Is Your Life Showing the World You Are a Christ Follower?

“Therefore, anyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

“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.” John 14:21

     As followers of Christ, we are to be doers of the Word, not merely hearers. James tells us that if we only listen to the Word, we actually deceive ourselves. He compares those who only listen to the word as one who looks at his face in the mirror, but forgets what he looks like after walking away (1:22-23).

It is not simply going to church once a week on Sunday. Rather, it is spending every day in God’s presence letting Him transform you making you more like Christ.

    Anyone can go to church on Sunday and put on a good front. The question is, how are you living the rest of the week? What do you do when no one else is looking? Remember that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or consider his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ (1 Samuel 16:7). What does that mean exactly? Man does not know what is going on in the heart of another. He only knows what he sees with his eyes or hears with his ears. God, however, looks at the heart of every man and sees the motive behind why they do what they do-are they doing it for God’s glory or are they doing it for their own selfish gain or to receive praise from others?

     God tells us in His word that we are known by our fruit. Each and every one of us will produce fruit. This fruit will show whether or not we truly belong to God. Jesus said,“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-18)

      Jesus is speaking in a parable here. Each person is a “tree” and the “fruit” He is referring to is how they live out their lives. Is their life matching up with what they say they believe? Simply said, the “good” tree is the one who belongs to Christ, while the “bad” tree is one who does not belong to Christ. Because the “good” tree belongs to Christ, he has the Holy Spirit living within him. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, patience, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

     When you choose to follow Christ after He draws you to Himself, these attributes of the Holy Spirit are given to you. It is then up to you to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh because although you have been set free from all your sin, your flesh (or sin nature) and your spirit will continue to wage war with each other. The flesh is set on gratifying the sin nature (selfishness, greed, lying, pride, addictions, hot temper, worry and anxiety to name a few). As you walk in the Spirit however, you will live with your mind set on what the Spirit desires. The “bad” tree does not know God. Now, this person may do good deeds at times, but it is impossible for them to live a life pleasing to God because they are still dead in their sin and trespasses-literally slaves to sin (Ephesians 2:1, Romans 6:6).

    So, the questions each one of us should be asking ourselves are, ‘Am I bearing good fruit? ‘Is my life showing the world that I follow Christ? ‘Am I different from the world?’ Now is the time to take a good look, and as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless of course, you fail the test?” (13:5)

    Ask God to reveal Himself to you and show you. As His precious child, God places His Spirit within you who testifies with your spirit that you indeed belong to Him (Romans 8:16).

     “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him, but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:3-6)

     As long as you have breath, you can still make a choice. It is up to you-choose life or choose death. Now is the day of salvation….don’t delay! If you feel an urging or prompting, that is God’s Spirit drawing you to Himself. Cry out to Him today my friend! He stands ready and waiting with open arms for you. It does not matter what you have done…Jesus died for each and every sin-past, present and future. There is nothing you have done that will make God love you any more or less than He already does. His love is unfailing and everlasting! In Christ, you are set free and your eternity is forever sealed.