The image and likeness we should resemble is Jesus Christ himself. A
person's true character and identity is what is on the inside of him or
her rather than their external features. The heart of a man and their
willingness to press forward to achieving anything worthwhile takes
drive, determination and dedication.
It is a personal connection, a
personal conversation, and a personal commitment to God to find
yourself being cleansed to stay in fellowship with Him. The cleansing
agent is the blood of Jesus and the confession of sin in our lives. The
scriptures teach, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful, just and will
forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I John 1: 9. This
verse lets us know we need to take a spiritual bath daily because we all
sin in some form of another every day. "To know to do good, and not do
good is sin." James 4:17.
The marks of being a religious person is
something we do not want to resemble. Why have an outer appearance that
seems to be clean and undefiled, while on the inside of one's heart
there is filth and deceit? First, the inside of a person needs to be
cleansed, then our outer appearance should follow without being
hypocrisy. Matthew 23:25-26.
As Christians, we are to live in love
with one another and be sincere with the love that is being shown to
others. We should use our God given gifts He has bestowed upon us as we
serve one another. Romans 12: 8. As we mature in our Christian faith let
us serve God joyfully, wholeheartedly, and without compromise. If God
said it, believe it, if God said do it, then be obedient and do it. As
the Holy Spirit speaks to your spirit only you and Him know what has
been said and placed on your heart and spirit to do.
As we obey
and act upon the leading of the Holy Spirit change comes to our heart
and mind. The Bible states God looks at the heart of man, rather than
our outward appearance. 2 Chronicles 16: 9. When we trust God we are
showing Him we are committed to Him and his ways of doing things. As
Christians, we are to grow each and every day of our spiritual lives,
living with faith, hope, and love.
Is your house in order? The best way to get your house in order is
by accepting Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior. His presence will
help you obey the commands in the Bible. And more importantly, the Bible
teaches us about who Jesus is and what He has done on our behalf. He
died for all of our sins, past, present, and future.
Most
Christians struggle with some sort of sin regardless of their maturity
level. This of course does not give us a right or license to sin, but it
does give us an awareness of His presence in our lives when our fleshly
desires tempt us to do something we know is not godly or wholesome. A
change of mind with a Godly view in mind and a willingness to obey will
overcome the many temptations we face.
No comments:
Post a Comment