The Start of a Beautiful Relationship
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7
The day you received Christ was the day your life truly began! This day marked the beginning of a beautiful relationship. A relationship that needs to be fed and nurtured every single day of your life. Friend, it is not over once you come to know Christ. If that was the case, then as soon as we are saved, Jesus would call us home. Some people think that when they become saved then that is it and they basically just wait to go to heaven. We are not to be bystanders in this process. No, there is work for us to do which God has already prepared in advance for each one of us. "For by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10 Please note that works do not save us-this is all God's grace, but once you become a follower of Christ, you have a purpose and this purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus in all you say and do. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
Jesus made a way for you and me to have access to the Father by His shed blood on the cross. It is the blood that saves you. Jesus paid the debt that we ourselves could never pay. God places His Spirit within you the day you believe-put your life upon-Him. He gives us this promise: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
As we walk with Jesus day by day, He continues to grow us in Him. He changes the way we think. He changes our desires so that they line up with His desires. This process is known as sanctification and it will continue until the day Jesus comes back for us. "..He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phillipians 1:6 We can be confident that God keeps His promises. His words are trustworthy and true. Because of this, we no longer walk around with the fear of death and the guilt of our sin. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul wrote that we are a new creation in Jesus. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 While we are here on earth, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making His appeal through us! (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Friend, you have a certain sphere of influence that only you can reach for Christ. This may be in your workplace, your circle of friends, your family, at the gym, the store or at the ball field. What I mean by this is that there are people only you can reach to advance the kingdom of God that I could not. We have a command from Jesus Himself, "therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20 We are told the same thing in Luke 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." The "world" is everywhere-it is in your neighborhood, at your job-anywhere you go.
In order to do this, however, we must stay in God's word. We must stay in constant communion with Him and listen to His still, small voice. God speaks my friend, but in order to hear His voice we must tune everything else out. He will make it clear what He wants us to do. Always remember that what He tells us will always line up with His word and it will always be for our good and His glory. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'this is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21 What God wants from us is our obedience. We may not understand what He is asking us to do or think there is no way we could ever do "that," however, if He asks you, He has already made a way and wants you to simply trust Him.
I am praying this for each one of you reading this today:
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:17-19
The day you received Christ was the day your life truly began! This day marked the beginning of a beautiful relationship. A relationship that needs to be fed and nurtured every single day of your life. Friend, it is not over once you come to know Christ. If that was the case, then as soon as we are saved, Jesus would call us home. Some people think that when they become saved then that is it and they basically just wait to go to heaven. We are not to be bystanders in this process. No, there is work for us to do which God has already prepared in advance for each one of us. "For by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10 Please note that works do not save us-this is all God's grace, but once you become a follower of Christ, you have a purpose and this purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus in all you say and do. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
Jesus made a way for you and me to have access to the Father by His shed blood on the cross. It is the blood that saves you. Jesus paid the debt that we ourselves could never pay. God places His Spirit within you the day you believe-put your life upon-Him. He gives us this promise: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
As we walk with Jesus day by day, He continues to grow us in Him. He changes the way we think. He changes our desires so that they line up with His desires. This process is known as sanctification and it will continue until the day Jesus comes back for us. "..He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phillipians 1:6 We can be confident that God keeps His promises. His words are trustworthy and true. Because of this, we no longer walk around with the fear of death and the guilt of our sin. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul wrote that we are a new creation in Jesus. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 While we are here on earth, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making His appeal through us! (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Friend, you have a certain sphere of influence that only you can reach for Christ. This may be in your workplace, your circle of friends, your family, at the gym, the store or at the ball field. What I mean by this is that there are people only you can reach to advance the kingdom of God that I could not. We have a command from Jesus Himself, "therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20 We are told the same thing in Luke 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." The "world" is everywhere-it is in your neighborhood, at your job-anywhere you go.
In order to do this, however, we must stay in God's word. We must stay in constant communion with Him and listen to His still, small voice. God speaks my friend, but in order to hear His voice we must tune everything else out. He will make it clear what He wants us to do. Always remember that what He tells us will always line up with His word and it will always be for our good and His glory. "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'this is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21 What God wants from us is our obedience. We may not understand what He is asking us to do or think there is no way we could ever do "that," however, if He asks you, He has already made a way and wants you to simply trust Him.
I am praying this for each one of you reading this today:
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:17-19
Comments
Post a Comment