DO YOU BELONG TO CHRIST?

SCRIPTURE:
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, 
if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit 
of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 
(Romans 8:9)

MEDITATION:
“What is my standing with Jesus Christ?”
It is a question asked by many people, 
especially when they consider their destiny with eternity.
Does the Bible provide any guidelines 
for determining if we belong to the Lord?
Yes it does – it all depends on what and who is in control of our lives.

When we are saved, we are promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The impact of the Spirit living in us 
is that we have a brand new priority and focus.
The things of the world that guided us prior to salvation 
are no longer in control.

When the Spirit of God lives in us, 
we will have a desire to become more like Jesus, 
we will want to mature as believers and we will want to participate 
in serving the Lord in whatever capacity He has chosen especially for us.

Some of the people in the church at Philippi 
felt that they had been perfected in their salvation.
Consequently, they had no desire to continue maturing as Christians.
As a result, they were becoming stagnant 
and risking the possibility of drifting back toward the ways of the world.
They were stunting the growth of the control of the Spirit in their lives.
Paul was concerned about their attitude 
and their risk of not belonging to Christ.

He loved them too much 
to ignore their lack of an active Spirit in their lives.
Although Paul had established churches throughout the Mediterranean world, 
he knew he had not reached complete spiritual maturity, 
nor was he perfected through salvation.
On the contrary, he was devoted to striving for spiritual maturity.

He also knew that the Lord had a purpose for him, 
and he would pursue that purpose with the same passion 
that he pursued persecuting Christians before Jesus Christ changed his life.
Not that I have already obtained all this, 
or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold 
of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Philippians 3:12)

He went on to explain to the Philippians that he knew he had 
not reached spiritual maturity but he had a plan for maturing spiritually.
Part one of his plan was to forget about the worldly things 
that controlled him in the past.
It was also necessary for him to forgive himself for his sins, 
since the Lord had forgiven him for them.

Part two of his plan was to diligently strive to fulfill 
what God called him to do and to receive the rewards of his efforts.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one 
thing I do: Forgetting what is I press on toward the goal to win the prize 
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

When we observe Paul’s ‘post-salvation’ life, it is easy to see 
that the Spirit of God lived in him, and he belonged to Christ.
He felt a love and appreciation for his salvation 
and had a desire for others to see that he had truly been given a new life.
Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:16)

ACTION:
Who or what is controlling you today?
If it is not the Spirit of God, then according to God’s Word, 
you do not belong to Jesus Christ.
If you are saved, God has a purpose specifically for you to fulfill.
Just like Paul, you should discover His purpose for you and then 
develop a desire and passion for pursuing and fulfilling that purpose.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for not only saving me, but also for giving me 
a new purpose in life. Forgive me for the time I have wasted by allowing my 
sinful nature to be in control of my life. Help me to allow Your Spirit to 
take control of my life so that I will discover Your purpose for me, and 
develop a desire to fulfill it with the passion of Paul. Thank You, Father, 
for saving me and considering me important enough to become a part of Your 
ministry.”