Marked for life

Being a Canadian and drinking tea are synonymous to me. One of my earliest childhood memories is of being served tea by my Grandmother. She gave me the most beautiful china cup covered in roses. Then she showed me how to put in two lumps of sugar and pour just the right amount of cream. The creamy caramel taste of that first cup of tea still lingers like a sweet memory. 

I love serving tea to my children in my own rose covered tea pot and hope to someday have grandchildren to share this lovely tradition with. 

My extensive collection of tea cups and tea pots are almost all marked with wonderful names like Royal Albert/Windsor/Regency and more. These markings have a lot to do with the value of each cup. A cup marked with the just the right name and maker and date created is given a higher value than an unmarked cup.

Our Philippians study has me thinking about how we are marked by Christ.  Paul says in Philippians chapter 1:1 that he is a bondservant of Christ Jesus. If you are following along in our homework you will know that a bondservant is one who has chosen to stay with his master and have his ear pierced as a sign of his devotion and forever status of belonging to the master. 

I almost wish I could make a tea cup and mark it the way the bible says we are marked. 

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." Ephesians 1:13

The truth is those of us marked by Christ can not be unmarked. Praise God for that. We are marked for life.  So now what? 

How do people know we are marked for life? When someone gives me a new tea cup, I immediately turn it over and look at it's marking. Since most of us do not bear tatoos marking us as belonging to Christ, there must be a way for people to know this marvelous truth. 

Paul is a wonderful example of this. Read the first chapter of Philippians and you will find that he says he defends and confirms the gospel. His life is amazing to read about. It's filled with adventure and hurt and betrayal and joy and miracles! Through it all it is his attitudes and actions that prove who he belongs to. 

How about you? Are you marked by Christ? If so you are marked for life. 

Do your attitudes and actions reveal your maker? 

If not, they can. I encourage you to seek the Lord and ask him to help you walk as one "worthy of the calling you have received." Ephesians 4:1  and as Paul says, "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Philippians 1:27 and finally, Colossians 1:10 "live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." 

Our study in Philippians prompted this post. You can follow along at this link: http://pastorswife101blog.blogspot.com/p/philippians-count-it-all-joy.html

If you realize that you are not marked by Christ, Here is a place to watch a video that tells you just how you can know you belong to him: http://www.wordlesswalkingsticks.com/

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PW101: Is your cup empty?

Is your cup empty? Are you feeling drained or even broken? 

I want to invite you to enter into a bible study with me in Philippians. I've found studying the Word of God brings not only healing, but clearer thinking and right perspectives. 

If you've been around this blog for awhile you already know how much I love tea. Tea is nice but only if one drinks it from a beautiful china cup. Otherwise it's simply a beverage. 

 One of my dear friends gave me this gorgeous tea cup for Christmas. 

I promptly made a pot of tea and poured it into my newest treasure. Of course every time my cup emptied, I filled it back up, marveling at it's beauty. I'm not afraid to tell you that I drank most of a pot of tea all on my own that day! I just couldn't stop filling up the cup and emptying it of it's warm, golden deliciousness.

My pretty cup made me wonder if this is how God sees me. Is it possible that instead of an old crumbling pot he sees a beautiful vessel, of His own making, that he can't wait to fill with his Spirit?

Instead of a draining my reserves I wondered if being poured out couldn't be more like an outflow of God's warmth and goodness into the lives of others.

Have you ever thought of yourself that way? Tough isn't it. Sometimes the brutal reality of life hits hard and we crumble to the ground. This is not a moment when we think of ourselves as a beautiful, useful china cup. We honestly just feel like cracked, broken pots needing to be put back together. If this is you, I am sorry. I grieve for and with you in your pain. I've been through the darkness of betrayal and the bitterness of lost hopes and broken dreams. My dear one, I pray you will turn into Jesus's arms right now and let him hold you and care for you.  Because, though you feel broken I can assure you God can put the pieces back together. There will be a day when you can see the beauty of your life in Christ once more.

But, If I may give a warning. Don't allow the enemy of our souls to convince you to think of yourself as broken beyond repair or drained with no hope of nourishment to replenish you.  That is a lie. In Christ you can stand and be the beautiful vessel He has created you to be. Our wounds need not render us useless or unfruitful. Instead they can be the very things that increase our beauty and reliance on Christ.

Regardless of where you are, I want to encourage you to think of yourself as a beautiful cup filled with the golden warmth of God. When you serve others this week, I pray you will not think about being drained, but rather as giving of the warmth and goodness that has been given to you.

This is why we must study the Word of God. Here is our life giving strength. Here is where we allow God the delight of filling us up so that His sweetness can be poured out onto others around us.

So join me as we delve into the life of Paul and figure out how he remained warm and kind in the midst of pain and betrayal. How did He count it all joy? Go to the tab at the top of the page to get started. 

Under the same wing,

Joleen