My Place and My Position

     Let me just say it right up front: I serve God because I want to. I know full well that nothing I can ever do will save me or earn me special standing with God. Having said that now let me attempt to elaborate on that point. I am just one of those people who is so grateful to my God for what He did for me that I can’t seem to thank Him enough. I do not serve God because of some kind of guilt trip (although I know my own guilt). Nor do I serve God because someone says I have to. I don’t have to. But I can’t seem to not want to serve Him. So I guess it might be a bit of a paradox; I don’t have to but I just have to. I am a firm believer in the Biblical idea that when we are truly “saved” or “born-again” the Spirit in us brings a change in our life. It is not a Spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) but a Spirit of love, gratitude, and devotion. That is why I want to walk with God. And I don’t mean just to walk with Him. That is an understatement. I want to walk with Him the way Enoch walked with Him; the way Moses or Samuel walked with Him; the way Peter, James and John walked with Him. That might sound impossible to some, but I believe it can be done. And I believe that the first critical step to getting there is to accept our place before God and our position before God and know the difference. 

     We are created by our God to be perfect. But because of the sin nature inherited by everyone due to the fall of man we are now born into the world in a corrupted state. According to Romans 1:28-31 (and other passages) we are not worthy of God’s love but in fact we are worthy of death. So our place before God is that of a fallen, broken and condemned, sinful creature. We really need to understand that. We are not worthy. And God has never been or ever will be obligated to show mercy on us. Until we fully recognize that, we are walking into the throne- room of the King of kings with a chip on our shoulder. 

     But before we let that knowledge back us into a corner and cause us to fall into some legalistic guilt trip we need to understand point two; our position before God. As unrepentant sinners we are stuck with our place before God. However, if we have received Christ by faith (Ephesians 3:17) and are born again by His Spirit (John 3:3) then we are adopted into the family of God (Romans 8:15). So if that applies to you then you are a child of the Living God (John 1:12 & 1 John 3:1-2). This is a beautiful thing. Because God is patient and full of mercy He has offered to us salvation that equates to changing from a worthless fallen creature into His child. Our place before God may be as a fallen creature, but now our position before God is as His own child. And that is why, according to Hebrews 4:16 we can “come boldly unto the throne of grace”. Now that, to me, is a great encouragement to walk with my God. Because He moved me from my place to my position I will always want to walk with Him.

Be blessed my friends,

Rev. W. S. Caplinger C.E.