Tag Archives: Life in Christ

From the lighter side to the serious side of salvation….part 1

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I posted this cartoon by Mike Waters at www.joyfuultoons.com yesterday. I am using by permission, thank you Mr. Waters.
 
I also posted it to start and to provoke thought. We need to see the lighter side of life, but we also need to check in and ask ourselves a few questions once in a while.
 
Many of us take it by happen-stance we are good people, and most people are. But just being good doesn’t get you to heaven.
 
Some people are saved, “I’ll get to heaven.” and praise the Lord I am grateful for that, but that isn’t where it stops.
 
So many of us/people miss out on so much more of what the Lord has for us.
 
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.We can allow and let oursselves be distracted from the blessings of the Lord. Our enemy, satan, that ol’ devil, is a theif and he wants to not only distrract us from the abundant life God has prepared for us but to steal, kill and distroy us in any way he can. He can not do any of this wiht out our permission or the permission of God. the enemy will have more of grip and chokehold in your life if you choose to walk iin your own ways and desires. You can choose o walk in the world and enjoy the pleasures for a season. (Hebrews 11:24-26; Job 36:21; Psalms 84:10; Luke 12:19-21…try to take the time to read these Scriptures, they my enlighten you, Scripture has a way of doing that.)Our Christian walk or way of life or abundant life He has prepared for us, is a relationship. Jesus desires a relationship with YOU…with me.

Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Don’t allow yourself to be caught doing your “own thing”. Joshua 24:15 say “choose you this day whom you will serve.” we need to make  conscious choice each day to whom we are going to serve. Ourselves or the Lord.

Matthew 25:1-13
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Song of Songs 5:2-6
2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. 3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. 5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. 6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

 
I have left you with the chapter to where the caption verse of this cartoon came from. I encourage you to read it in its full content.  I trust it will speak to your hearts as it did to mine this time I read it.
 
Romans chapter 6
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
We have life in and through Christ. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you were baptized into His death; you were buried with Him; you were also raised into life with Him.
 
Look at is this way, if we’re died with Christ, we are dead to sin. we sin because we want to. Go to the cemetary, do you see people sinning. Of course not, they are dead and buried. Well in like fashion so are we who have accepted the death and resurrection of Christ. If we died with Him we also rose in life as Christ, we are a heavenly creature. We no longer are under the law but grace. We longer have to keep ourselves, it is God that has done that for us through the acceptance of His death and resurrection. We no longer ar servants of sin, we now are freely able to choose to serve Jesus freely.
 
I trust God’s grace to enlighten you with the hope we have  in Him as we draw closer to Him in the relationship He so desires to have with you and me. 
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What is this life all about?

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Many people, Christian and non-Christian ask the question, “What is this life all about?” “What am I doing here and why?” there are many other questions that we all have asked ourselves from time to time.

This life we live is not about us. So many times we have our theories of life all backwards and twisted around every which way, but the right way. So what is the right way and why is not this life about me, it’s my life isn’t it?

Our life is a gift. Everyday is a gift. The gift of this life is from God, the creator of heaven and earth. (Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 2:4-5  These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, [5] And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.) The One that created you. (Genesis 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Psalm 100:3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.)

This is what many Christian think this life is about. Matthew 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

This is so incredibly true. But there is so much more to this life in Christ than salvation. Yes, I am heaven bound, and so are you if you have accepted Christ as your Savior. Praise God!!!! I want more! I don’t know about you, but I want more than just knowing I will go to heaven with Jesus for eternity.

It is much like getting to know my husband or a friend. You can go to them shake their hand, say “hi, how do you do, how are you,” then go about your day. Later, yu may see each other and “how’s the weather at your place,” “it’ kinds breezy and cool over here.” What is that all about? I know them, but then again I don’t know them at all. I want to know what makes my husband tick and what things my friend likes or doesn’t….and so on. This all takes time.

It is called a relationship. Relationships take time to build. They take much from you and not expecting anything in return. That may seem one-sided. But as one gives of themselves to another, sooner or later the other will respond. That is what Jesus did with us. He gave His all for us, now it is up to us how we respond to Him. Here is a small example to what Jesus did for us.

John 3:16 
    For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Matthew 18:11-13 
    For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. [12] How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? [13] And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

John 10:7-16 
    Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. [8] All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. [9] I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. [10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. [11] I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. [12] But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. [13] The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. [14] I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. [15] As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16] And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

John 10:27 
    My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

This is a relationship. He has been creating for us. What is my response.

Psalm 73:28 
    But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

Hebrews 4:16 
    Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 7:19 
    For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Hebrews 10:22 
    Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

James 4:8 
    Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Rev. 3:20 
    Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This is what Jesus wants from us, to respond in inviting Him in so that we may know Him. Just as Mary chose the good part…she sat and learned at His feet…listening to Him…not telling Him how thing were to be as her sister did… but resting and leaning of Him. (Luke 10:38-42…also look at Matthew 10:28-30)

God bless yo and may you find the hope Christ has for you in this relationship of grace with Him.