TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY APRIL 19, 2017.
CHRISTIAN LIFE
DEFINITION:
The condition of having faith in God and Jesus Christ and being obedient to God’s commandments and conforming to Jesus’ teachings in the way we live.
To know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19.
We decided on this word today because it is very noticeable that many who claim to be Christians are not committed to living a Christian life. The reasons are many but none of the reasons are acceptable in God's sight.
The culture of today’s society demands one to be politically correct and not Biblically correct. As a result, Christians are yielding to the pressures of society to be accepting and inclusive and politically correct and as a result they compromise their Christian standards. In a society where anything goes, out goes Judeo-Christian values. Society becomes evil and godless.
Living a Christian life today is not easy, but God never promised us that it would be easy. God has given us a wonderful beginning to a Christian life when we accepted His salvation. At the time that we accepted Christ as our Savior our Christian life begins. Our Savior expects us to live our Christian life daily from that point on, a life fully given to God, and a God-centered life.
In the 1800's there was a town in Texas named TEXLINE that was a thriving center with several thousand residents. It was built because of the commerce that came to them as a result of a railroad line. But then came along industrialization and things changed. People left the small towns for the big cities that sprung up around the new factories.
By the year 2000 most of the shops in Texllne were closed and the population had dwindled to less than 400. Today Texline is just a place on the map with a city limits sign at both ends of the town and a few houses in between. It bears small resemblance to what it once was. It had no means to grow.
This reminds us of what kind of waste our Christian life can be if we choose not to give God our whole life to serve Him. From the time of our salvation (the "now entering" city limits sign) till we go to be with the Lord (the "now leaving" city limits sign) we determine what is in between. For many people their Christian life is like a town that has dwindled to nothing. They have never sought to grow in their knowledge of the Lord. They are missing out on all that God desires to give them and all that God could do through them.
A rich and full life is available to all who believe in Jesus and serve Him. In the verse we have put above, the Apostle Paul prayed that all believers would "be filled with the fullness of God." Paul lived an abundant life and Jesus said while He was here on this earth that He wanted us to know life "abundantly" (John 10:10).
There is a two-sided reality to the Christian life. The minute we accept Jesus as our Savior we are justified through our faith and made right with God. Our salvation is complete through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Through our salvation, we have peace with God.
But the second side of the Christian life is that we still must face the temptations of this evil world and the problems of life. God uses the trials and temptations we face daily in life to help us grow spiritually. It is through our troubles that we learn to call on God and to depend on the power available to us through the Holy Spirit sent by God to live in us. It is through this growing process that we are drawn closer to God and filled with the fullness of God.
When we have the fullness of God we have everything we need. We have all we need for our salvation and all we need to live right. God's fullness enriches our life and brings grace and peace to us in abundance. Jesus came not just to give us life but that we might have life abundantly. The life Jesus gives us is richer and fuller and most importantly it is eternal.
Here is the big question for us today: How many of us experience even a small part of the abundant life Jesus promised to those who are faithful to Him? We must ask ourselves if we are missing out on God's best in our lives.
God desires to give us a marvelous beginning with our salvation and a great ending in Glory. But what our life (our city) is like in between is our choice. Is your Christian life today all that God expects of you?
Our memory verse for this week is found in II Timothy 3:16.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Thank You Lord for the salvation You have given me and the sure hope of spending an eternity with You. I commit myself this day to making the most of my spiritual journey as long as You leave me on this earth. Help me to grow in my knowledge of You so that I can experience as much as I can from You and be prepared to share Your love with those I meet today.
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