"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 (ESV)
So let's say we regularly attend a very large, possibly a mega-church in a major metropolitan area, the service is enlightening and motivating and as we attempt to pull our vehicle out into the moving lanes in the massive parking lot, no one will allow us to enter the flow. Or maybe it is we who see someone having trouble entering the traffic and just ignore them, saying they can wait until all traffic is gone. After all, we made it into the traffic and that other person just doesn't matter.
Admittedly, the above examples are not major issues, just routine, run of the mill nuisances, yet the way we handle such little things tells the world a lot about who we are inside and what is really important to us.
I remember once as a young man witnessing an older adult, a leader in the church, back into an empty car in the church parking lot after services, then simply drive off and leave with nary a care. It was quite the example of a Christian church leader, don't you think, and when I reported it to the church office no one believed me until the older lady found the damage to her car and brought it to the minister's attention. It's just an example of how so often we think that God doesn't know what we're doing, just like those in the church don't know unless they physically witness the action. But the problem is that God knows everything and everyone and what is going on all the time. It doesn't matter how important we are, He sees it all.
So what is my point? Well, it's very simple and it's this: if we believe that Jesus Christ died for us and is the Savior, we must live our life like we mean it. Follow his guidance, listen to the Holy Spirit and the guidance that he whispers to you daily and work at it. The concept of Salvation is an easy one to understand if we will open our hearts to believe, but the execution of living in the way He wants us to is the hard part. He gave us free will to choose for ourselves and He also has given satan (lower case "s" because he isn't worthy of the capitalization) free reign on this earth to attempt to keep our commission of sin ongoing by tempting us with the very weaknesses that we have. So execute life for Jesus, ask for God's help and use prayer and the Word to stay strong and faithful. If we do, He'll give us the protection we need and life will be so much better without the chains of slavery to evil which cause us to sin.
Now we all know the scripture which was cited above. Believe in Jesus through faith and you will gain everlasting life. But how can we truly believe in Jesus as our Savior if you don't make the commitment and work hard to live the way he wants us to? The answer is obvious: we can't.
Dear Lord, We thank you for your gifts of love and grace and we ask that you empower us with the strength and dedication to always make the right decisions to live our life for you. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.
So let's say we regularly attend a very large, possibly a mega-church in a major metropolitan area, the service is enlightening and motivating and as we attempt to pull our vehicle out into the moving lanes in the massive parking lot, no one will allow us to enter the flow. Or maybe it is we who see someone having trouble entering the traffic and just ignore them, saying they can wait until all traffic is gone. After all, we made it into the traffic and that other person just doesn't matter.
Admittedly, the above examples are not major issues, just routine, run of the mill nuisances, yet the way we handle such little things tells the world a lot about who we are inside and what is really important to us.
I remember once as a young man witnessing an older adult, a leader in the church, back into an empty car in the church parking lot after services, then simply drive off and leave with nary a care. It was quite the example of a Christian church leader, don't you think, and when I reported it to the church office no one believed me until the older lady found the damage to her car and brought it to the minister's attention. It's just an example of how so often we think that God doesn't know what we're doing, just like those in the church don't know unless they physically witness the action. But the problem is that God knows everything and everyone and what is going on all the time. It doesn't matter how important we are, He sees it all.
So what is my point? Well, it's very simple and it's this: if we believe that Jesus Christ died for us and is the Savior, we must live our life like we mean it. Follow his guidance, listen to the Holy Spirit and the guidance that he whispers to you daily and work at it. The concept of Salvation is an easy one to understand if we will open our hearts to believe, but the execution of living in the way He wants us to is the hard part. He gave us free will to choose for ourselves and He also has given satan (lower case "s" because he isn't worthy of the capitalization) free reign on this earth to attempt to keep our commission of sin ongoing by tempting us with the very weaknesses that we have. So execute life for Jesus, ask for God's help and use prayer and the Word to stay strong and faithful. If we do, He'll give us the protection we need and life will be so much better without the chains of slavery to evil which cause us to sin.
Now we all know the scripture which was cited above. Believe in Jesus through faith and you will gain everlasting life. But how can we truly believe in Jesus as our Savior if you don't make the commitment and work hard to live the way he wants us to? The answer is obvious: we can't.
Dear Lord, We thank you for your gifts of love and grace and we ask that you empower us with the strength and dedication to always make the right decisions to live our life for you. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen.
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