All in Christian
Do you wear the armor of God when you go out into the world? Do you put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit? When you put these on do you consider yourself fully clothed and ready to face whatever evil the day brings? Well my friend, although we count our armor as complete, there is one piece lacking that is crucial, and we seldom list it as being part and parcel of our armor.
As Christians we study a great deal on the life of Jesus, and we focus heavily on the cross, but there is one fact that we minimize... Jesus was always doing the will of God. Jesus rose in the morning to speak with His Father, continued speaking with Him all day long, and then spoke to Him before retiring in the evening. Why did He do this, and why should we likewise be in constant conversation with God?
Are you so embarrassed and disappointed in your sins that you shy away from God when He calls for you? Do you think that what you have done is so abhorrent to the Lord that just the sight of you will cause Him to shudder and withdraw? Well our God doesn’t see you as a sinner, but as forgiven, washed clean and made worthy by the blood of Christ. Because of Jesus God sees you as who you are, and what you are becoming, and not as who you once were. His love is made complete in you once again by His grace.
Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. It was there that He announced “It is finished” and in so doing proclaimed our debt of sin as having been paid. He had completed what He has come to do; He had done the will of God in this matter, but now we owe Him our lives. To Him we must honor a life debt, and live for Him.
You asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, and you know that He gave Himself on the cross so that you would be redeemed, saved from sin, but it was not merely the act of dying that purified you... it was His blood. Death alone does not wash us clean, no, it is the blood of Christ... the very life that flowed within Him.
Do you wake up in the morning with thanksgiving, and a song of praise on your lips for the Lord? If you answer no to this question then I ask that you make those first few breaths and thoughts the purposeful belongings of God. Doing this one thing will realign your day physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It will change your life.
We concentrate on all the things we give up to become righteous, and wallow in statements of sacrifice, but by doing so it is like reading the story of Pinocchio, and never acknowledging that in the end he became a real boy. In pursuing our faith so many of us attempt to eternally strap ourselves to the disappointment in our fallen lives, and miss the amazing and glorious ending that has been won for us by grace through Jesus. Who are you, the sad wooden puppet, or the vibrant and joyful boy?
Is God active in your life right now, or are you waiting on Him? There are times in our relationship with God when our faith feels like it is adrift on a calm sea without the slightest hint of a breeze in our sails, but at other times the wind is brisk and our sails are full and tight as we speed forward; cutting through the waves with the spray in our face. What are you experiencing right now, the calm sea, the exhilaration of the wind, or the fear of a storm?
Unless we die of some tragic accident or illness, each of us will find ourselves at a point where the strength of our body will have reached its summit, and the slow decline towards death will have begun. We jokingly call this being “over the hill” but isn’t it wonderful to know that while the aging of our bodies looks like a bell curve, our spiritual life is an ever rising inclined plain. Our transitory physical nature is giving way to achieving eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Were you perfect in the sight of God yesterday, or was it a bad day for you? Did you make it all the day long without sinning once, or were there those moments when you lost control of your tongue, or stepped otherwise into sin? Each of us falls short of perfection in the eyes of God, but that is no reason to stop striving for it. We have a wonderful eraser on the end of our pencil of faith that removes all of our mistakes and perfects us in the end... Jesus Christ.
How do you choose to go about your day? Do you adhere to the scripture which says “pray without ceasing” and contemplate your prayers, wondering when God will answer, no? Then perhaps you contemplate the nature of God and Jesus Christ all the day long, still no?” Well, do you think much about them, and your faith at all? We each have a way and an intensity with which we approach our faith... how do you go about yours? Maybe you are predominately a thinker, a sturdier, a doer, or, God forbid, someone who just blows the dust from his faith on Sundays and Holy days.
When you pray do you refer to God as your Father? When you call Him by this name is it an official title, or a loving one? Sometimes we get confused about who a father is intended to be, and think to give him our respect without remembering to love him. We treat him as the head of the household, but lose sight of how much we love him and he loves us. Do we treat God the Father as a King, or do we love Him with all our heart?
Have you been a Christian for many years, so many that you have now grown dull in your faith with the thrill of it diminishing? Are the things of faith that were once new and thrilling now routine and expected? If so then it is time to reminisce with the Lord, and praise Him anew for blessings long past. Remember the touch of His love, and the awe of His power.
Are you feeling trapped in a life of sin, or perhaps you find yourself in the throws of great temptation, and don’t know how you can save yourself? Well if this is the case, look to the Lord God because it is His intention to redeem you from your sin, and to save you from all temptation.
From the house of David comes the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. He wasn’t made new from the dust as a more perfect model of man, no, and he didn’t come from heaven as a perfected being... He was every bit a man, and yet God as well. He knows what we feel, and the troubles that face us; after all, He was tempted as we are and faced each of our human trials. This makes Jesus our perfect comforter, and lamb of sacrifice... He was chosen from the people.