LeBron is going to South Beach.  Aren't we all better off knowing that big piece of information?  I don't know what to think about the big ESPN special for his announcement.
 
It might rain.  I should be a meteorologist.  And how can the Rangers lose to Baltimore?
 
Every good bit of news is followed by something negative lately.  I don't get it.  I wonder if it is a test and, if it is, wonder if it's a test from God or from the evil one. 
 
My daughter has made the decision to be baptized.  I am so proud of her and full of joy for her decision to put on Christ.  I love the imagery of baptism I find in Romans 6:1-8 - 1What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live  in it any longer? 3Or  don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were  baptized into his death? 4We  were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order  that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the  Father, we too may live a new life. 
 5If we have been united with him like this in  his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his  resurrection. 6For we know  that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might  be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves  to sin— 7because anyone  who has died has been freed from sin. 
 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we  will also live with him.
I grew up in an environment that taught baptism is essential to salvation.  I read Romans 6 and come away believing that baptism is essential to be united with Christ, not something that gives us a reward but something that gives us a daily direction and challenge - to be like Christ because we have now been united with him through baptism. 
I'm sure I don't do a good job describing how incredibly important I find the process of baptism to be in starting us on a journey with Jesus but I'm eternally thankful that I can be intimately united with him through baptism. 
I'm off for another blogging holiday as I try to catch loads of trout over the next week.  Yea!
Grace and peace to you.
 
No comments:
Post a Comment