by David Brenneman
Living in the moment for the wrong reasons is easy to do in our world in which we live today. We easily also try to live in the emotion of the moment, this too is in error. Our feelings and our emotions can wreck us in ways that can take days, months, even years to overcome.
Living for Jesus, the hymn, has a lot of truth in it.
"Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me."
There's that word again. That one that Jesus used. "All."
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength.
What else did He say? Oh yes. Those would seek their life must lose it. Those who lose their life for His sake and the Gospel's sake...will find it. Therein is the implied "all" again. All of your life. Not some...all.
It's also very very interesting how Satan just wants to not give up in regards to that 'all' thing. Convincing many to compromise. To not quite give up EVERYTHING to live a life for Jesus. Wait, give up everything? There's common sense giving up of things and there's those things that require none to understand are not God-honoring.
We're not to elevate people, places, things, above our relationship with Jesus. When there's a struggle...then you know you have identified someone, some place and or some thing that you are divided about.
It can be just anything from what seems inconsequential to those things that are rather profoundly overwhelming.
Satan's first thing with Believer's is to find a way to get our minds OFF of living for Jesus. To get our attention, even for a moment, away from the eternal life that awaits.
We talked again just yesterday at the Men's Group that I go to about HALT. Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired. Those are the times that we're the most vulnerable to Satan's influence.
Another key area of incorrect living is when we have fallen into HALT and fall farther from the beaten path that we're to be on in Christ. We start making choices that take us from what we were called to be doing in the body of Christ. People get to us...and we shut down. Rather than realizing the truth.
We're to live a life that honors what Jesus sacrificed Himself for.
We're to live a life that honors everything that He lived and died for...which the free gift of salvation that's only in Him.
We're to live a life that leads people to Jesus. If we're not doing that, then what are we doing?
Our conduct, and our speech either are showing people Jesus, or we're not.
We're never 'off duty' in Christ.
We're never 'on vacation' in Christ.
Jesus said nothing of 'down time' from serving or living a God honoring life. Not once in 4 versions of the Gospel will you find that there's an exception to taking up your own cross and following Jesus.
No where will you find AFTER Matthew, Mark, Luke or John anything written about there being an exception that allows us to put our cross down that Jesus told us to take up.
Hollywood, the mainstream news, the various forms of media and social media all would have you think otherwise. Psychologist's would have you think otherwise. Certainly the entire 'entertainment' industry would have you think otherwise. They would you rather drop what you're doing and focus on you for your own sake.
Jesus said to take up our own cross and follow Him...also He said: “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it." Matthew 10:37-39 NASB
Are you living a life that is growing in Christ? That's correct living.
Are you living a life that shows that you love the Lord your God the way Jesus said? That's correct living.
Are you living a life that says "Jesus is here"? That's correct living.
We're to live our lives in such a way that those outside the body of Christ see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. Is that you? If so...that's correct living.
We have one life to live....and we're born in THIS here and THIS now for a singular purpose and it's not to own the best of this or that. It's not to accumulate this or that. It's not anything that the world recommends. That singular purpose is whatever we're called to be doing in Christ Jesus. Speak the truth in love...that truth being the Word of God...which is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, training in righteousness that the man or woman of God would be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Are you going to be one of those crying when you stand before Jesus because you KNOW you got it wrong and you KNOW that He knows? Your beginning and up til now might not have been the greatest in living for Jesus...but you CAN start today and until either you're taken home to be with Him or the Rapture of the Church happens...you CAN get it right.
Jesus left us a Helper, the Holy Spirit who would be here to teach us all things that He commanded.
Are you listening to Him? Have you learned anything from Him lately? If not, why not?
I don't write for the sake of writing...when prompted to write, that's when I do. This too is living for Jesus. We're not always going to know why we do or why we were told to do what we've done in Christ...we're to trust and obey.
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