The Desire for Contentment, Wholeness, and Life

Christ is the answer you've been looking for.


A mentor of mine once said that God's commandments are not a prison to keep us trapped in but a high wall to keep evil out. If only people were taught that every choice made brings some form of consequence (good or bad) and that peer pressure, while I'm sure continues in some form throughout someone's life, can lead a person down paths they never thought they would travel with people they know for merely a brief time whom themselves follow the crowd as not to appear different, can be overcome by finding one's identity and purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ.


It is through God alone that people can find the strength to not go along with the crowd. It is through His intervention and work in one's life that people are free to live as whole and healthy human beings that desire to honor Christ above their own gratification and who can more clearly see that we were put on this earth to know our Creator and not to live selfishly for ourselves. Without such knowledge, I am afraid to say that people will continually search for a joy and fulfillment that will never actually satisfy because anything this world has to offer was never meant to satisfy us. It has been said that every person has a God-shaped hole in their heart and that to love and know Him is one's greatest privilege and what makes us most fully content. To be at peace with God is to know true happiness, to be pardoned of all one's sins from the past and to gain the strength and help needed to walk in His ways in the present. His forgiveness is total and though we will never obtain being sinless and will always be tempted, we can (through the regular reading of God's word, studying Christian resources and Apologetic materials to learn how to articulate and share what we believe and why we believe it, seeking Biblical Counsel to deal with issues or sinful patterns in our lives, having accountability partners and godly friends/mentors who speak truth into our lives and help us grow as individuals) become more like Christ as time goes on. He is our example and our lives are to emulate Him. We are to pattern our entire existence around being a proper representative of Jesus and an ambassador for His Kingdom. As Christians, we are to live in full surrender and submission to God's perfect will and the work He desires to do in and through our lives. We are to take His word seriously and attend church weekly as to hear His word taught, participate in public worship, and fellowship with other believers. We are to commit our lives to being used by Him and it would both honor God and do us well to live with the following quote by Betty Scott Stam in mind:


"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my time, my all, utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

The Differences Between Religion and the Gospel

By Timothy Keller

RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted.
THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.


RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.


RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God.
THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.


RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or my self, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.


RELIGION: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism.


RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
THE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.


RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate. I’m not confident. I feel like a failure.
THE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of my self as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.


RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to “the other.”
THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.


RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about God.
THE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

Celebrating the King of kings

Merry Christmas!


In the midst of busyness, events you might not want to attend, family members you'd rather not see, loneliness, loss, and whatever else has the potential of stealing your joy on this remarkable day, delight and find solace in the fact:


"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9: 6


Cling to Christ, cherish His word, and rest in Him. Treasure the priceless gift of God's Son and rejoice in the rich truth that having a right relationship with Almighty God and possessing the gift of eternal life through Him is far more valuable than any earthly comforts could afford.


Don't allow yourself to get caught up in the comparison trap. Focus on the King of kings and Lord of lords this day, bringing honor and praise to His name for what He has done.

Living Fully for the One Who Gave His Life for Us

As recently posted in the Emma Joy Weekly Newsletter

Many Choices Pale in Comparison


What are you living for? What makes you get up in the morning? What do you look forward to doing each day or are willing to wait for with expectation? What brings you happiness or makes you feel like you have arrived? What gives you a sense of security that if it were taken, your world would crumble?


Is it weekends out with friends? Popularity? The pursuit and attainment of wealth? Physical beauty? Hobbies? Your kids? Pursuing a college degree? Buying expensive clothing and shoes or nice furnishings for the home? The hope of taking a long-awaited vacation? A promotion at work? ...


I would submit that most of the stuff we cling to and hope for can often serve as a distraction from fully rejoicing in and living for Jesus; the One who gave His life for us.


Too often do we let the days, weeks, and months go by with little regard to how we can make an impact in the lives of others for eternity or where we sit humbly at Jesus' feet and simply rest in Him.


We might not be able to remember the last time we studied Biblical resources, made weekly attendance in church a priority, or picked up our Bible to devour.


What a concept, isn't it? To devour the word of God? But I'm convinced that is precisely what God wants of us! To so treasure it that we acknowledge God before we start our day through reading it or listening to an Audio Bible. To pray Scripture and memorize it. To take God's word seriously and let it fuel our passion for Him. To show us our need for Him and how far we are from being the people He calls us to be (yet still He faithfully intervenes and works in our lives despite our willful rebellion, disinterest at times, or if we were honest, boredom). God uses His word to give us a correct view of who He is, how He sees sin, to show us what Jesus has accomplished on behalf of sinners, to give examples of people who took Him seriously and gave God His proper place in their lives, and to warn us of the consequences of sin.


Would you like to join me in committing to read God's word faithfully from this day forward? We can keep each other accountable, make known our progress, and share what we are studying and learning through church and our own pursuit of Jesus by excellent sermons, books, videos, and articles by Christian speakers and thinkers who teach God's word in an accurate manner, in a thought-provoking, life-transforming way. A few of my favorite thinkers and speakers (or authors) include:


Ravi Zacharias


Timothy Keller


The speakers of Stand to Reason


John Lennox


I strongly believe reading all of God's word (both Old and New Testaments) is crucial to understand God's heart, character, will, and salvation. It's so easy to overlook what a treasure chest the Bible is because we are so focused on what is temporary. Seriously, let's commit to reading His word daily and praying each day that God would renew our minds through our intake of it (Romans 12: 2) and give us a love for His word, the desire and willingness to read it, and the joy that results from keeping Jesus first in our lives.


Months ago, my Uncle said, "...Continue on your path of righteousness. Life is like getting in shape, working out to see physical results of our efforts. When we practice our faith in God, it may take a while to see manifestations of God's hand shaping our spiritual lives; this takes perseverance, patience and faith. There have been so many times in my life, even now, that I feel so distant from God, but I am able to hold fast to what I have learned through my years of studying and memorizing Scripture."


Here are a few books that present valid evidence for the claims of the Bible and Christianity:


Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell


The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel


Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig


The Reason for God by Timothy Keller


I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist by Norman Geisler


Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis


Five Things Every Christian Should be Doing with God's Word


The Importance of Treasuring God's Word


Finding Delight in God's Word


The Book of Proverbs


Next week, I will be posting about the importance of prayer and issuing challenges over the topic, so stay tuned.


Take Jesus seriously. Cling to, believe, delight in, memorize, obey, and hold His word dear. And do read all the posts on my blog regarding God's word. I listed a few above.


Elizabeth and Jim George said, "Nothing else in this world can renew our minds like the Bible, which is: a light to guide us, a rod to correct us, a staff to lead us, a mirror to reveal us, a banquet to feed us, and a rudder to steer us."

Knowing Jesus Should Change Everything

 

 

 

 

The following was taken from one of my favorite movies, "Bringing Up Bobby".  I love this scene and the influence James has on his younger brother, Bobby.  I appreciate the conversations he has with him throughout the movie about God and what really matters in life.

 

 

James:  ...Your attitudes, your desires, everything changes when you're a Christian.  It's a matter of priorities.  Jesus has to be number one, the sacrifice of everything else.

 

 

Bobby:  That makes no sense.

 

 

James:  Why?

 

 

Bobby:  You tell me that Jesus died for me, free gift, nothing I could do to earn it.  ...Nothing I can do to earn it.  But, then I have to obey Him.

 

 

James:  Yeah.

 

 

Bobby:  But then, isn't that me earning it?

 

 

James:  All right.  Think about it like this:  You like to wear Goth clothes to identify yourself, right?

 

 

Bobby:  Yeah.

 

 

James:  Because you care about Eric and Megan.  They're your friends.  You want to identify with them, right?

 

 

Bobby:  So?

 

 

James:  So, when you care about someone or something, it shows.  Like, a fan wearing a hat for his favorite team.  "They show their colors".  It's the same thing with God.  If you care about God, it just shows.  You show your colors.  It's not about earning Heaven.  It's about owning it.  A true faith in Jesus as your Savior shapes everything; inside and out.  If what the Bible says is true, nothing else should matter.  Look, you identify with Megan and Eric in a heartbeat, right?  Cool, they're great people.  But none of them could ever do anything as big as pay the price for your sins.  How do you identify yourself?  Through your actions.  If you believe in Jesus, make that commitment.  Dedicate your life to Him.  ...see how this works?

Mere Mortals, Lives Possibly Short-Lived

 

 

 

The brevity of life...

 

A few days ago, a girl I was once close with (we used to spend time together every day and she was my sister's best friend, so she was often over our house and we would go to different places together & built fun memories filled with a lot of laughter) named Melissa passed away.  She had turned 28 years old a few weeks before and had a nine month old daughter.

 

She had a bad migraine headache, took pain medication, went to sleep and never woke up.  It is believed it was a possible overdose.  Because of different surgeries she had, she took prescription medication and was also heavily addicted to pain medication in the past.

 

Melissa was an unbeliever and when one observed her life, there wasn't much of a legacy to show for her nearly 30 years on this earth.

 

Her and I haven't spoken in several years, nor has she been friends with my sister for quite some time.

 

This unexpected event is a reminder to, as C. S. Lewis has said, "Be found at one's post, living each day as though it were our last, but planning as though our world might last 100 years."

 

A lesson learned by her sudden death is to cling to the Savior and never let go.  Jesus is our Rescuer, the One who brings us safely to shore, so to speak, and to think that sin or living selfishly and carelessly while being flippant about our walk with God is worth it is a totally disrespectful and illogical way of thinking.

 

Cling to the Savior...!

Hating Religion, But Loving Jesus

 

"Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"

by Jefferson Bethke

What if I told you, Jesus came to abolish religion?
What if I told you voting republican, really wasn’t His mission?
What if I told you republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian,
And just because you call some people blind, doesn’t automatically give you vision?


If religion is so great, why has it started so many wars?
Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor?
Tells single moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve ever had a divorce,
But in the Old Testament, God actually calls religious people whores.


Religion might preach grace, but another thing they practice,
Tend to ridicule God's people, they did it to John the Baptist.
They can't fix their problems, and so they just mask it,
Not realizing religion's like sprayin' perfume on a casket.


See the problem with religion is it never gets to the core,
It’s just behavior modification, like a long list of chores.
Like, let’s dress up the outside, make it look nice and neat,
But it's funny, that’s what they used to do to mummies, while the corpse rots underneath.


Now I ain’t judging, I’m just saying quit putting on a fake look,
Because there’s a problem if people only know that you’re a Christian by your Facebook.
I mean, in every other aspect of life you know that logics unworthy,
It's like saying you play for the Lakers just because you bought a jersey.


See, this was me too; but no one seemed to be on to me,
Acting like a church kid, while addicted to pornography.
See on Sunday, I’d go to church, but Saturday getting faded,
Acting if I was simply created to just have sex and get wasted.


See, I'd spent my whole life building this façade of neatness,
But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness.
Because if grace is water, then the church should be an ocean,
It's not a museum for good people, it’s a hospital for the broken.


Which means I don't have to hide my failure, I don’t have to hide my sin,
Because it doesn’t depend on me, it depends on Him.
See, because when I was God's enemy and certainly not a fan,
He looked down and said, “I want that man!”


Which is why Jesus hated religion, and for it, He called 'em fools;
Don’t you see He's so much better than just following some rules?
Now let me clarify: I love the church, I love the Bible, and yes, I believe in sin,
But if Jesus came to your church, would they actually let Him in?
See, remember, He was called a glutton and a drunkard by “religious men”,
But the Son of God never supports self-righteousness, not now, not then.
 

Now back to the point, one thing is vital to mention,
How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums.
See, one's the work of God but one's a man-made invention,
One is the cure but the other's the infection.


Because religion says 'Do', Jesus says 'Done'.
Religion says 'Slave', Jesus says 'Son'.
Religion puts you in bondage while Jesus sets you free,
Religion makes you blind, but Jesus makes you see.
 

And that's why religion and Jesus are two different clans,
Religion is man searching for God, Christianity is God searching for man.
Which is why salvation is freely mine, and forgiveness is my own,
Not based on my merits, but Jesus' obedience alone.


Because He took the crown of thorns, and the blood dripped down His face,
He took what we all deserved, I guess that's why you call it grace.
And while being murdered He yelled, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do”,
Because when He was dangling on that cross, He was thinking of you.


And He absolved all your sin, and He buried it in the tomb,
Which is why I'm kneeling at the cross saying, 'Come on, there’s room'.
So for religion, no, I hate it, in fact I literally resent it,
Because when Jesus said, "It is finished", I believe He meant it.

Is Jesus Only a Mere Moral Teacher?

 

 

Don't you think if Jesus Christ was merely a "good moral teacher", that He would have the respect of literally everyone - because after all, good moral teachers would only offer good moral principles to abide by, which we should all consider well and nice in its own right?  Yet Jesus Christ requires a genuine commitment to Him, the acceptance of His salvation on behalf of sinners (every one of us!) and for us to now abide by His word, the Bible, and live in a manner worthy of the God who has redeemed us...not to merely offer lip service and nice spiritual talk pretending or even supposing we are saved, when in reality by how we live is totally contradictory to the way our Savior calls us to live (as ambassadors of Him in this world) and we shrug it off and say, "I'm fine with God."


Are you?


Jesus said in Luke 9: 23, "And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.' "


And to quote John 3: 17, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."


"If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"  Anonymous

Differences Between Mankind and Jesus Christ

 

By Johnathan Ford

There are no greater differences than the ones that exist between mankind and Jesus Christ.


When man faces temptation, he is defeated.
When man is wronged by another, he lashes out in anger, forsaking compassion.
When man is at fault, he still finds a way to glorify himself and avoid the punishment he deserves.
When man tries to save himself, he cannot because he is a captive to his own sin.


When Jesus faced temptation, he prevailed.
When Jesus was wronged by others, he neglected his anger to show compassion, so that they might learn to do the same.
Though Jesus was never at fault, his purpose was never to glorify himself but to take the punishment we deserved.
Jesus had the power to save himself, but chose not to so that we could be delivered from our sin.


I, a sinner, cannot be more thankful for his love.

Avoiding Church Because of All the Hypocrites?

 

Here is the best response to the argument, "I don't want to go to church because it is filled with hypocrites":

 

By Timothy Keller

The mistaken belief that a person must "clean up" his or her own life in order to merit God’s presence is not Christianity.  This means, though, that the church will be filled with immature and broken people who still have a long way to go emotionally, morally, and spiritually.

Hitler and Mother Teresa

"Hitler and Mother Teresa"

by Greg Koukl

What kind of God would allow a Hitler to go to heaven if he believed in Jesus and a Mother Teresa to go to hell if she didn't?

"You're saying that Hitler and Mother Teresa would both suffer the same fate before God if they didn't believe in Jesus?"

The words echoed over the radio airwaves as the host of "Religion on the Line" on ABC's L.A. affiliate station patiently waited for me to answer. I knew the question was coming, but I had no tidy theological retort that would put the ball back into his court.

Someone once said that if you word the question right, you can win any debate. The question that evening was a classic case in point. The host might as well have asked, "Do you still beat your wife?" Simply answering "yes" or "no" wouldn't do.

At the root of this discussion is the issue of Jesus as the only way to salvation. It is one of the biggest stumbling blocks of Christianity to those who are sincerely interested in leading moral lives and working hard to mitigate the impact of evil in the world. To make Jesus the sole issue of salvation seems to ignore the obvious difference between people of conscience and others who are entirely without scruples. Does that make sense?

Radical Surgery Required

Let me give an analogy that may add perspective. All things being equal, it's good to practice healthy living. People who eat their vegetables, get proper rest, exercise sensibly, and don't smoke or drink to excess, generally reap the benefits of longevity and vitality. Those who don't, get sick.

But what if all things aren't equal? What if there's a hidden element, a terminal disease quietly sucking life out of the body? Healthy living does nothing to avert the underlying disease. In that case, the undisciplined junk food addict and the diligent athlete suffer the same fate. The silent tumor breaks its silence; the grave claims them both.

There's a parallel to this in the spiritual realm. On the one hand, it's good to live righteously. Holy living contributes to spiritual health. Those who continually practice sin eventually suffer its consequences.

There's another side to the equation, however, a crucial element too often ignored. Our most valiant attempts at goodness are met with failure because a deep-seated malignancy sucks the life from our efforts. No matter how hard we try, each of us is dying from a spiritual disease no amount of righteous living can heal.

The sad truth is this: Ultimately, no person lives completely right. Sure, they're capable of doing good things, sometimes phenomenal things. Even a dying patient can have healthy eating habits. But good works, like good meals, cannot restore vitality to a diseased patient; they can only maintain it. Restoration must come through surgery.

At first glance, it seems unfair that God wouldn't consider all the good we've done. Think about it, though. When was the last time you received a letter from the D.A. congratulating you for not holding up a bank or shooting your neighbor?

Obedience to the law is expected. A year of good behavior doesn't cancel out a year of lawbreaking, evening up the record. Every person, from the greatest to the least, has broken God's law. That makes them guilty, and guilty people must seek God's surgery: forgiveness. Agreed, some need more forgiveness than others--sometimes much more, just as a disease can ravage one body more violently than another. But every person is fatally stricken, nonetheless.

Ever Heard of the Ten Commandments?

Have you read the Ten Commandments recently? Take a quick inventory by asking yourself these questions.

Have you ever given allegiance to anything else over God in your life or used anything as an object of worship or veneration? Have you ever used God's name in a vain or vulgar fashion? Have you worshipped God on a regular basis? Have you even once disobeyed or dishonored your parents? Have you murdered anyone, or even had harsh thoughts about someone (see Matthew 5:22)? Have you had sex with someone other than your spouse, or even thought about it (see Matthew 5:28)? Have you taken something that wasn't yours? Have you lied? Have you simply wanted something that wasn't yours?

Sound tough? It is. This is God's Law. These are God's requirements. Even in grammar school, 60% is a flunking grade, yet who among us has not violated each of these commandments many times?

Reducing the Ten Commandments to only two doesn't help. Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind," and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40). Even the best of us violate these two laws daily.

Whenever you're tempted to trust in your own ability to please God, take a good look at the standard, God's Law, then look at your own score card. To use Paul's words, each of us is "shut up under sin" (Gal. 3:22). Our mouths have been closed, and we all have become accountable to God (Romans 3:19). Saved by our own goodness? The Law gives us no hope.

Try this calculation. If you sinned only ten times a day from your tenth birthday to your sixtieth--and keep in mind we're not just talking about rape, pillage, and murder, but the full range of human moral failing, including heart attitudes and motives--what would your rap sheet look like? You would have amassed 182,500 infractions of the law. What judge in his right mind would turn you loose with a record like that?

Ghandi vs. Al Capone

The worst of us tend to whitewash our own contribution to evil. Al Capone said, "I have spent the best years of my life giving people the lighter pleasures, helping them have a good time, and all I get is abuse, the existence of a hunted man."

By contrast, Ghandi--a man utterly committed to a life of virtue--was not so optimistic. Towards the end of his life he lamented, "It is an unbroken torture to me that I am still so far from him whom I know governs every breath of my life and whose offspring I am. I know it is because of the evil passions within me that keep me so far from him; yet I can't get away from them."

C.S. Lewis captured this contrast with these words: "When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less....Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either."

If Lewis is right, then the One who is most holy sees sin most clearly. The One who is perfectly righteous understands the full tragedy of even the most "trivial" breach of goodness. God's purity is without flaw, so He sees sin as it really is. That's why He is not so inclined to dismiss our moral imperfections with a "boys will be boys" mentality.

Hitler and Mother Teresa

Could Adolph Hitler and Mother Teresa suffer the same fate? No and yes.

No, because they'd answer for different crimes and, as such, their judgment would be different. Just as there are degrees of sin (see John 19:11), there are degrees of punishment. Jesus said Sodom would fare better than Capernaum in the day of judgment (Matthew 11:24), though each would be condemned.

Yes, because each person must ultimately answer for his own sins--Hitler for his, Mother Teresa for hers, you and I for ours. Unless, of course, Jesus is allowed to answer for them.

That is the good news: Jesus, though rich, for our sake became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).

To stay alive physically, first cure the disease, then keep fit to maintain your health. To experience spiritual well-being, God must do surgery on the root problem, sin. Living righteously afterwards secures our spiritual vitality, but it can never cure our disease. Only Jesus can do that.

Giving God Our All

"Lord of All"

by Greg Laurie

"Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."  Luke 14: 33

It was George Bernard Shaw who said, "There are two sources of unhappiness in life. One is not getting what you want; the other is getting it."

This statement reminds me of the account in Matthew 19 of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking answers. Here was a man who, of all men, should have been content and fulfilled. He had great influence and affluence. Yet in spite of all his accomplishments, there was something missing in his life. He asked, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

Jesus told him, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." Jesus was not implying that by keeping the Ten Commandments, a person would be saved. Rather, Jesus held the Ten Commandments up as a mirror to show this man his sin.

The ruler replied, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
I think Jesus probably smiled at this. He saw what this man was really all about. So He took it up a notch and said, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

Jesus knew the problem with this young ruler was that possessions had possessed his soul. But Jesus just as easily could have said something completely different to someone else. What is really holding someone back from Christ and from further spiritual progress can vary from person to person.

We would do well to come before Jesus and ask, "Lord, is there anything in my life that is getting in the way of my relationship with You?"

Are you Genuinely Saved?

What assures you of your right standing before God?  In your mind, what constitutes the reality that you are a walking Christian who will go to heaven when your time on this earth ends?

It is a frightening and sobering thought that there will be many people standing before God on the Day of Judgment who will realize, "I am going to hell forever because I thought I was saved and I really wasn't."

" ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.  So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.' "  Revelation 3: 15-16

Why is this?  Could it be due to the fact that so many believe they are in right standing before God and are paying their due to God simply by weekly attendance in church, being moral, paying tithe, giving money to different noble organizations, reading their Bible often, always doing devotionals, praying sporadically or claiming that they "love God with their whole heart" when there is actually no real evidence of a transformed life?  Indeed.  All of this, many, even countless people do to a greater or lesser degree.  What's missing is a daily commitment to God, a real relationship filled with total surrender to the Lord and His will, where you have resolved to no longer live as you please but to commit your life to God, asking Him to do the necessary work on your heart so thereby you walk in the freedom He offers to those who know Him, and seeking after Him from a willing heart, wanting God to incline your heart to Him and rescue you from worldly patterns and strongholds...the sort of relationship where you follow after Him through thick and thin, "no matter what He does for you in this circumstance..."

One might argue that the Christian faith and what God requires of those who "know" Him can be compared to a marriage relationship.  Would anyone consider a meaningful and growing and dear marriage relationship to be one where all your spouse does to remain in "right standing" with you is take care of chores around the home, always have dinner prepared, working long hours "so you can stay in that house" and deal with you strictly by maintaining an almost business-like relationship...or would the marriage thrive and be intimate and genuine if both husband and wife sought to spend quality time together, made communication a top priority in their relationship, drew close to one another through friendship, affection, and intimacy, and sought to build and maintain their relationship out of love for one another and gratitude to where each can say, "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine" (Song of Solomon 6: 3)?

Second Corinthians 13: 5 says, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!  Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?"

Jesus says in Matthew 7: 22-23, " 'Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ "

Imagine that!  To the watching world, these people probably were viewed by others as the ones who truly knew God!

If you are going to be a Christian, be a genuine and real Christian.  Don't play around with the world's enticements and think that showing up to church each week will make everything all right (or at least make you appear to be a genuine follower of Christ in the sight of others when you know in your heart that your commitment isn't genuine).  Remember the quote, "Being a fake Christian is worse than not being a Christian at all."

Plead with God to deal kindly with you for His name's sake, to guide you in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake, to lead you to repentance, and provide genuine accountability, godly friendships, and trusted mentors for you to speak to.  Ask Him to give you a heart that fears, trusts, and obeys Him.  Pray that He would reveal Himself to you in a way you cannot deny.  Plead with Him to purge, refine, sanctify, purify, transform, deliver, and set you free, to somehow make the time daily for you to seek after Him and provide resources for you to study that are Biblically accurate, to draw you close to Him, lead you to a Bible-believing church, give you wisdom and discernment, and build your faith, joy, and trust in Him over time.
 

God is able to answer these prayers!  Mighty and faithful is He!

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."  Psalm 90: 12

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."  Romans 12: 2