Where Do You Live?
By Royce Frederick
If we were able to choose where to
live, we would probably choose to live where we would have good water,
good roads, pleasant surroundings, and easy access to such things as
work, school, and shops. Living in a good location helps us do our work
and enjoy life. Our “spiritual location”
should be even more important to us. There is only one place where we
can live in true freedom and happiness: in Christ. “There is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do
not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). There are no spiritual blessings outside the body of Christ, which is His church. God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). If we are in Christ and
continue serving Him, He helps us live joyfully each day (Phil. 4:4-7).
When we stumble in sin, if we continue trying to serve Him, He
continues cleansing and helping us (1 Jn. 1:7, 9). We can even face
death with confidence, because, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord...” (Rev. 14:13). If we stay outside Christ, our
life remains burdened with sin, empty of the true happiness and hope
which would have helped us through every problem. A person who remains
outside Christ wanders through life “having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). Where are you living? You do
not need to continue facing life and death without Christ. You can enter
into Him by obeying His gospel. A sinner is saved by faith when he or
she is baptized in water for the remission of sins. Paul reminded the
Christians in Galatia, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:26-27).
