Today's Devotional

 

 February 20, 2009

                                                                                                                     

Subject:  Christianity Is An Ethnicity 

Colossians 3:9b-11 "...seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all."

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"You wouldn't understand, it's a black thang."  "I'm 21 single and white."  These are quotes that show the priority of race in those who use them.  And you've probably run into people who see everything through their race or their ethnicity.  To those people, all of life and it's consequences are a result of the color of their skin or their ethnic heritage.  This is not unlike the early Jews who were told to separate themselves from the Gentiles.  This made it very hard for them to understand what was happening when Paul came on the scene telling them to downplay or even ignore their racial heritage.  And today it is just as difficult for many of us to put down.

Christ is, in a word, a "game-changer."   Because of what He did, He made ethnicity a non-issue.  However it is still a huge issue for many because they have not seen the preeminence of their faith to address it.  See those without Christ see life through, "race-colored" glasses, but for those who know Him, we see life through "faith-colored" glasses.  While they talk about being downtrodden, abused and misused because of their race, we talk about being downtrodden, abused and misused because God is dealing with us and the sins of man.  

The new man is renewed in knowledge and what he used to think, changes in Christ.  I remember the cry of my youth and the era of being "black and proud."  How foolish we were.  Had we properly known the scripture, we would've quickly realized that there is nothing to be proud of except knowing Jesus Christ.

Today are you black, white, Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian, Asian, or Christian?  Which of these ethnicities is most important to you?  I agree with the scripture, "Christ is all in all."     

Carlen