From: jonh@david.wheaton.edu (Jonathan Hayward)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: 'my personal savior'
Date: 28 Sep 92 01:12:12 GMT
Organization: Wheaton College, IL

In article <Sep.23.01.46.32.1992.1642@athos.rutgers.edu> news@ub.d.umn.edu (News) writes:
>	my savior.  my lord.  same thing.  "MY".
>
>	personal just emphasized the fact that a relationship is formed with
>	this savior.  he's not just some abstract god or savior.  you can
>	talk to him, and he will talk to you, and help you, and hold you...
>	He cares about you as an individual, as a person, as a unique being.
>	he can spend time alone with you at any time... just you and him.. he
>	made you and knows everything about you and all you have experienced,
>	felt, done...  he is personal.
>
>	that to me isn't selfish, it's the truth.

Michelle is right here.

In Christ I am more than a conqueror.  I am a member of the royal priesthood.
I am a son of God.

This is not a reason to slip into the baseness of pride (anything less than
perfect humility simply does not become one who is made in the image of God),
but rather is a root of understanding of differences, and a root of humility.

When I look at myself, I see a truly awesome entity, imbued with magnificent
gifts, by whom God is working great wonders.  If I were to be lost, all of
Creation would suffer.

This is not God showing me how superior I am, but rather showing me _the_value_
_of_each_person_I_meet._ When I see how precious I am in God's eyes, I see how
precious each person I meet is in God's eyes.  I see the uniqueness, the
difference - and how when the weakest person does the smallest act of good, all
of Heaven rejoices.

People who are insecure and unsure of themselves - who do not have a good
understanding of their own worth - are the ones who tend to be most arrogant,
the ones who always have to be number one, and worry about me, me, mine.

Now that I have been shown what my worth really is, that liberates me to act in
love and humility towards others.  I know that, were I the only person alive to
fall into sin and become worthy of Hell, Christ would have died just for me.
Therefore, when I look into the eyes of another person, I see someone who is
made in the image of God.  I see someone who, had (s)he been the only sinner,
Christ would have died for.  I see someone for whom God has the personal love
of the perfect father, and wants to spend a lifetime (plus eternity) loving and
caring.  I see someone for whom it was worth Christ's time to do the most
menial and humiliating task by washing feet.  I see someone who has his or her
very own place in God's plan, who can fill that spot better than anyone else.
By showing me what I am worth to him, God has shown me the value of each other
human being.

My Lord?  YES!

My PERSONAL savior?  YES!

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# "God, give me mountains # "But the greatest   # Jonathan Hayward             #
# to climb and the        # of these is love."  # Jonathan_Hayward@wheaton.edu #
# strength for climbing." # I Corinthians 13:13 # jhayward@imsa.edu            #
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