Today, in this day of social media and a myriad of connections, we are a people who seek to belong. We go about our day belonging to our jobs, work counterparts, and even our commuter associates. We don't know their names necessarily but we know their cars, the coffee they drink and what they look like. The need to belong also marries us with work groups, business networks and the public. We know that we belong when we are included in what others think, say and do. Many people belong to groups outside of work like the after work have a drink crowd. The same goes for service organizations, churches, and sports connections. The most important group we seek to belong to above all of these is the Christian family. Whether this is your friends, wife/husband, children, extended family, or just the guy/gal next door; the sense of belonging is there. Just as we belong there are people who want to belong with us as well. People seek you out for what you have to offer whether that be at work, play or home. Even the church preaches the need to belong. There is just one more area of belonging that is essential to the Christian.
It's the need to belong to God. Without the need to belong to God, we are lost and cannot find solid ground to stand on. Lots of Christians choose when and where to belong to God and when to not belong to God. Doing so isn't belonging because when this happens the connection to God is not important to Christians. The first and foremost connection to God is essential for ever area of life. It's recorded in the Bible from cover to cover. Whether we choose to belong or not is totally up to whether we want to surrender the people, places and things of this world. Our choice always. God wants us to belong WITH him at all times. He wants us to be able to be blessed by the needs of our lives being taken care of. He encourages us to draw near to him for comfort, protection, and wisdom. Doing life on our own or belonging to the world subjugate us to someone, something, other than God. Belonging with God means we don't have a fence to straddle. It means we aren't continually trying to decide whether we are Christian or not. The love of God is expressed to and through those who belong to God through the work of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. Our core being seeks to belong to God.
Some people take the sense of belonging and try to find it anywhere they can. Some make up the world they belong to in order to feel good about their desire to remain in sin. Others simply have surrendered and don't belong to things of the world. What we do with what we have (Jesus) produces the evidence of who we serve while on earth. Many think they can live the worldly life without impunity. The Bible says that we will be held accountable to every idle thought and word we have. Hmm...I don't like that and perhaps you don't as well. Should we be so brave; we can wake in the morning and choose to belong with God. This could lead to you and I making the difference in the lives of those around us in any circumstance simply by their observing how you and I live. Our children, spouses, friend, co-workers and many more watch you and I in our Christian life and determine whether or not they want to belong to where we belong. Making the decision to belong to Jesus means we transmit that belonging to the world around us. What do you do? Remember, this belonging is always your choice.
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