Many social commenters have said that we live today in something called “ Celebrity Culture” we see that many of the programmes we watch on TV, will have a celebrity version or make over , whether that is Celebrity Big Brother, where the person formally known as Frank Maloney, who after living most of us live as a man has for the last few years has lived as a woman known as Kellie, has been having a break down, many of these so-called celebrities are names that I don’t recognise, and the ones I do recognise have had or having issues with both or either drugs or alcohol.
Even
the well known and well loved Celebrity programmes as Strictly Come Dancing
have their successful formula copied in programmes like Tumble or Dancing on
Ice, we have programmes like the
X-Factor where people sometimes desperate for their 15 minutes of Fame or
chasing the fleeting shadows of the god called success, will be embarrassed or
humiliated by the panel, some people do have a successful career for a few
years, but in a short period of time,
these seemingly successful careers have been a shooting star, there has
been a meteoric rise then followed by a sudden and dramatic fall! How many
celebrities of yesterday are still celebrities today, how many of our well
known, recognised and well loved celebrities have been found out to have
actively participated or have taken part in things that I will not mention or
discuss here.
In some sections of both
TV and Print Media, there is a daily digest
of celebrities fears, failures, frustrations and fleeting flame, Even in
church circles there is an appetite for celebrity, whether that is Preachers,
Worship Leaders or Pastors, it’s embarrassing
to see what some people would do for self-promotion and self-aggrandizement,
for many people these so-called Christian celebrities have become our role
models, I remember reading about a well known Christian pastor and conference
speaker on his Church website and seeing a link to his be-spoke tailor!
When our sporting stars, politicians or even
royalty are more known for being so called celebrities their identities became frail and warped,and with the advent of
Social Media many ordinary people try to become celebrities using the 21st
Century version of You’ve been framed, (Youtube),
my personal favourite celebrity programme is the Saturday late afternoon TV Quiz Programme
called Pointless Celebrities, the clue
is in the title!, fronted by Alexander
Armstrong and Richard Osman, however there is one programme that features celebrities, is “Who do you think you are?” where some of our well known celebrities, to be fair mostly actors, trace their family
history and find their history, this is both fascinating and interesting, and I enjoy watching, sometimes it’s sad,
sometimes it’s happy and more often or not very moving and emotional,
although recently it’s format has been copied with some degree of success with Itv's, “secrets from the asylum” and “ secrets from the clink” where celebrities
find about their ancestors who were either in asylum’s or prisons.
In
a recent episode of "Who do you think you are", the New Tricks, and former Eastenders and Red Cap Actress
Tamzin Outhwaite, chased her family history from London and via the Isle of Man
and Italy to Glasgow, we saw her
personal journey of discovery based on
her own and others detective work and research, while watching this episode .
I came to think “ who do I think I am?, I’m Blair Humphreys, although Blair is
actually my middle name, my first name
is David, I live in Southport,
Merseyside, but in my heart of hearts, I’m
Welsh and in the words of Cerys Matthews,
“ Everyday, that I wake up, I thank the Lord, I’m Welsh”
although I now live in England, I’m
from Neath, South Wales, son of a great and
well lovedDad, son of much missed and
loved Mum, and the grandson of three Godly and Inspiring late Grandparents,
brother to two great Sisters, uncle of some
brilliant Nephews and Niece, cousin to some great Cousins, nephew to some
amazing Aunties and Uncles. friend to many. Committed Christian/Jesus Follower/Disciple to my
Redeemer, Saviour and Lord Jesus, active member of my local Church, I’m sinner saved by Grace, Jesus paid the
price for my sin, died in my place for
my sin, I’m justified, I’m being sanctified
.
My identity isn’t tied to my past, present or
future it’s not set by what people think or say about me, and sometimes don’t
say about me, my identity is not
pre-set or set by the prevailing culture or sub-culture I find myself in, although we should always listen to what
people say, some people will always try
to find the negative even when it’s presented in positive, we should always respect and listen to what
people say about, but we shouldn’t let those things control or manipulate us,
and make us or alter us into someone’s perceived image of who we are, what we can do or can’t do.
Our
identity is in Jesus Christ, the Bible
speaks of our wonderfully true Identity
2
Corinthians 5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The
Temporal and Eternal
5
For we know that if [a]the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we
have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling
from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For
indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not
want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be
swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God,
who gave to us the Spirit as a [b]pledge.
6
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home
in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by
[c]sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from
the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our
ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed
for [d]his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or
bad.
11
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made
manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.
12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion
to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in
appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we [e]are beside ourselves, it is for
God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls
us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He
died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but
for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
16
Therefore from now on we recognize no one
[f]according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ [g]according to the
flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [h]he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these
things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling
the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and [i]He has
[j]committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal
through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made
Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
Galatians
3 English Standard Version (ESV)
By
Faith, or by Works of the Law?
3
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus
Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you
receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so
foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by[a] the
flesh? 4 Did you suffer[b] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5
Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by
works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God,
and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify[c] the Gentiles by faith, preached
the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be
blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the
man of faith.
The
Righteous Shall Live by Faith
10
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written,
“Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the
Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by
the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”[d] 12 But the law is not of
faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us
from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed
is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing
of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised
Spirit[e] through faith.
The
Law and the Promise
15
To give a human example, brothers:[f] even with a man-made covenant, no one
annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were
made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,”
referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is
Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does
not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise
void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by
promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19
Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring
should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through
angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but
God is one.
21
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law
had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the
law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise
by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23
Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the
coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until
Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that
faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[g] nor free, there is no male and
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then
you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
Be
Blessed Today
Blair
Humphreys
Southport,Merseyside
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