Adventure in the Ascent
To the adventure in Him... This phrase has been a rallying cry for me and my circle of friends for years. We were designed for intimate relationship with God. Jesus made this possible through His sacrifice on the Cross. The veil was torn, and we were invited beyond. We were created for a grand adventure in which we come to Him in repentance, maintain intimacy, learn of Him, walk His path, and ascend the hill of the Lord. Let's ascend together and experience the adventure with God. There's more...
Adventure in the Ascent
THE IMMANUEL PRINCIPLE- Development of Life with God: Valued By God (Psalm 139:13-16, Ephesians 2:8-10)
Immanuel (God with us) is at the core of God’s heart. He desires to be with us, came to live with us so that we could live with Him. We’re invited into life WITH GOD. Outside of Him, everything is subject to distortion, but what does the God with us life encompass?
↠We begin to look at the results/joyful effects of the “God with us” life
↠We see His desire/heart, now what do we do with that information?
↠”God with us/in us” should transform us (Isa. 9:2, 2 Pet. 3:18)
↠The more you know of Him, the more you are transformed, His goodness
↠Understanding His heart affects us in many ways, one of those is our VALUE
↠Gen. 1:27- Creation, only ones created in His image
↠The great care He takes in us (Psalm 139:13-16)
↠No self-help book needed but an in-depth look at His heart for you in The Word
↠We are His “workmanship/masterpiece” (Eph. 2:8-10)
↠Phrase appears only one other time (Rom. 1:20: God’s handiwork/creation)
↠It signifies that which is manufactured, a product, a design produced by an artisan, emphasizes God as the Master designer
↠“Workmanship” is describing the transformational change, being saved by grace, through faith in Christ, not just a change in beliefs, but a transformative core change (sozo, 2 Cor. 5:17)
↠Workmanship, the Greek word “poiema,” where we get our word POEM
↠You are God’s poem, His work of art
↠You were created in His image and recreated in Christ Jesus (salvation)
↠Possessive pronoun (His’ workmanship): Designed, saved, has a plan for you, you are not a worm, but His’ workmanship (Rom. 1:6, Eph. 2:13, 1 Cor. 3:23, 1 Pet. 2:9)
↠God’s special possession, we are bought at a price, so we, in turn, honor Him with our lives and bodies and thoughts (making Him “at home,” remember?)
↠Determining the VALUE of something
↠Your value is not tied to the words spoken of you, over you, or by you
↠An object’s value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for it
↠Rom. 5:8: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Your value to God is evidenced through what Jesus did on the Cross (Matt. 20:28)
↠Seeing that our VALUE is given (by God), not earned, CHANGES US
↠We are loved unconditionally. This love is life-giving—it calls us to step out confidently, to love ourselves, others freely, to live with joy and purpose. It also allows us to face challenges/setbacks without feeling like our value is on the line
↠Once it goes deep and we believe that truly about ourselves, we must begin to believe that about others. To see their value, rooted in Him. Transformed evangelism
RESPOND THIS WEEK: Meditate on these verses. Thank Him for His “workmanship” in you, ask Him for His thoughts towards you. See yourself and your VALUE rightly, through Him, so that you can see others rightly. What areas of your life do you need more of His truth to enter? Set aside time for personal worship and devotion…