Hi how are you all today? I am good. I have just spent a few days at youth camp last week which was great. I helped with the catering for over 900 youth. Talk about a massive job but it was worth it to connect with the youth. How has your week been?
This week I want to talk about engagement. Not the sort where we are connecting with each other but the sort where a guy proposes to a girl and gives her an engagement ring.
This is a really exciting time in a young persons life. The decision to spend the rest of your life with that one person so you can grow together and see what God has in store for you as a couple.
It can also be daunting as literally your whole life is about to change. You will be moving into a new house and setting it up to how you like it. You have to put away selfish ways as you now have another person to consider. A young girl needs to change her name. Your identity will also change as you go from single to married and from girl and boy to wife and husband. Big changes start to occur as you take this major step in your life.
This is similar to us when we become a Christian but we generally don’t think of it in terms of an engagement. If we did would our walk with God change? Let’s examine it in light of a human engagement.
We are going to look at the scripture in Ephesians 1:13-14 in the Message Bible which states:
13-14 It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This down payment from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
The first part of those verses is talking about our salvation – that time when we said yes to Jesus and no to the world. It is literally when we became part of the body of Christ and became engaged spiritually to Jesus. What was the token of that engagement – the Holy Spirit.
So let’s look at some similarities between this and a natural engagement:
1. We decide in the natural to spend the rest of our life with that person. In the spiritual we do the same- we make a commitment to Jesus to spend the rest of our lives loving Him.
2. We grow in our relationship with Jesus same as an engaged couple.
3. We find our purpose with Jesus or our calling. God has a great plan for all of us but we only find that plan in Jesus.
4. Our lives change once we become connected to Jesus. We are a new creation – everything changes – our desires, our pursuits etc
5. We shift kingdoms from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. This means that our rules change to love God and love others. Our finances change to tithing and offering. Our language changes to speaking kindness and speaking in tongues.
6. Our identity changes to a son or daughter of the king. We are now a priest where we can go boldly into the throne room of the king and have a personal relationship with Him.
These changes, although ours automatically, need to be learned. We need to renew our mind by reading our kingdom book – the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit has been given to us to help us navigate this new life. He is our helper, teacher and comforter and helps us communicate with the King.
This is perhaps the best engagement we could experience. Make sure you have already joined me or are now going to join. It is magnificent.
Bless you and keep living the life God intended for you.
Karen
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