Echo pt.1

Growing up my passion was for baseball. I had my favorite team and player, and I would watch every game. My favorite player was Jeff Bagwell. He is a hall of famer first baseman, who played in the 90s and early 00s. This guy revolutionized the position of first base, by not just being a power hitter with career total of 449 homeruns, but was fast on the bases with 202 career stolen bases. Even though I chose a different position to play, I wanted to look like him so bad. He had an odd batting stance with a wide feet sitting low ready to lift the ball to space. I was moved by his performance that I wanted to be like him.

You imitate whoever makes the biggest impact on your life.

All through the letters of Paul and the message of Christ in the gospels calls people to imitate Christ by living as He did and taking the message of the gospel to the nations. Jesus called twelve guys to come and learn from Him and be His disciples. They would walk and be around Him, learning by seeing how he interacted with people, showing love and compassion, healing and allowing the interruptions in His life be used for the gospel. He showed them an example on how they ought to live. (John 13:14-15) Not only did He command it to them, but they were transformed by the life of Jesus. Paul, murdered and imprisoned Christians, had an encounter with Jesus and was one of the biggest writers of the New Testament and planted churches all around the Mediterranean Sea.

Notice that Paul did not clean up his actions and then was encountered by Christ, but instead was changed by the encounter. The disciples who were fishermen, tax collectors, zealots, and among other trades, first had an encounter with Jesus. You can not imitate a person if you are not first motivated or moved by that person to imitate them.

Before God spoke a word, the plan was always Jesus.

Jesus paid back what we could have never paid.

There is an inheritance that we can partake in.

In the church there can be two groups, abuse-grace and legalist. Neither are right. One is does not show change in their life that shows they have had an encounter with God. The other is trying to earn Gods grace. I can tend to go towards the latter. I have learned though, that if I am not first encountering the Almighty God, I will never be able to understand His grace fully.

How does the abundant grace of God effect your relationship with Him?