BECOMING PART OF THE DEMONSTRATION
Therefore, my brothers, I implore you by God's mercy to offer your very selves to him: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart. Rom. 12:1, N.E.B.
Thumbing through a magazine, I came across a classic "before and after '' advertisement. On The left side of the page was a picture of a very large woman. To the right was pictured the same woman, considerably thinner. "I was overweight for twenty years!" went her testimony. "But with-----I lost sixty-three pounds!"
People who are sales promoters admit that two very successful means of convincing the consumer of product worth are visual demonstration and personal testimony. Demonstration alone may leave the viewer apprehensive, but when endorsed by an everyday person, the claims become more reliable.
Two thousand years ago God sent His Son as a demonstration of Himself. The Scriptures offer human testimony: "We have seen for ourselves, and we attest, that the Father sent His Son to be the savior of the world....Thus we have come to know and believe the love which God has for us" (1 John 4:14, N.E.B.).
Christ's life revealed the truth about God: He is tangible, loving, responsive. He's a forgiver, a healer, a teacher. And He accepts us. We no longer need to be afraid. He assures us that He is able to make all things right and that we are of utmost value. Taking our sins--the evidence of our separation from God--upon Himself, Christ died at Calvary, thus exemplifying that God is our only life source.
The witnesses of Christ's day left their testimony in the writings of the Bible. Each succeeding generation of believers has the privilege of bringing confirmation to that confession of faith. In addition, we have been given an invitation to become a part of God's magnificent demonstration. We may become a "living sacrifice," offering our whole selves--body, mind, and heart--to God, so that He might cause "his light to shine within us....We are no better than pots of earthenware to contain this treasure, and this proves that such transcendent power does not come from us, but is God's alone" (2 Cor. 4:6, 7).
As God's children, we can be tangibly lovable and responsive, forgiving and accepting. And by this we not only tell our world today that God accepts them and considers them of utmost value, but we demonstrate it.
Therefore, my brothers, I implore you by God's mercy to offer your very selves to him: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart. Rom. 12:1, N.E.B.
Thumbing through a magazine, I came across a classic "before and after '' advertisement. On The left side of the page was a picture of a very large woman. To the right was pictured the same woman, considerably thinner. "I was overweight for twenty years!" went her testimony. "But with-----I lost sixty-three pounds!"
People who are sales promoters admit that two very successful means of convincing the consumer of product worth are visual demonstration and personal testimony. Demonstration alone may leave the viewer apprehensive, but when endorsed by an everyday person, the claims become more reliable.
Two thousand years ago God sent His Son as a demonstration of Himself. The Scriptures offer human testimony: "We have seen for ourselves, and we attest, that the Father sent His Son to be the savior of the world....Thus we have come to know and believe the love which God has for us" (1 John 4:14, N.E.B.).
Christ's life revealed the truth about God: He is tangible, loving, responsive. He's a forgiver, a healer, a teacher. And He accepts us. We no longer need to be afraid. He assures us that He is able to make all things right and that we are of utmost value. Taking our sins--the evidence of our separation from God--upon Himself, Christ died at Calvary, thus exemplifying that God is our only life source.
The witnesses of Christ's day left their testimony in the writings of the Bible. Each succeeding generation of believers has the privilege of bringing confirmation to that confession of faith. In addition, we have been given an invitation to become a part of God's magnificent demonstration. We may become a "living sacrifice," offering our whole selves--body, mind, and heart--to God, so that He might cause "his light to shine within us....We are no better than pots of earthenware to contain this treasure, and this proves that such transcendent power does not come from us, but is God's alone" (2 Cor. 4:6, 7).
As God's children, we can be tangibly lovable and responsive, forgiving and accepting. And by this we not only tell our world today that God accepts them and considers them of utmost value, but we demonstrate it.
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