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Young Adult Workers Devotional - June 2007

Who Are We in Christ Jesus?

By Admire Saungweme, Africa University student, Mutare Zimbabwe

I am fully persuaded and convicted that our God, is a God of purpose who has created us, on purpose, for a purpose. For example, the various aspects of creation were purposefully made – like the sun for the day and the moon for the night. The creation of humanity is no different.  Genesis 1:26 tells us that God first thought about how to create humanity.   Then God fashioned us in God’s own image and gave us the purpose of being stewards over all the earth.  Verse 28 elaborates on humanity’s purpose, saying we should be fruitful and multiply.

Who are we in Christ?  We are people who have the image of God in us.  And, we are people called to care for and nurture each other and all creation.

Rather than walking with Christ daily though, we Christians sometimes behave like thermometers.  Just as a thermometer measures and responds to even the smallest environmental change, there are times when we humans seem to change our direction or purpose with the slightest environmental pressure.  When we shift like this, we can lose the focus of our purpose in Christ.

Understanding who you are as a divinely created child of God and knowing your unique purpose in Christ, provides you motivation for living and serving as well as satisfaction and contentment when fulfilled.   In Ephesians chapter 2, the apostle Paul names who we are in Christ, including our positional standing and the spiritual blessings which are ours as children of God.

From:  Ephesians 2:
Who am I in Christ Jesus and Through Christ?

I am:

• Alive
• Saved Through Faith
• Recreated in Christ
• Near God by the Blood of Christ
• Fellow Citizen
• Member of God's Household
• Built on God's Foundation
• God's Workmanship
• Habitation of God
• Raised Up
• A New Creation

And, I have full access to God in Christ.

We thank God that He created us and re-creates us in Jesus Christ. Delve more deeply into who you are in Christ by studying Ephesians 2 this week.

Prayer:  God of all creation, thank you creating me in your image!  Strengthen me to live in your ways that I may fulfill my purposes in you.  In Christ Jesus I pray.  Amen. 

Hurricane ____________________________
                    (Insert your name here)
By Mitch Todd

"Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD . . . and after the earthquake a fire . . .and after the fire a sound of sheer silence." (1 Kings 19:11-12, NRSV)

This is not a devotion about Hurricane Katrina or Gustav or Ike. It's about Hurricane Yours Truly. Hurricane Mitch.

In 1998, Hurricane Mitch swept across the Atlantic and killed more than 11,000 people. It was the most destructive hurricane in the Western Hemisphere in more than 200 years. And I shared the same name with that beast! That was a long summer for me — lots of folks making little "Hurricane Mitch" jokes and asking me why I was so destructive. I'll bet there are others reading this who have shared their name with a devastating storm like this. It's no fun!

Having the same name as a hurricane makes you think, though. It makes you ask questions, such as, "Are there other things I share in common with a hurricane? Are there ways in which I'm destructive?" I think back through my life; and yes, I've left some damage in my path. I have regrets about the ways I've mistreated people, walked over people, hurt people. Hurt myself.

What about you? Do you have any hurricane traits in you? When you lose your temper do you tend to mess with anyone who gets in your way? Are there times your actions or words do unnecessary damage? Or you may have a hurricane raging inside yourself, doing damage to the rest of you. That can happen when feelings and fears get pushed down and not expressed . . . then we lose control.

Most of us can think back to some hurricane times when we've hurt ourselves or others and have literally spun out of control. Those times happen when we're stressed, afraid, or backed into a corner. Hurricanes form when pressure mounts!

When you get to feeling that way, remember that God is with you. God is there, in that quiet place inside you, like the eye of a hurricane, urging you to be still. Hurricanes are forces of nature. Few become as destructive as Mitch or Katrina, but they are part of life on this planet. Humans have to stick together to overcome tragedies such as the one that has happened in New Orleans. We can't keep hurricanes from happening, but we can respond to them as children of God.

Human beings aren't just forces of nature, though. We are called to be forces of grace. We are tied in to God, connected to God's love. When human beings stick together and care for one another, we can greatly reduce the number of human hurricanes that get produced. We can find that inner peace that God grants us and learn to spin that out into the world instead of spinning out our fear and anger.

I hope that you will continue to pray for victims of Katrina this week and to fight the urge to become apathetic to such an overwhelming problem. UMCOR is collecting supplies for health kits if you would like to do something. But also this week, as life becomes stressful, as gas prices soar, and as people are a little bit more on edge, I invite you to provide some human hurricane relief as well: Find a kind word for your brothers and sisters. Take good care of yourself. Stay in touch with God through prayer and Christian community . . .

And if you know anyone named Katrina, give him or her a great big hug.