It's whose you are.

     Though the world seems to have many shades of gray for most of their world, God does not.  When I have taken to living in the world any kind of gray became a place of idleness in my life.  In so engaging I have walked away or backed away from Jesus more times than I want to admit.  Because of my actions many who could have received the grace of God were stuck with the injury from me.  When mankind talks about their faith; they are doomed before they begin.  The faith of mankind is a sham.  The faith that God gives us is full of the mercy and grace He gives us.  That faith is our beliefs core and ONLY comes from God.  Here is the clincher; we either have his grace and faith or we do not.  While it's true we can believe in God and yet sin, it's also true that we are not living the way God intends for us to live.  Paul called himself the greatest of all sinners.  He understood that the grace and faith of God can only come from God.  He also knew that if mankind came to God with their water bottle full that there was no room for God.  Mankind needs to be "emptied out" in order to be filled with God.  It's only then that we know not only God but also who we are in God.
     Twelve step meetings have a basic tenant that says those who attend realize that their lives need a higher power that they can turn to for help walking away from their addictions.  Whether you are an alcoholic or a sex addict, there is a 12 step for you.  Just as there is one God, there is only one guidance for the 12 step person.  God is that higher power and like the alcoholic or sex addict, there is a necessary step mankind needs to make in order to have victory over what possesses them and their world.  The Christian church is nothing but a 12 step (the number 12 is no mistake as Jesus had 12 disciples) group where we gather and are able to be with those who struggle like we do.  Just as there are no shortcuts to sobriety, there are no shortcuts in giving ourselves to Christ.  The first step is to admit that we are powerless over that which has possessed your life.  The second step is to confess your sin and trust God to forgive your past.  This is a one time confession when you give your life to Christ.  When we sin after that we are encouraged to get on our knees and repent or turn around.  And so we see that our life in Christ is not our own but His.
     A lot of people will make New Years resolutions tonight.  There may even be plans that have been formulated to help keep those resolutions.  Some involve you and some do not.  However, the resolutions we make are to surrender to God or die daily so that Christ can live within us.  Just what do you and I bring to the table for this?  We have nothing to bring.  Even our words, if outside of the will of God, are without worth.  Where the world teaches us to be who we are to be the Gospel teaches us to be His.  When we make the decision to live for Christ, He asks us to let go of every area of our lives where he hasn't been invited.  Here is the tough part for most to swallow.  Sin is sin and noting else to God.  There are two sins.  The first is one that doesn't cause our death.  These are the sins of our being selfish.  The second one is the sin that causes death (spiritual).  That is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  Simply put, this is when we know who God is and the means of salvation for us AND refuse to accept that gift.  Eternal punishment in hell is reserved for the latter and eternity in heaven is reserved for the former.  We choose. 
     What's your choice?  Who do you belong to?  What life are you living while yet here on planet earth?  To whom do you surrender your life that Christ may be made manifest in our being?  It's whose you are.  That is the key.  Allow it to unlock your life in Christ.