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Today, I want to talk with you about who you belong to. It's sad, but some folks don't feel like they belong to anyone, while others want to belong but don't know how. Then there are those who simply think of themselves as emancipated (free or liberated from anyone's control) free-birds in an imaginary Lynyrd Skynyrd music video! And, yeah, I know it sounds like much too serious a topic to tackle on this cold, wintry day, but I'm up for the task. As I sit here in front of my computer and ponder the words I want to share with you, I realize the crux of this newsletter is the fact that we are not our own. Let me re-phrase that - if we belong to Christ, then we are not our own! When you and I believe on Jesus Christ, the Bible teaches that we are marked with a seal. And that seal changes everything. Sounds like an important seal, right? So, what is this seal?
This seal is the Holy Spirit that comes to live within us (see above scripture). And why does the Holy Spirit come to live within the believer? The Holy Spirit comes to live within us for many reasons. As the third person in the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), the Holy Spirit lives within the believer to comfort, teach, guide, bring things to remembrance, and disclose to us what is to come. As a part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit also has a will, is alive, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent, and has a voice. The Holy Spirit not only speaks to believers, but He speaks to those who do not believe, and He convicts their heart concerning God, and His purpose for their life. And He is so much more...
The Holy Spirit is a living deposit (in our earthly life) that "guarentees" our supreme inheritance as a child of God. And what is our supreme inheritance? Our supreme inheritance is redemption, and eternal life with our Heavenly Father! The definition of redemption is "the act of being saved from sin, error, or evil". In other words, redemption is absolution from sin! And the word eternal means "lasting or existing forever without beginning or end". To put it simply, if you are in Christ Jesus, then the Holy Spirit guarentees that you are signed, sealed, and will be delivered right on time to your rightful owner! Wow, ownership is an incredible thing. And "proof of ownership" is always in the seal! Before we go further, let's take a look at one of the ways we prove ownership in the animal world.
Who Does That Animal Belong To?
The Microchip Holds The Answer.
When I purchase a horse, the first thing I
do is have the vet put a microchip in him. The
microchip is placed deep beneath the horse's skin
(usually in the neck area), and is undetectable to the
naked eye. Although it is small, the microchip
contains valuable information about who my
horse is. But most importantly, it contains
information about who he belongs to. If my horse
is ever lost, or stolen, all the information to prove
that He is mine resides within him.
Back in the day, there we'ren't many ways a person could prove ownership of their animals or livestock. If an animal got lost, or worse yet, stolen, about the only thing a person had going for them was a common brand, perhaps a picture for proof, or their word that the animal was theirs. The problem with those kinds of proof was that they were all refutable. And then, along came the microchip - a small, almost undetectable device that could be embedded in almost anything, including the living. Not only could the microchip hold a world of information about it's recipient, but it could prove exclusive ownership beyond the shadow of a doubt.
Today, microchips are found everywhere. Not
only are they common place technology in
computers, cell phones, cameras, cars, farm
equipment, etc., but we can also embed them
in our animals and livestock. Besides containing a lifetime of information about the animal, a
microchip can prove rightful ownership.
Although this newsletter isn't really about microchips, it does have some phenomenal attributes and similarities to what this newsletter is really about. So, what is this newsletter really about? It's about the Seal of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, and God's rightful ownership of those who are in Christ! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to microchips for just a moment. Most of us aren't really aware of how many times we come into daily contact with microchips or their presence in our life. A microchip is pretty unobtrusive. In other words, we rarely ever see it. And yet, it's there making our world go-round. Not only is it there, but it is pre-loaded with valuable information that allows our world to function according to a very specific plan every day. In other words, it's presence in our life is by creative, genius design!
Recently, the United States Equestrian
Federation passed a new ruling, effective as
of December 1'st, 2017, that requires every
horse, to include all hunter and jumpers, and
hunt seat/jumping seat equitation horses to
be micro-chipped in order to earn points.
Personally, I'm an advocate of micro-chipping our animals as a means of identifying them, and as a means to prove conclusive ownership. I always microchip my horses, as well as my dogs. That microchip contains important and vital information pertaining specifically to them as individuals. That information could save their life if they should ever have the misfortune to get lost, or stolen. But more importantly, that embedded microchip that lies quietly just below the skin's surface holds the most valuable information in the world. It tells the world that this particular animal belongs solely to me. Having said that, let me say loud and clear, I'm not an advocate for placing microchips in humans! We have a far-superior way of identifying who we are, and more importantly, who we belong to. Now, tighten up your cinch, and let's go further...
WE ARE NOT OUR OWN -
WE BELONG TO GOD,
AND NO ONE ELSE
"But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."
(1 John 4: 4, NLT)
In a world where many aspire to simply be
their horse's buddy, I am not ashamed to say
I am my horse's Master (owner). I pour my
life into him each day, and in return, I expect
him to serve me and my purpose for his life.
Let's lay some important groundwork here. If we accept Christ as our Savior, then we are no longer our own. That means that we now belong to someone greater than ourself. We belong to our Master, and yes, that means the Master now "owns" us. And what is our relationship to the Master? We are servants of the Most High! Wow, ownership and servants, those are some strong words. The unfortunate truth is, we live in a politically correct world where the word "ownership", and especially the word "servant", are highly suspect, and certainly distasteful to our fine sensibilities. For example, we like to profess, "I am free in Christ". After all, we greatly cherish our freedoms, don't we? And, in fact, scripture teaches that if we are in Christ, we are free, indeed (John 8: 36). But free to do what? Okay, hang on to your cowboy hat, 'cause here's the answer. We are free to serve!
WE ARE FREE TO SERVE
"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
(Galations 5: 13, ESV)
When my horse serves me, it is an
honorable position. There is no room for high-headedness or self-centered behavior. I expect
him to serve me with humble nobility.
In biblical times, being called a "servant" did not carry the negative connotations that it does today. To be a servant in biblical times was often an honorable position denoting humble nobility. Abraham, Joshua, King David, and even the Messiah were referred to in the scriptures as servants of God. To be a servant meant that one was not his own. Furthermore, the servant's express purpose "for being" was to please his/her Master (owner). Many of these servants bore an unseen mark or seal. That mark or seal gave them certain inalienable rights. The word "inalienable" means impossible to take away or give up; incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred. These servants had inalienable rights, not because of who they were, but because of "whose" they were. One of those inalienable rights was protection. But perhaps the greatest inalienable right of the servant was the freedom to come boldly before the King. Now let's bring this message on home to you and me.
As God's servants, you and I also carry a seal. Far greater than the modern day microchip that we implant in the animals that belong to us, the Holy Spirit contains limitless power and infinite information. His presence within us not only changes us, but it changes the entire world around us. It also assures our future. The Holy Spirit is the one who guides believers into their God-given destiny, and He is the one who leads us into all truth. He is the one who encourages us to take another step of faith when all else seems lost, and He is the one who reminds us that all things are possible with God. And finally, the Holy Spirit is God's deposit in our heart. A deposit that guarantees our inheritance. And what is our inheritance? Our inheritance is redemption and everlasting life with our Heavenly Father!
UPDATE ON SAMSON
Samson yielding his hindquarters away from
me. A correct hindquarter yield to the right
requires a horse to cross over his left hind leg in
front of his right hind leg. If he can't do it
correctly on the ground, then he won't do it
correctly when you're in the saddle.
It's absolutely freezing here in the Tennessee Valley. Of course, I freeze when temps are in the 60's, but this week I've got a reason to shiver. The temps are in the 20's, and really hiney-kicking cold (brrrr)! Even if Sam were ready to ride, I don't think I'd be saddling up and climbing into that cold leather seat today. Truth is, he's still not quite ready to ride just yet, although I'm continuing to throw the saddle on him during groundwork exercises in great expectation!
Samson's leg injury (right back foot) is continuing to heal, albeit slowly, and he's now able to do all his groundwork, including yielding his hindquarters to the right, which puts some pressure on his injured leg. As always, Sam is willing, but I'm careful to keep the groundwork exercises slow and controlled in order to not strain the scar tissue that is now well-formed around the cut. As for Sam's sudden onset of labored breathing that began back in late October, I've seen great improvement, but it is still somewhat sporadic, appearing one day, and disappearing the next few days.
In the past few weeks, Samson has been able to lope for longer lengths of time without laboring as much for air, and his recovery time is much quicker. Weather permitting, we've been doing groundwork faithfully in order to stay legged up as much as possible. This week I loped him on a 14 foot lead line approximately 5 circles in each direction. That wasn't much loping, considering Samson has always been such an amazing athlete. But although he wasn't begging for a rest and a GatorAde when he finished, he was still breathing heavier than usual. Amazingly, he has such a servant's heart towards me that he was willing to lope on as long as I asked him to. I decided enough was enough and we would not hurry the recovery process, but take it a day at a time. One thing is for sure, Samson doesn't have any quit in him, and neither do I. When it comes to "heart and try", my horse has enough for both of us, and I have enough faith for the wait!
CHECK OUT A FEW OF OUR
YOUTUBE VIDEOS!
Click the video above for our newest YouTube Video with my equine ministry partner, Samson (pics and video from earlier this year). This video features the amazing vocals of my dear friend and minister, Ann Nicholson. Years ago, and before giving her life to Christ, Ann was a back-up vocalist for many secular artists, including Joe Cocker, and Leon Russell. In 2014, Ann recorded Leon's hit song, "A Song For You", especially for my birthday. Her amazing and soulful rendition of this song will bless you!
Want to take a ride on a champion western pleasure horse? Now, you can - thanks to Samson, and a GoPro Camera that puts you right in the saddle with me! Don't forget to check out my grandson, Zach, making a cameo appearance in the video. What a great sport he was to let Nana chase him around the arena that day! And special thanks once again to Tom and Ann Nicholson for their amazing musical talent. Together, they produced this video song titled "The Stranger" performed by the Praise Team, Church Alive, Cleveland, TN, and featured on the CD titled "Combustible Praise". Oh yeah, it also features the best guitarist in the world, my husband, Kim Klaudt, doing what he does best - playing that sanctified blues! You can check him out on YouTube, too!
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