Uncommon

Last night I tossed and turned with this verse on my mind, and I almost could not wait to wake up and share my heart on this. I found it yesterday during my God and coffee time. Reading this story in the past, I got the impression that God gave Peter the vision of the animals in a sheet so we could feel better about eating bacon!  Well, I got a different impression yesterday. 

If you read the story in Acts 10, you will see that God gave that same vision to Peter 3 times. And when Peter awoke from the vision, he was informed that 3 men were looking for him (v 19). These three were not just any men. They were Gentiles (not Jews). Up until this point, Jews were not to keep company with Gentiles. (v 28) But the vision that Peter had was not about bacon at all! It was about the family of God uniting! Regardless of their physical lineage, Jewish and Gentile believers were united through their faith in Jesus Christ!

There are a couple of powerful messages this sends to me. The first is that, regardless of racial, social, cultural, denominational, or physical differences that we have, we are all equally the children of God, and equally cleansed by His blood when we accept Jesus' sacrifice as the payment for our sin. 

The second message that I receive from this passage, and one that resonates deeply within myself is that, I, as a believer in Christ, am uncommon. You and I are so uncommon in that, we have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within our spirits. This is so magnificent to me! God, the one and only, who created the vast expanse of the universe, sends His own spirit to dwell with my individual spirit. Just stop for a moment. Stop reading this, and take a moment to think about how your acceptance into the family of God makes you completely uncommon.I hope you are catching the power in this realization. Where our strength, talent and self sufficiency are like a pebble, His within us is like a mountain. When you wake up and look at your reflection in the mirror, very often you see the flaws. You see the person who did not complete your "to do" list from the day before. You see the person who yelled at your kids or spouse. You see the person who cannot seem to get it together, the person who needs to be prettier, or smarter, or whatever it is that makes you feel like less than you are. But get this.... When God looks at you, He sees immeasurable strength, passionate love, he sees order, beauty, genius, and every good thing! Know why? Because when he looks at you, He looks past all of your imperfections and He sees His Spirit. 

Today I am determined to push aside all of my feelings of regret, inadequacy, fear, anxiety, and any other thing that tries to pull me down. I am determined to yield to the Spirit of God, and let His power be alive through me! I hope you will realize how precious you are, and that you too will determine to let Him lead you today. 

If you don't know about Jesus, or have not accepted him as your savior, please take a moment to read on. 

John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

Romans 3:10, "As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one:" 
          God's standard of righteousness is perfection, and unfortunately, we all make mistakes.

Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
          
          The penalty of our sins is an eternal death and separation from God in Hell. But God's gift of love, through Jesus Christ sacrificing himself, enables us to accept His sacrifice on our own behalf and restores us to a standing of righteousness in God's eyes.

Romans 10:9,10, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

1 John 5:13a, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life"

         Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for your sins, you are in a standing of righteousness with God, and have the guarantee of eternal life in heaven. Therefore, you do not ever have to confess your sins to anyone as a means of justifying yourself, you do not have to pray for your salvation again, you KNOW from what the Bible says, that Christ's sacrifice on the cross and your acceptance of that has made you righteous forever. 

Hebrews 10:14, "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified."

Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."