To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is; Christ among you, the expectation of glory.
Ephesians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament
It's something I regret even now. By now, those who read this page on a regular basis know that I recently was involved in a life saving/changing event while at work. From what others have told me, I did everything by the book. Or did I? When it comes to the young man I came across that day caught in the slavery of drug addiction, maybe I haven't done quite enough. The one regret that I have is not asking him the question. The question that, if he were sober and thought about it seriously, might possibly change his life forever? So what is this life changing question? Simple, when you look at yourself who is it that you see? I am willing to bet good money that this young man, if asked that question, would not have answered in a positive way. For how can someone mired in the slavery of addiction have a good and positive view of themselves? Better yet, how is it that someone living day to day and night by night on the streets of this city have a positive view of themselves? Think about it, you're continually surrounded by a public who may feel that you are the scourge of the earth. You're all too often treated like a stranger in your own home. Everywhere you look, those around you reinforce the negative opinion you have of yourself. The few times that someone does treat you kindly, your first reaction is to wonder what their motive is. Are they simply seeking to make themselves feel good and righteous or are they truly interested in your situation? This is your day to day world. This is why you carry with you that negative opinion of yourself like a chain around your neck. Granted, were I to ask the young man this question, I could almost guarantee what his answer would be. I've seen it too many times before. By now it's become like a broken record. I suggest that this should be the first step of any rehabilitation program...how is it that you see yourself? When you look within, who do you see?
The forgiveness has always been there, Christ guaranteed that on the cross. The main issue, as you know, is man never knowing or forgetting his one true identity.
Scott Wakefield (In response to Dennis Deardorff message)
I didn't think much of the message my friend Dennis sent to me at first. The question he posed was, "Is the issue that these people (The homeless) need forgiveness, or have they lost all knowledge of who they are?" It wasn't long ago that my friend asked me the question. What do you see when you look at yourself? He already knew the real answer, but it wasn't the one I gave him. I saw a scared man whose worth and value were somehow tied to his physical appearance. What did Dennis see? He saw Christ Jesus, the reality of my true identity. Granted, Jesus had always been there, but my own realization of this truth was lacking. For me, Jesus was in heaven judging the works of Gods children here on earth. That was the church mantra I followed for so many years. My identity and worth wasn't tied to my appearance, but to Christ Jesus who is in me {Galatians 2:20}. You might see yourself as a sinner, unworthy of Gods love. That's ok, Jesus has already dealt with that. That old man, the person you used to be {Romans 3:23}, has been replaced by the indwelling Christ {Romans 6:8}. When we look upon ourselves, all we should see is Jesus. And Jesus will never condemn, ridicule or declare us unworthy. Any voice which tries to convince us otherwise is spoken from the deceiver. Satan has many tools in his inventory, but one of his most successful is our own self doubt. If he can convince Gods children that they are unworthy of the Fathers love and mercy, then he has already won. The good thing is that this is a lie. You have never been unworthy. The Father created us in His own image {Genesis 1:26}. It's never too late for the question. My prayer is that someone would ask it of the young man I encountered.
When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.
~Spoken to me by a dear friend~
~Scott~
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