Living in Christ

We live in a very fast, very busy society. So busy, in fact, it is a wonder that any of us have time for our families, let alone time for ourselves. But, I am saddened that life has evolved into busyness. We do not take enough time to enjoy life anymore. We do not take enough time to enjoy our heavenly Father, and we certainly do not take enough time to enjoy or help those around us. If anyone could understand the temptation to let busyness distract Him from the Father's activity, Jesus could! "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion." Luke 10:33. Jesus told this parable to illustrate the danger of busyness: A certain Jewish man was on his way to Jericho when he was brutally attacked by thieves and left to die by the road. First a Levite, then a priest, passed by. These were religious leaders; surely they would show compassion to a wounded person! But, they had places to go and appointments to keep, s...

As a Christian, it is very disturbing to me when I see other Christians that do not get along with each other. There should not be any quarrelsome Christians! The truth of God should be in us all as believers. We should not be intimidated or frustrated by other Christians and especially by those who do not accept God's truth. "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:24-26. There will be times that others will disagree with us regarding God's Word. Perhaps they will question the way we say God is leading us, or they may challenge our faith in God. When times like these approach it is never helpful for us to argue. We will never deb...

One question that I often hear other Christians ask is: I wonder when Christ is coming back? I must say that this question has been asked and pondered over ever since Christ ascended that day with the disciples watching. The imminence of His return provides all us Christians the backdrop for everything we do. Jesus has not revealed exactly when He will return, but He has told us, through His Word, the signs we are to watch for in anticipation of His return. Let me say this, the time of His return is unclear; the fact of His return is certain! " All these are the beginning of birth pains." Matthew 24:8. Jesus has told us that certain events would signal the nearness of His return: There will be wars and rumors of wars; there will be famines and earthquakes; Christians will suffer persecution for the sake of Christ; false prophets will come and teach heresies, leading many astray; lawlessness will abound as people do what is right in their own eyes; the authorities will be unab...

One of the things about us Christians that I find intriguing is that there is a tendency to view anything unpleasant that happens to us as the result of "spiritual warfare." When a difficulty arises, many of us immediately ask God to remove our distress. One problem arises though. Our predicament might have nothing at all to do with Satan or spiritual warfare. It might appear far better for us to explain away our hardship's as attacks from Satan than to admit the reality. We are reaping what we have sown and are in the process of being disciplined by our heavenly Father. I mean, admit it! No one wants to confess that they have been "bad." " My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." Hebrews 12:5-6. Friends, what is often mistaken or blamed as attacks from Satan might actually be chastisement from our loving Father. If ...

In my walk with God, one of the things I have come to realize is that salvation is not an event; it is a process! Salvation is God's gift to anyone who wants to receive it, there is nothing we can do to earn it, nor is there anything we can do to save ourselves! But with salvation comes the responsibility to work out our salvation. That means that once we are saved, we must claim all that has become ours! "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12b-13. Through salvation, God gave us victory over sin. That victory applies not only to past sins but also to every sin we will ever commit. When we became Christians, God made us a new creation. God wants to continually build new things into our life as we walk with Him. God gave us His joy when He saved us, and He wants to fill us with His joy daily. Friends, let's understand something here-when we first repented of our...

Would you like to know something about love? Well, love has no limits! Love never says, "You've gone too far. I can't love you now." Christlike love leaves no doubt in the mind of the other that we will continue to love steadfastly. Do those close to us know that they can fail in anything and everything and yet, still have our love? Do people know that, even when they hurt us, we still love them, holding nothing against them? "Love...bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:7. Friends, "All things" means exactly that! Everything is included! Love always assumes the best about others. If somebody inadvertently offends us, we choose to believe the offense was unintentional. If someone seeks to harm us, we "bear all things," choosing to forgive unconditionally. If a positive light can be shed on a difficult encounter, we grasp it! If somebody continually provokes us, we "endure all t...

Some of us probably will have trouble with this statement, but God never conceals His expectations from us. We never have to guess how we should live. In response to the misguided ways in which people sought to please God, the prophet Micah clearly explained what God does and does not expect. The people asked Micah in chapter 6: Should we come to God with many offerings? Should we bring a thousand rams and ten thousand rivers of oil? Would God be pleased if we gave our firstborn children to Him to express our devotion? Micah responded to them straightforward: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8. Micah listed three things God desires that are still relevant for us today. First, God wants us to show justice. The desire to for us to receive just is not enough! We must also be absolutely just in the way that we treat others. If we have given our word...

Did you know that as Christians, we have everything we need to live a holy and abundant life? Our intelligence, our education, our family background, or our wealth do not determine the holiness or abundance of our life. The things in which we really need to live a victorious, joyful, and abundant life are found only in the Holy Spirit that resides within each one of us! "As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." 2 Peter 1:3. According to Peter, each Christian, by faith, has access to these qualities: goodness, knowledge of God, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. I think that it would be of no use to inherit a fortune if we did not know it was ours. In the same way, it is of no benefit to inherit everything necessary to become like Jesus if we do not claim it. Friends, if we continue to lack self-control when God has made it availabl...

Many of us have probably discovered, becoming a Christian does not make our problems go away. What it does do is give us an Advocate that we can take every concern we have to. Peter wrote 1 Peter to Christians that were facing persecutions that we can only imagine. They did not know who they could trust. A friend, a neighbor, even a family member could betray them, resulting in suffering or even death. To be a Christian at that time was worth your very life. But Peter had walked with the risen Lord, and he had personally experienced the love that Jesus had for His followers. Peter knew that Jesus was in control, capable of handling every trial and that He wanted to do so as an expression of love. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7. Casting our cares is a choice. It means that we consciously hand over our anxiety to Jesus and allow Him to carry th...

David is referred to as "a man after God's own heart." But, this was not always so. There were things that David needed to learn and that he needed to grow in. David had to learn to trust in God. He had to grow in the power and strength of the Lord. Yet, how was he able to do this? The answer is found in 2 Samuel. "Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord and what is my family, that You have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in Your sight, O Sovereign Lord, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign Lord?" 2 Samuel 7:18-19. In order for David to learn, to grow, he needed to get to know God. David needed to find answers to all the things pertaining to his life as a man, husband, father, and king. He very well could have gone off on his own way seeking knowledge and power from others around him. He c...

I am sure we have all heard the saying, "Things are not always what they seem." Well, it's true! I like the Book of Proverbs. It gives us great insight and wisdom, if we pay attention to what is being said. For instance: Did you know that Proverbs warns us that we can be deceived into believing that we are going down a right path and yet be heading towards death, the opposite of God's will? "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25. People do not naturally seek God or pursue righteousness. It is only as the Spirit awakens our hearts to the Person of Christ that we are able to desire God's will. If we make decisions apart from the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I think that we will end up like a ship that is trying to sail without a compass. We'll do what makes the most sense, based on our own wisdom, but what looks attractive to us may actually lead us to sin, ultimately destroying what is prec...

Adam and Eve did everything they could to avoid taking responsibility for their sin. Adam blamed his wife: "She gave me of the tree." He even pointed an accusing finger at God saying: "It was the woman you gave me." Then Eve blamed the serpent: "The serpent deceived me and I ate." God ignored their excuses and announced the judgment they would face as consequences for their disobedience. "And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" Genesis 3:11. One of the problems of mankind is that we constantly refuse to take responsibility for our actions. We want to blame others for all of our problems: Our parents did not raise us well; our friends let us down; our pastor was not a good enough preacher; our children are rebellious; our employer is not sensitive enough; our spouse is not understanding; there is not enough time in the day....man the excuses are unlimited! Fri...

It's amazing when I think about all the times that God has called someone to service, then they make an excuse about why they can't serve where God has called them. Throughout the pages of Scripture you will find this over and over again. Consider Gideon, God called him to lead his people against a nation that had been oppressing them for years. The Midianites were so oppressive that Scripture says that the Israelites left their homes and took to the hills. They started living in caves and strongholds. Whenever they planted crops, they were taken. Their livestock was taken. Everything they needed to survive was ripped from them by the Midianites and they cried out to God for help. God's answer was to call upon Gideon to lead the nation Israel against the Midianites. But, Gideon decided that he shouldn't be the one to do it. "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." Judges 6...

I am going to be bold and state that I sometimes think that asking God for a miracle may indicate a lack of faith. Let me explain: Some of us feel that we demonstrate great faith by continually asking God for miracles. We assume that in every situation God wants to do the spectacular. We might presume, for example, that God wants to heal anyone who is sick or provide a miraculous escape from every difficulty we face. Jesus only chose to heal one man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (John 5:1-8). And, out of the twelve disciples, all but one suffered horrible deaths in the name of Christ. Jesus condemned those who insisted that He perform miracles, because He knew their hearts. Jesus recognized that they could not believe Him without constantly undergirding their faith with signs and wonders. Their faith was not strong enough to survive without a regular supply of the miraculous. Jesus condemned this lack of faith and left them. "A wicked and adulterous generation seek...

If we ever start to feel that we are so insignificant that God does not care about us or that He does not want to listen to our prayers, we should remember what Paul wrote to us in Romans 8:32. In this verse we are assured that our heavenly Father loves us unconditionally. There was nothing so precious to Him that He would not give it up in order to provide for our salvation. When the Father gave His precious Son to save us, He proved once and for all that His love for us is boundless. "He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32. Paul concluded that if God would not spare His own Son in order to provide for our salvation, how would He not willingly give anything else at His disposal in order to care for us? He sacrificed so much to give us eternal life that we can rest secure in the knowledge that He also wants to give us abundant life. Friends, in light of what God did for ...