Are we satisfied with our bodies and the way that we live? Do we work at improving ourselves in righteousness so that we will not be disappointed by the things we do? Are we living in joy, or is our existence sad and mournful? I ask all of this so that we can answer these questions... would we be embarrassed to ask God to take up residence with us in our bodies, and live side by side with our true thoughts? Would He be as pleased with us as He is with Jesus?
Are you a blessing to the Lord in all the things you do, the praise you give, and the worship to enter into, or do you just do good and moral things? Do you look to God for provision, healing, salvation, enlightenment, and other such blessings, or do you consider these things to be the result of the moral life you lead, and of your own doing? You acknowledge God, you believe Jesus Christ lived, but do you believe that they are just as as alive and active in your life today as in the times of the early saints? What is your expectation of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in your life?
The world looks at the strength of the faithful, and not only marvels at it, but fears it, and looks for ways to subdue it. When you were first saved, and returned to your everyday life as a changed person, full of a new life and joy, how long did it take before those around you asked what made you so happy, and strong? Then... how long was it before they started trying to stick knives in your faith? Those living without a faith in God and Jesus Christ either want to be like us, or they look to bring us low once again so that they can feel safe in their lack of faith.
Do you pray for your pastor, reverend, priest, or other spiritual leaders, and do you make intercession for them on a regular basis? We are inclined to think that by their position in the church, and the fact that we so often seek their guidance and prayers, that they are above the need for the pitiful prayers of someone such as us... but nothing could be further from the truth.
Does what is happening in the world frighten you? Do you fear for yourself and your family because of the earthly shaking, and evil that surrounds you? Well take heart because we are in the hands of God, and no matter the ominous storms that come racing across the world, He will keep us, and protect us.
Why is it that we look at certain followers of Christ and call them saints, but we are reluctant to refer to ourselves as such? Do you think that sainthood is beyond your reach, or only for some and not others? Well, this is the work of the great deceiver, and sainthood is just as available to you as it was to the apostles, and the early members of the Church. Being a saint should be every Christian’s desire.
Have we confessed our sins, asked forgiveness, and pronounced ourselves believers in Jesus Christ, and yet are not transformed? Do we claim God’s grace, but do nothing more? Well, empty words are like faith without works, hollow and without substance. They are like love without the holding, kisses, and sacrificing of ourselves. We should do more than profess, but live what we have claimed.
Is your faith consistent and always looking out at the sun from the mountaintop, or do you go up the mountain only to slide back down a ways and then begin the climb again? Do you find that you can’t hold onto the joy of those amazing days of faith, and find yourself slipping back towards your old sinful self? Well, maintaining our faith requires us to be more than a pine branch in a fire that pops and cracks as it burns bright for a moment... then dies quickly down.
Do we pray and hear only silence in return? Are we satisfied to live out our spiritual lives in the silence of God? Well this is not what a faithful soul should expect; our lives should be spent seeking, listening, and obeying the voice of God. When we have become content with silence we have become accustomed to being separated from God, and this should be fearful and torturous to us.
In our present time men look to find secrets concerning how Jesus Christ should be worshiped, or some new hidden way of looking at faith that would justify the way we live, but other than by imagined contriving there is no redefinition of truth... no justification for sin, or hidden grace.
Do we give thanks to God as we should? Are our words the outpouring of our hearts, and the underlying foundation of our thankfulness a true and firm love of Him? It is not enough to thank the Lord when He has been exceedingly good to us, but in all things. Do we do this in sincerity, or maybe the question should be... do we do this at all?
You have prayed that the Lord would reveal His will to you, and you have been obedient in it, but do you have the patience and endurance necessary as you await His promise? We love to work, and to accomplish things, but waiting is not one of man’s great virtues, or strongpoints. Can you wait patiently for God’s promise?
Are you wandering in your faith, or worse than that are you lost in it? Do you want to go home, but not how to get there? Sometimes we become lost for no reason of our own, we think we know where we are until suddenly we realize that we are lost. At other times it is because we didn’t follow directions, but occasionally we are intentionally led away and left to our own devices. All of this can happen to us in our journey of faith, but Jesus, and our Holy Father come to find us.
God wants to walk among us, to be our God, and for us to be His people, but are we making ourselves presentable to Him? Have we become so involved with modern day idols like money, fame, riches, power, sex, or some other powerful influence over our lives that we have placed God second, third, or maybe way down the chain of importance in our lives? God wants to be first in our lives but dies the smell of our sin repulse Him?
By believing in God, and having knowledge of Him, God gives us life and godliness, but what do we do with them? Do we practice our faith to it’s fullest, or do we attempt to wear it around our neck like a trophy; something we take pride in having achieved? Scripture tells us that we should be more than just the recipients of God’s grace, but to partake of it, and escape the corruption of the world.