Christian Living

Christian Living

“See that none render (repay) evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.” (1 Thessalonians 5 v 15)

Believer’s joy, prayers and thankfulness to God should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings. To constantly – rejoice, keep praying, and give thanks – often goes against our natural inclinations. When we make a conscious decision to do what God says, we will begin to see people in a new perspective and find it easier to remain joyful and thankful.

We cannot spend all our time on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times. The attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realising His presence within us, and determining to obey him fully. A prayerful attitude is not a substitute for regular times of prayer, but should be an out-growth of those times.

As new Christians, we cannot avoid all evil and sin because we live in a sinful world. We can, however, make sure that we do not give evil a foothold in our lives, by avoiding tempting situations and concentrating on obeying God. The spirit, soul and body are important parts of each person and it is imperative that God is involved in every aspect of our lives both spiritually and physically. It is wrong to think we can separate our spiritual lives from everything else, obeying God only in some areas or living for him only one day each week.

We must surrender to allow God to control all of us. In essence every believer’s objective must be to aim for perfection in Jesus Christ.

“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Colossians 1 v 27)

The word perfect means mature or complete, not flawless. God wants believers to mature spiritually. We must therefore work and strive, but we do not do it in our own strength. We have the power of God’s Spirit working in us. We can learn and grow daily motivated by love, not fear or pride.

Jesus Christ’s death provided a way for all people to come to God (to be reconciled). It removed the sin that keeps us from having a right relationship with our Creator. This allows anyone who will believe in Jesus Christ to be forgiven and saved. No individual is good enough to save him/herself. If we want to live eternally with Jesus Christ, we must depend totally on God’s grace. This is true whatever our sin, evil, wickedness, shortcomings may have been in the past.

We have all sinned repeatedly, and any sin is enough to cause us to come to Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life. Apart from Christ, there is no other way for our sin to be removed.

You can live victoriously by;

1.      Committing your life and submitting your will to God.

2.      Seeking to learn from Jesus Christ, his life and his teachings.

3.      Recognise the Holy Spirit’s power in you. (Acts 1 v 8) (Galatians 5 v 16-26)

Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, is the beginning of a new life. But you must continue to follow His leadership by being rooted, built up and established in Him.