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In today’s society, taking ones Salvation seriously seems to be a significant challenge. Since our Salvation is a free gift from God, not earned, as in many things we receive without much effort, we treat it lightly. We have forgotten that Christ literally died for this gift. It was the most brutal form of death known to mankind at the time. Yet He died willingly, so He could have a chance to meet you and welcome you into His home.
Christ’s death and resurrection is the single most significant happening in the history of the world! Yet we treat it like yesterdays bath water. Please allow me a little time to try to bring us back inline with God’s plan for our lives and behavior. And please also know that I’m included in the mix. I’m not perfect, nor am I on a pedestal looking down on you the reader. I’m standing next to you just as guilty as anyone.
Let me start by asking you if you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior? If not I hope you do soon Because as soon as you do accept Christ into your life, you life will change for the better. Christ will live within your being and guide you as you walk on this Earth. Just make these written words a prayer: Father please forgive me of my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Please help me to make better decisions and walk according Your will, not mine. Thank you God loving me enough to allow Your son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins. Thank you Lord, Amen.
If you said that prayer all of the Angels in Heaven are having a big fat party on your behalf right now. Welcome to the family. I look forward to spending eternity in Heaven with you and a lot of other people.
So at this point I’m going to continue as if everyone reading is a Christian. If that’s not the case, please continue to read along. It’s not going to hurt anything anyway. We have all accepted Christ as our Savior and have been living a Christian life since then. But I can tell you from experience that it’s not always popular, nor accepted in certain circles. It’s in those cases when we have a decision to make: Am I going to walk away from God and an eternity in Heaven, just to be with these people who deny Christ and couldn’t care less about what He has done for them? Or am I going to stand on my Christian faith and values and grab God’s hand as I walk away and onto that eternity in Heaven? It’s not necessarily that easy is it?
Do you think was easy for any of the Disciples on the day Jesus was arrested? They ran like scared sheep, just as He had told them they would. Of course their very lives were at stake, but what about your situation? Is it that extreme? Let’s look at some Scriptures that deal with this very topic.
James 4:7-8: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Earlier in the book of James he defines a “Double-minded” person as “unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8) Man that hurts!
It’s human nature that we want to be accepted by others and have friends around. But as a Christian we need to be a bit more picky, if you will, who we have in our inner circles. Do we shun everyone who is not a Christian? Not at all. We have a duty to live the christian lifestyle before them so that will notice a difference in our lives. I have a friend who in years past managed a video game store in our area. One day one of the other mall employees came to him and asked “OK Paul, what is it, how much does it cost and where can I get it?” Meaning what drugs are you on. Paul;’s response was immediate and without hesitation. He replied “It’s Jesus, He’s free and you can meet Him right here, right now.” That person passed on the invitation. Cit amazes me that people are looking for anything but God. No Jesus, no Salvation, no miracles in their future, no relationship with the One that created everything, even them. As a minister that tears my guts out. As a person it makes me shake my head in wonder.
As Christians we have a huge task before us: Living a life in front of others that shows that we are different. Whether you think so or not, people are watching you closely. Any little tiny thing you do will, in their mind, give them an excuse to live an ungodly life. IN their mind, they’re just as good as you are, and they’re exactly correct. The only difference between you is that you asked forgiveness of your sins. It didn’t make you perfect, just forgiven. And every time you sin you ask forgiveness again and again and again and again until your dead. And that’s exactly what you tell them when they throw that at you. Don’t tuck your tail and walk away in defeat. Tell them what the difference is. It’s a significant difference, but so easy to fix. Then ask if they will let you help them ask forgiveness too. And that’s how you stand tall when the devil tries to cut you down.
write by Cyril / Cyrus