Rise and Shine

I noted this cartoon this morning and thought it's a lot like many Christians view their relationship to Jesus Christ. I too have been guilty of it in the past.
We accept that Jesus died for our sins, we accept the poorly defined evangelical portrayal of being born again, "easy believism" but many of us, haven't even got out of bed of old thinking, and lack understanding Christ resurrection and the present resurrection we have in this new life in Christ in the here and now.
If we do, we too often, negate the life of Christ being expressed in the world to those around us by a life that is exemplified much by this cartoon.
Our typical carnal thinking usually goes something like this:
"OK, I have risen as a new creation in Christ, but that doesn't mean I have to shine, or I won't shine until Jesus comes, All of these are but the same thing, "not at the same time".

Well let's look at one Scripture that tells us just the opposite of what we have so often falsely believed in.
We aren't like Maxine in this cartoon, scripture tells us just the opposite, that He has given us everything we need to rise and shine at the same time.

2 Peter 1:2-4
²Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
 ³seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
 ⁴For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 

So let us claim the truth of God's Word in both our words and our actions, because it's not that we need more to get out of bed, we just need to appropriate more of what God has already given us.
I'm not waiting until Jesus comes, that's a cop out. Yes, we can lively godly lives right here and now.


Brother Joe Black