Wednesday, December 17, 2008
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In just one year, a whole lot changed for my wife and me. We sold our home of 24 years, and we disposed of a quarter century of accumulated "stuff"! We relocated to a home way out in the country in another state after our Board decided to relocate the entire ministry to that part of the country. So, we got a new personal address, we got a new ministry address, we all have new phone numbers, and new license plates, and new co-workers. But with all the changes, there was one thing that didn't change - our e-mail address. No matter where we are, our e-mail address is always the same!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Unchanging Address."
Now you may or may not have an e-mail address. You may be in the computer Stone Age like I am. You may not even know what e-mail is! But if you belong to Jesus Christ, you have an address that never changes no matter how many other things in your life are moving around.
That address where you can always be found is mentioned repeatedly in our word for today from the Word of God. It's Ephesians 1:3-7. Listen for it. "God has blessed us...with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world, He predestined us to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through His blood." Then God talks about what "He purposed in Christ" for us, that "in Him" we were also chosen," that we were "the first to hope in Christ," that you were included "in Christ."
Unless you have gone totally deaf, you now know your unchanging spiritual address. You are always what? Say it with me, "in Christ." That's right. In just twelve verses, God says you are "in Christ" eight times! You are, whether you know it or not, whether you feel like it or not, no matter where else you are, permanently in Christ! You're anchored in an unloseable relationship with this Jesus who loves you eternally, who has planned this relationship with you since before there was a world, who makes all His spiritual fortune available to you for what you're facing right now.
Now, if I ask you where you are right now, there are a number of answers you might give me. Maybe you're "in the hospital," or "in pain," or "in love," or "in over your head," or "in a new place." Or it's possible that you're "in doubt," or "in between," or maybe you're "in debt," or "in trouble," "in danger." But wherever your situation has located you, your anchor address is that you are in Christ. Paul could remain at peace inside, whether he was in jail, in pain, or in trouble because he didn't draw his sense of wellbeing or who he was from his surroundings. Wherever you put him, he was in Christ and nothing and no one could touch that!
I hope that is your anchor, too. You know it could be that even though you're religious and have a lot of Christianity, somewhere along the way there has never been that time when you have grabbed on to Jesus to be your rescuer from your sin, just as people would grab a life guard if they were drowning. This could be that day for you. See, without that kind of turnover of you to Him, you're not in Christ; you're still outside of Christ. He's got to come in at your invitation before you are in Him. So this could be the day for that. This could be your spiritual birthday to be born into His family. Just say, "Jesus, I am yours beginning this day because you died in my place.
And I would love to help you walk down that road and be sure you've begun a relationship with Him if you'd just go to our website. It's YoursForLife.net. I hope you'll go there as soon as you can today. Or I'll send you my booklet about that. It's called Yours For Life. Just call toll free at 877-741-1200 and ask for it, because you're standing on the edge of a complete, totally dependable security. Do you realize how secure you are no matter what has changed when you are in Christ and you're never moving!