temporal allegiances become concrete foundational commitments that stand the test of time.  Church attendance becomes a mere shadow of a person's commitment to the Lord, as it is paled by Life Attendance at it's fullest expression.  We begin to look more and more like the one who defeated death, hell, and the grave and our world will never be the same.  Keep in mind, that even though we swim deeper and deeper in God's Grace, the depth is still more than we can ever reach or imagine and that is good.  Why?  Because it reaffirms our belief that God's resources are endless and beyond compare.    In John 13,  Jesus was speaking to the disciples about His betrayal and His crucifixion and they couldn't understand the depth of what He was doing and why He was doing it.  They didn't understand before, but they definitely understood after and Jesus spoke to this in verse 36 where he said to Peter, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later."  That was literal for Peter as he was also crucified for following Jesus himself.  But the depth of that commitment was generated by the teachings about being a servant from Jesus prior to the Last Supper.

So today I must ask myself, "what does the coming time of celebrating Easter mean to me right now?"  I believe it means He will show me once again just a glimpse of all that took place to fuel me for living out this faith today.  Passion Week, as we call it, becomes a time for each of us to realize His great love for us and compels us to dive deeper into our relationship with Jesus and learn the deep things that can only be learned by those who know Him.  We should never take this capability to see the deep things of God for granted and should you choose to dive deeper you will see things that people in surface faith never get to experience.  The lake is there waiting.  Take time to jump in and allow the Gospel to come alive in your life.  The Holy Spirit is waiting to show you the way.  Trust Him...His truths are unfathomable.....

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Baggage Carousel

I was remembering back to a time not so long ago when I traveled to a local airport to pick up a friend of mine.  Wanting to help them with their luggage made me very keen at the baggage claim carousel as the baggage from the flight was making it's rounds.  They told me they had two bags and so I was looking for at least a large one that couldn't go in an overhead and probably a smaller one that just happened to sneak in.  As the alert message above the baggage carousel came on and announced the luggage we were waiting for was on it's way, the old drill of looking over every piece to make sure we got the right ones began.  I am amazed at what people call luggage and the amount of tape you can put on a bag to make it work.  Some that were coming were works of art and some were proud representations of overpriced luggage companies.  The assortment was huge and then I spotted what I thought was my friends bag, but he nodded NO.  Finally he saw his bag, and I jumped into action and retrieved it and we were on our way.  Luggage, or what I like to call baggage is a pretty big ordeal.  If you don't stop to get your baggage, it will be thrown into an unclaimed area and you will be notified that you need to come and get it because it is in the way of other people moving around.  If they lose your baggage, you will have to file a claim to get it and that is so time consuming and frustrating.   If you pick up the wrong bag that is considered stealing, and you know the result of that mistake.  On the other hand, if you have a lot of baggage it gets very difficult to keep up with it as you go from place to place.  Baggage can be like, what the Bible calls, a millstone around your neck.  A millstone is something that is very heavy and it is heavy because it is designed to do one thing, crush corn into corn meal.  A millstone is not designed to carry around like a briefcase or anything that is lightweight and easy.  It is very difficult and it is out of character for one to be used for anything but crushing something.  So if baggage is like a millstone, then if we have any,  we are unnecessarily allowing ourselves to be burdened.  In the Christian life satan loves to heap on more and more baggage on each of us, so as to weigh us down and control us, and dominate us.  Jesus, on the other hand, tells us to take on His burden, which is light.  In Matthew 11:29 Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."    You may notice that when we take on the yoke of the Lord it isn't designed for just carrying something, it has direction and instruction as part of the deal.  No heavy millstone, just direction....  Now that's the kind of baggage a person can handle and actually grow from in the process.  I was talking to a friend of mine who is going through a very unfair type of situation and his attitude about just trusting God to help him through it is a good example of using baggage to teach us and give us wisdom.  If you have ever seen a yoke on an animal you will notice that reins are attached to it in order to control the one who is carrying the yoke.  Jesus offers us direction and instruction, but with a light load, as He directs our path.  The writer of Proverbs alluded to this in Proverbs 3:5,6 where it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him and, and He will make your paths straight."  How much are we supposed to trust in the Lord?  With all our heart!  Pretty cut and dried to me.  The yoke of the Lord will direct us and guide us to what is best  for us and that is because Jesus is at the helm of this ship we call "our life."  There will always be the tendency to look at the baggage carousel and pick up the wrong baggage that is too heavy and cumbersome, but wait for the right baggage that when you open up that bag you find everything you need for your "life journey."  satan's baggage is always going to be on that carousel, but don't pick it up.  It's not for you or me.  Be alert to what God is sending your way to help you and then pick up on what He is trying to show you.

Andra and I are in the middle of going a whole new direction in our lives and it is a little scary, but God is giving us pieces of luggage filled with things that will equip us to travel safely and confidently on this journey and the luggage is not heavy.  We do need to get the right luggage through.  Oh Yeah!!  We are at the baggage claim now and we are ready to claim that baggage that has our name on it and get on with our lives.  We are confident in God's direction and His strength to make this journey and be all He wants it to be.  It is different than what we might have planned, but what do we know?  Not much!  God knows what is best and we won't let the baggage of the enemy burden us into obscurity!  His vibrancy remains fresh and new in our lives and we want Him to guide our steps.  He will do it!!

The Pilgrimage continues......

David Warren

The Levels of Identity

I have been teaching a witnessing helps study entitled The Way of the Master for the past few weeks.  We get to watch videos of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron as they share how to get into a conversation about a relationship with Christ through using the Ten Commandments.  Basically, you ask a person if they have ever lied and when they say yes, you ask them what a person who lies is called and of course, they will say "a "liar."  When a person is identified at that level to be "known" as a liar it changes their whole perspective on what they do and who they think they are.  The questions move through other commandments like stealing, adultery, and using the Lord's name in vain.  You can tell that when a person admits they break one of the commandments it doesn't sound too bad, but when you share that they are what they did wrong it takes on a whole new level.  I stole becomes "you are a thief" and so on.  At one level the sin doesn't sound too bad, but when that sin becomes a person's identity, it seems so harsh and permanent.  In Matthew 5 Jesus brings a whole new level of sin identity into being by giving a lesson of reality to His listeners about the law and the spirit.  What we are known as is "who we are."  In other words, that is our IDENTITY.  In Matthew 7:21 Jesus further emphasized the identity thing by saying "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."  Our level of identity in our faith is found in the basic fulfillment of the Word of the Lord.  To just say I'm a Christian because I "go to church" or "live in a house with other Christians" or "I was raised in a Christian home" doesn't give us the identity of a Christian.  It is through faith we are saved and that "faith identity" throws us directly into the "will of the Father."  For too many Church goers, we think that since we do Christian things like carry a Bible, attend Bible Studies, or church, and try to be a good person most of the time that will be the level of faith God will allow for us to enter heaven.  That level of belief is mostly just identifying with Christ as a Savior.  Receiving His identity is a totally different thing though.  Our life changes from me being a Christian to becoming "Christ in Me!"  Thus, Christian.   We are to be found in Him and take on more and more of who Jesus is and shed less and less of my identity.  Identity's fruit is seen in our words and actions.  If we continue to sound like sinners,  and live in sin, then sin is our identity and that just doesn't work when we have Christ, the Son of God, in control of our life.  Our  Faith Identity begins a process that begins to change our wants and desires, and replaces them with the desire of the Father.  That is who we become and that is a Christian, a saved person, a changed person.  A new identity at a heavenly, spiritual level.  It gets kind of confusing for those who want to identify with Christ to realize that bowing to God's Way and Will is not a choice.  It is who they are.  It's not something that is forced on us, it is US!!  You may ask, "At what level is a person saved?"  Scripture says it is at the level of repentance and faith.  At that level we become a different person or Christ like in our core.  Core beliefs, core language, core direction, CORE!!!  At that level it sure makes sense when the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!"  Christ becomes our life and that life is centered in Him and His purposes.  You know...WWJD, but for real.

You may say, "What's all this level stuff got to do with life?"  Our identity is who we are, or become over time and that shapes our present and our future.  All our hopes and dreams are rolled up in it and when it is found in Christ, He shapes it for His plan.  ALL IN!!

You know that your identity has changed when someone speaks about you, and instead of saying "you are a Christian" with a question mark, they say, "you are a Christian" with an exclamation mark, because that is your identity.  So, hold fast to that identity and guard it.  It really means something for eternity and for right now.  Philippians 2:16 "Holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain."  There is great purpose and value in the identity we have in Christ and that purpose is in line with Jehovah God!!! 

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

The Bigger They Are......

If you have ever read the story of David and Goliath you have seen that people tend to line up for battle behind their heroes.  These heroes are men that have been put in that standing by those who know how they have shown great courage, or done outstanding achievements, or shown great valor.  Goliath was put in this category by the Philistines and he challenged the Israelites, who at that time, were under the leadership of their first king, Saul.  Goliath kept calling out the Israelites and mocking their God and David got tired of hearing it and stepped up to challenge the great Giant.  King Saul tried to give him some battle armor for David to wear but David didn't want it, and he believed God for victory.  You know the end of the story.   David took a smooth stone and put it in his sling and hit Goliath in the head and Goliath fell to the ground.  1 Samuel 17:51 picks up the story as follows, "David ran and stood over him.  He took hold of the Philistines sword and drew it from the scabbard.  After he killed him , he cut off his head with the sword.  When the Philistines saw that their HERO was dead, they turned and ran."  Wow.  Bested by a boy.. What kind of hero can stand up against a powerful God working through His servant?  None.  God's power was shown through the stone of a young boy and David became a hero who was of a very small stature.  The God of the Israelites came through when they needed Him the most and He did it in a very grand fashion, so all would know it was Him and not a man, who had the true power.  He used David as a vessel to show His greatness and David was known as "a man after God's own heart."  How do you want to be known?  Hopefully in the same way.  There is no doubt we will all face our Goliaths in our lives and we will need the power of God to defeat them.  There is no doubt we will feel great fear in the face of the world's heroes, but stand fast, your God will give you strength.  Some of the foes you face may seem insurmountable and huge, but God is not into size, and His power is sufficient to win the battles in our lives.   The bigger they are, the harder they fall in the presence of Jehovah God.  You may not know now the weapon that God will use in you to fight your Goliaths, but you can be sure that with God empowering it, you will see victory.  The bigger the enemy, the more God's power will be shown, and that power will be enough!!  Just like the story of the two guys who were being chased by a bear.  The one guy said as he ran, "I hope I am faster than this bear."  The other guy said, "I just need to be faster than you!"  If you get the point, then you know what I mean.  God will come through with just enough of His power to defeat the Goliath's in your life.  The bigger the problem, the more of His power.  There was a very good distinction about David that accompanied him wherever he traveled.  He really trusted in God!!  He believed God could do what He said and David lived his life out of that faith.  I pray that I might be the same way and live in the security of following my hero, Jesus Christ.  He is the one who goes ahead of me and paves the way.  Praise God for our mighty conqueror, Jesus Christ.  Our cornerstone.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Innocent by Association

Matthew 12:46-50 - While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.  Someone, said to Him, Behold Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.  But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, Who is my mother and who are my brothers"  And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."  I remember going to an outside Christian concert in Muscle Shoals a few years ago and some of the top bands in the country were playing.  A friend of mine was a drummer for one of the groups playing there and when he saw me in the audience motioned for me to come to a guarded area behind the stage.  He said, "Come back to the bus after our set and we can get together a talk."  The guard at the gate was listening to all this and my friend turned and said, "He's with me."  The guard proceeded to smile and acknowledge my validity as someone who was important too.  I went back out to the front area and listened to his band finish their song set and then proceeded to the "back" secure area for artists only.  As I approached the gate another guy saw me coming and moved to explain the rules, and at that time the guard who had met me earlier stepped up and said, "Hey, he's good.  He can come in."  The other guard immediately stepped back and opened the gate for me.  I was walking in the holy of holies.....The band area!"  My friend was in one of the busses and when he saw me came out to meet me and I went on their bus.  It was a "cool" thing to be acknowledged as being "with the band."  Why?  Because they were famous!  I was part of the group, in so many words.  I was a groupie with a security pass!!  It wasn't who I was, but who I knew that made this all happen.  I liked the feeling though and felt like I had credibility because I knew one of the band members.  Others saw me and thought, "Who is that guy?"  In reality I was a nobody, who did not play in the band or was not a part of doing anything to be a part of the fame they had acquired.  I just knew someone "in the band."  Had the guard just let anybody come in the gate, it would have minimized my credibility, by raising everyone else's.  The bar would have been lowered and taken some of the fame out of the whole thing.  Bummer!!  

We all want to be famous to a certain extent.  To feel the rush of those who are in the spotlight, and feel the fame of those who are thought to be famous.  When someone is in the spotlight for their accomplishments everyone runs to them.  But what about when they are in the spotlight for something that is thought to be bad.  No one wants to be around them.  That kind of fame runs their friends off at every level.  It was really this way with Jesus.  Oh, when He was healing the sick and doing other miracles and stating that He was the Son of God, Jesus had plenty of people wanting to ride His Fame Train.  It all changed though when they saw that this train was coming into persecution station and they were all a part of it.  Symbolically, Jesus accepting us will be the same way as when I went behind the gate because I knew the guy in the band.  Jesus will be at the gate and telling the guard, "he's with Me" and that will be a great time for those who have accepted Him.  That's for when we die, but what about in the meantime?  Jesus mother and brothers acknowledged they knew Him, even though His teachings had started to alienate some people, they still claimed Him.  He really went "big picture" on the crowd when He said, "You are my family, not just my mother and brothers.  You all are my mother and sister and brothers."  Jesus gave credence to all who were following him and associated with all of them and us as family.  He didn't lower the bar for the few though.  He actually raised the bar for all.  There is an old statement made about friendships and it says, "Guilty by association."  It means a person is guilty because he or she is associated with a person who is guilty.  For our forever family that statement means "innocent by association."  The other statement takes those who are innocent and associates them with guilt.  The statement taken from Christ' dying for us means those who are guilty are innocent because of of our relationship with Christ!  Thus, Innocent by Association.  Christ died that all may come to know Him as Lord and Savior and be a part of His family.   Christ knocked down the backstage fence and came out in the audience and associated with all of us and gave us the opportunity to associate with Him through His blood.  We are FAMILY!!!  In verse 50 Jesus makes a very strong statement  when He says, "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."  What does that mean?  Just what it says.  God sent Jesus to die for our sins and if we repent and give our life to Him, we are doing His Will.   It also means that our family tie with Him is above any other family tie we have in our life.  God's family is preeminent.  When we accept Christ, we have that family tug that draws us closer to that family relationship.  We become associated more closely with the family of God and that family is where we feel at home.  The only thing is this family closeness ties us to Christ in the good and the bad.  Remember, Peter was out there in front during the good days and denying Christ 3 times during the tough days.  I know I have denied Christ before and it eats at me because He is family and I should not be ashamed at all.  The bond we have with Christ has it's good days and bad days, but we should be willing to take both of them for family.  Years ago a high school girl in Columbine, Colorado was questioned as to whether she was part of this family or not by a guy holding a gun to her head.  She answered "yes" and was killed because of her association to Christ.  She was guilty to that killer by her association to Christ, but innocent eternally because of her family ties.  May we never deny Christ, and may we live a life that is vibrant and effective every day as we  lift up the Name of Jesus, in good times and in bad.  In the overall picture we must always remember that we are "Innocent by Association" and that is throughout eternity.  That is the BIG PICTURE and that picture is the one that counts.  Praise God He wasn't ashamed of me, even in my sin.  Romans 5:8  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  INNOCENT BY ASSOCIATION

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren