Receive…

Receive…

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (Colossians 2:6-7)

To receive is to come into possession of something such as a gift. When you receive someone, you greet and welcome them into your home. In Ephesians 2:8-9, faith is represented as a gift from God. Yes, because of His grace, we receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus. And when we receive Jesus, He comes to dwell within us. As John 14:23 affirms: Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

One might ask, “How do I receive the gift of faith?” Well, consider how the earth receives light and warmth from the sun – how the clouds release their rain to water the fields and fill the streams. Everything necessary for life is given without any effort from the recipient. It is simply received as a blessing from God. Likewise, our faith is a gift that only needs acceptance. Indeed, the faith we receive from God is essential for life. For by faith, Jesus becomes a real and precious possession. He becomes our very own! I think about the metaphor Jesus used to describe this abiding union:

John 15:4-5 (NIV)

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus tells us to remain in Him. And this is how we know if we are abiding in Him – we will bear much fruit to the glory of God the Father. If you and I do not bear fruit, then we are failing to abide in Jesus. The Apostle John explains:

1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)

We know that we have come to know Jesus if we keep His commands. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.

My friends, what we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Corinthians 2:12) The Father gave us His Son to abide in us through the Spirit. Just as we receive Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, let us abide in Him and bear much fruit! Amen.

Have a Blessed Day!