Intimacy is in your DNA!

Unlike the animal kingdom, human beings are made to discover their being, that is, to discover who they are. We are often obsessed however with what we are doing rather than who we are. The "who we are" part of us is about realising the need for intimacy. The original plan of God was for people to enjoy intimacy with Himself. Intimacy lies at the heart of our being. But it is only realised when we discover the One who initiated intimacy in the first place.


Adam knew God before he sinned. Sin distorts intimacy. The plan of God however was and is to restore intimacy between us and Him. This search for intimacy is engrained in the human DNA. The search for intimacy can drive people in a myriad of directions including the search for approval and validation through our performance. These drivers appeal to human effort but ironically the more we strive, the more we miss the mark. Intimacy can never be realised through trying harder!


When we start searching for Him we begin to find ourselves. When we look for Him we begin to see in whose image we are really made. Interestingly many adopted children including adults want to know who their biological parents are. They want to know in whose image they have been formed. This is a natural desire to pursue. In the same way, there is a spiritual hunger that wants to know the Father's image in whom we have been made. This is in our spiritual DNA.




Adapted from Ross Smith's book, "It Is Finished". To purchase "It Is Finished" go to www.thevine.org.au/resources.html 
Ross Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Vine Church Logan, Queensland, Australia.

Starting the Day Right...

Framing the day with the finished work of Jesus Christ is like getting the top button in the right button hole - everything that follows will turn out for good. However often we start the day with what we need to do or haven't done as the case may be. In other words we are kicking the day off with our unfinished work.

When Jesus cried out "It is finished" over 2000 years ago, the plan of God to rescue and restore people to Himself was ready to be realised on earth. The substance of His plan was and still is about restoring community with Himself. This finished work satisfied all of the requirements of a holy God to usher in reconciliation and wholeness between Himself and us. The initiative was His. He made the first move because He first loved us. His doing (His actions) through His death and resurrection, prepared the way for our being to be re-established with Him. Our being can never be established because of our doing. It was His doing that  now realises our being.

That's why we need to get the top button in the right hole. Starting with what He has done every day is like engaging Him to make good of everything that happens during the day including the things that we may not deem good. When we acknowledge that He is in charge, He can get good, that is good for us, out of both the bad and even the downright ugly!

When we acknowledge that " we are products of His finished work", we begin to rest in Him because we are trusting Him to work both in us and through us.

Adapted from Ross Smiths book; "It is Finished". 

To purchase "It is Finished" goto: www.thevine.org.au/resources.html 

Ross Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Vine Church Logan, QLD Australia. 

Hope Acceptance and Belonging in 2014

Welcome to The Vine for 2014! We have just re- branded our church logo with the intent of saying what we value and who we are. Hope, acceptance and belonging provide for our real security as individuals and as a community of people. These of themselves are sourced not through a program or an event but through the person of Jesus Christ.

Real security for 2014 and beyond comes through Him but is designed to be expressed through the local church to our wider community. During January we will be exploring how security that is grounded in hope, acceptance and belonging extends to everyday life and relationships.

The message of the gospel of grace is for all people. It is designed to “fit” every person. May 2014 be the best year in our lives as we continue to absorb His life.

Blessings

Ross & Di

Life is like a box of chocolates

There seems to be an element of truth in the saying "life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get next!". It's true that we do not have a lot of influence outside of ourselves. For example, you cannot control what other people think about you or day about you. We can commentate about events but seldom have influence to necessarily change events. 
However, we do have the absolute influence over what we think about situations and and life events including what we think about other people.  

The Bible says that "as a man thinks so is he". We are empowered to process what happens in life. For example, we can react or we can respond.  We can choose to allow God's grace to work good through life events or we can judge and react.  It is often tempting and perhaps easier in the short term to react but the way of grace is to let God fill the apparent gaps including that which you and I are powerless to change.

God redeems.  God restores.  Let him work in the family, the work place and the local church.
Be blessed, 
Ross and Diane.