The Price of Belonging

 

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself …”

—from Luke 9:23

Every organization worth belonging to has its own dues structure. It costs something in time or treasure to belong to anything or anyone truly worthwhile. The question each person who belongs must ask himself or herself:

“Is the price of belonging worth the benefits I receive?”

Belonging to God through His Son, Jesus, has a price, as well. Notice what Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 9:23:

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

To deny one’s self means to set aside an individual’s selfish human will and yield to God’s perfect, divine will. We are only able to do this through the enablement of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to set aside our natural human will and follow the pathway that God lays out before us through His perfect will and through His written Word.

As we begin another new day, we need to renew our intention to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. As we do so, we have the opportunity to be more like Him. We can speak as He would speak, act as He would act, and do what He would do. By becoming more Christ-like, we have the opportunity of truly serving the Kingdom of God in the most effective way possible.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

No Longer Conformed

 

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world …

—from Romans 12:2

Each time another day begins, we have a new opportunity to choose to live, more and more, like Jesus would have us live. We can either decide to purposely lay aside our devotion to Christ. Or, we can decide to do our very best to speak, think, and act as Jesus would speak, think, and act.

By choosing to conform our lives to the pattern given to us in the life of Jesus, we give up our natural human bent toward tightly molding our lives to the world of sin and darkness. Following the Light of Christ dispels the hold that sin has over us. We walk in the Light, as Jesus is in the Light. We put darkness behind us, and we move confidently into a new way of living. Notice the words the Apostle Paul wrote in the familiar passage of Scripture found in Romans 12:1-2:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Each day, God waits patiently to renew our minds. He longs to renew our minds. He wants to renew our minds. So, at the beginning of this new day, we should welcome His guidance and protection. And, we should invite God to renew our minds. We can allow the mind of Jesus to become our way of speaking, thinking, and acting. And, that is the very best way to live.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Obedience = Love

 

Whoever has my commands and obeys them …

—from John 14:21

I have written often on this blog regarding the only requirement that God has given those He has called to Himself. Even though He pours out His mercy, grace, and abiding love on us, and has redeemed us through the shed blood of His one and only Son, Jesus, God only asks one thing of us: obedience. God wants us to obey His will and His written Word. Jesus confirmed this when He told His disciples these words, as found recorded in John 14:21:

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.

In a climate of genuine obedience, love flows freely back to God from those of us He has called to Himself. Before the foundation of the earth, God chose us to belong to Him and to His Kingdom. In due season, God sent His Holy Spirit to reveal to us what His Son, Jesus, has done for us, by paying the penalty for our sins. Once the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to apprehend that truth, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in our hearts and minds.

This new reality for us grants us the privilege of showing God our love through our obedience to His written Word and to His perfect, divine will. We learn to bend our selfish human wills to His perfect will. In so doing, we show God our love for Him. We also experience the benefits of belonging to Him.

As we begin a new day, we need to constantly remain aware of God’s divine Presence in our lives. And, we need to constantly remain aware of the joy we bring to God each time we obediently follow His will, follow His written Word, and follow the pathway He has laid out before us.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Firstfruits of the Spirit

 

… we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit …

—from Romans 8:23

The firstfruits, that is the very first part of the harvest, symbolizes the best part that the grower has set apart for a special use. In the Old Testament, God asked His chosen people to set aside the firstfruits as an offering to Himself. In the New Testament, we ones whom God has chosen to belong to Himself have become the firstfruits of the New Covenant. Notice what the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:23:

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Not only has God forgiven our sins, through the blood of Jesus, God has given those of us that He has chosen the indwelling presece of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we become the firstfruits of the salvation that has come to us through God’s precious one and only Son, Jesus. We have a special place in God’s heart. He has given us the right to become the children of God. (please see John 1:11-13)

As we begin a new day, whenever we fall prey to thinking that we have no value or worth, we need to remember that, in God’s economy, we are His firstfruits. We are special. We have inherent value and worth because God has made us in His image and because He has specifically chosen us to belong to Himself.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Waiting Expectantly

 

The creation waits in eager expectation …

—from Romans 8:19

There is so much talk about “climate change” today. Yes, of course, historically the earth experiences almost constant and gradual fluctuations in normal temperatures, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wave heights, ocean depths, and so forth. The huge undecided question—and, contrary to the media, lack of scientific certainty—is whether or not human activity has any profoundly important impact on these changes in climatic conditions.

(As you may well know, I do not personally believe that human activity has contributed significantly to “climate change.” I believe it is the height of arrogance for humans to think that they have such power over God’s creation. Thus, I am not a so-called “denier.” Rather, I am a “rejecter” of the hyperbolic clamor that touts anthropogenic [human-caused] climate change.)

From a study of the account in the Book of Genesis that describes Adam’s sin and the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, we do recognize that the fall of humans into sin caused an effect on all of the systems of the earth and on all living things. Likewise, the coming of God’s one and only Son to earth as a human baby, so that He could grow up and eventually die on a cruel Roman cross of torture to pay the penalty for the sins of humankind, also has had a profound effect on all of the systems of the earth and on all living things. The Apostle Paul writes about this issue with these words, found in Romans 8:19:

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

When will the “sons of God” become revealed? At that time, in the future, when Jesus returns to earth again, and the new heaven and the new earth appear. We Christians often refer to this time as “that Great Day” or “the Day of the Lord” or “the Second Coming.” This will be a time when the redemption of the systems of the heavens and the earth—and the redemption of all those whom God has called to Himself—becomes fully revealed.

As we begin a new day, we can look forward, with hopeful expectation, that Jesus will return in the next instant of time. We can also determine to live our lives as if His return will not happen for another thousand years. In this way, we will remain faithful stewards of God and humbly serve as His ambassadors to a troubled world.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

In Our Midst

 

For where two or three come together …

—from Matthew 18:20

One of the greatest frustrations I must deal with in my life comes from the fact that very few of my fellow “Christ’s-ones” feel the same strong compulsion that I do to faithfully attend church services every week. I realize that my circumstances are somewhat unique: I have no children or grandchildren, I do not own a vacation home, I do not travel for business or pleasure, I have nothing else on Sundays that draws my attention away from church attendance, and I grew up in a household where my father absolutely insisted that we always, without fail, attend church on Sundays.

Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, prevented us, as a family, from attending services whenever the doors of the church were open. This meant that we attended Sunday school, Sunday morning Worship, Sunday evening Worship, and Wednesday night Prayer Meeting. As a teenager, I also attended weekly youth group meetings, as well as the early morning weekly prayer times and Saturday night rallies of Youth for Christ International. I feel that, growing up, the discipline of always attending church services was an important part of my spiritual journey of Christian spiritual formation.

Some would say that I am an annoying nag about the matter of weekly church attendance. They would say that just because I feel so strongly about this subject does not make me correct in my insistance that everyone attend his or her home church faithfully each Sunday. And yet, I truly believe that one of the greatest joys for a person, who follows the Lord Jesus Christ, is that time when he or she gathers with fellow believers for worship, praise, prayer, thanksgiving, the teaching of God’s written Word, and the fellowship with like-minded individuals. Part of the blessing of such times is the promise that Jesus gives us, found in Matthew 18:20:

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

When we believers gather together, Jesus is present with us. The Holy Spirit, who dwells in the hearts and minds of each believer, fills the space with God’s glory. Christ comes and fellowships with us, even as we fellowship with each other. That’s the reason why spending time together becomes so important to followers of Jesus. We must not choose other activities, or choose other allegiances, that will take the place of the time we spend together as believers in our home churches.

When you next have such an opportunity to fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, make the right choice. Consciously and purposefully choose to take the opportunity to meet with your fellow believers. If you do so, you will reap an enormous reward.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Comforted by God's Presence

 

Even though I walk through the valley …

—from Psalm 23:4

A dear friend of mine, now with the Lord, often spoke these words:

“Living life each day is not for the faint of heart.”

What my friend said is all too true. When we walk along the road of life, there are inevitably times on our journey when we come to some dark places. We may hesitate to enter and move forward. But, the circumstances of our lives push us onward, taking very hesitant and tentative steps. Then, of a sudden, we remember that God has promised to go with us. As King David wrote of God in Psalm 23:4:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

As we begin a new day and yet find ourselves in a dark place, let’s remember that we are not alone. In fact, we are never alone. God has promised to go with us. He will provide illumination for our pathway and give us courage to push on through the darkness and out into the never-failing light.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}