The wonderful Christian life

Families.
Sometimes they are happy and loving.
Sometimes there's a lot of drama.
Sometimes they are broken and hurting.

The family of God can be that way, too. This new life that we are blessed with can be harmonious or discordant. It can be smooth or a rough ride. We're only human, ya know! We forget to channel our Spirit-filled self and things get a bit shaky!

We are so blessed to have been given this gift of life as believers. As Peter says:

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (II Peter 1:1-3)

Peter says that God's power has given us all that we need for a godly life. Let's think about the Christian life today.

just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4b)

This new life is one of purpose, of abundance, and of victory.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

The Lord will guide you always;    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.You will be like a well-watered garden,    like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:11)

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:57)

This is the life of believers. It's an eternal life of purpose and victory.

We also have a new family, as we mentioned before. We are all children of God; we are joint heirs with Christ.

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, (Galatians 3:26)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  (I John 3:2)

We have many, many brothers and sisters in Christ. We have a responsibility to treat them as God wishes for us to:

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:12-13)

Along with new life, and a new family, we also have a new freedom - we are free from the law, and free from sin.

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)

We're free from guilt and shame. We are free from fear - we've been redeemed and set free.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. (II Timothy 1:7)

We also have a new home. A beautiful, eternal home. It's described in glowing terms in our Bible, using words like jasper, gold, gemstones, pearls, and more. But the real beauty will be that in this home, we will be in Christ's presence.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)

 Revelation goes on to tell us there will be no need for light -- Christ, our Light, will be there with us forever!
All of these are included in the Christian's life. What a wonderful life!