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Christian is a Verb (Part 1)
by Robert Driskell Too many professing Christians live as though their relationship is an afterthought. They go about their daily lives barely thinking about anything spiritual. They never consciously rely on God for anything, nor do they structure their lives the way He would have them. Many never open the Bible, pray, or seek to know God, or His will for their lives, better. However, these are the very things that make a Christian, a Christian. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We can not work our way to heaven. The Bible says that we must trust in Christ in order to be forgiven for the sin which separates us from God. Many people think that the ONLY thing that God requires of them is mental assent. They think that merely SAYING that Jesus is Lord is enough, and then they can continue to live the same way they have always lived, but now they consider themselves right with God. The Bible tells us that we are to "LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' (Matthew 22:37 NASB, cf. Deuteronomy 6:5, 10:12, 11:13, 13:3, 30:6; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27) When one becomes the object of our love we conduct ourselves differently toward that person. For example: when a man falls in love with a woman, he does not continue to live as though nothing changed. He does things for her, he wants to please her, he wants to spend time with her, he puts her needs before his, etc. It would be very strange to say that you love someone but do not want to please them and be closer to them. The Bible never assures us of a right standing before God while we live our lives ignoring Him. Our relationship with God, through Jesus, is not something we can simply add to our lives. Our lives should revolve around our walk with Him. Jesus even issues a warning concerning this very thing: Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB) We can 'say' we love God and follow Him, we can 'claim' to be Christians but, if we do not 'do' what He says, we may be headed down the wrong paththat path that leads away from God instead of toward Him. To be continued... Seeking to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to help them become "transformed by the renewing of their mind." Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |