What are the results of our actions called, as Bible believing Christians?
Jesus clearly told us what we must do to bear good FRUIT in John 15:4-5 when He said,
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
Follower’s of Christ can be both the best witnesses of what a dynamic saving faith in Him looks like, as well as being the worse witnesses by our actions and actual lifestyle … that unfortunately helps substantiate to anyone around us seeking to know the truth that we’re not any different than them.
The fruit that we bear (whether good or bad) is the true evidence of our faith!
The only way in which we can produce good fruit that lasts forever, is if we choose to abide in Christ, and submit our worldly desires unto the Holy Spirit who lives within us. He is eager and always ready to supernaturally guide us through the decisions we make … whenever we’re willing to surrender our will to His.
Each one of us has a personal testimony surrounding how the Lord led us to Him, and how He is continuously working daily in our lives. Don’t underestimate the power of sharing how your life in Christ has changed everything for you … for both time, as well as for eternity!
Biblical evidence for why true follower’s of Christ have eternal security
Once we’ve repented of our sins and put our faith & trust in Jesus to save us from having to pay the required price of living with a sinless and a holy God in heaven for all eternity … God promises that we have been fully redeemed and are bound for glory!
We’re all born into a default position of living apart from God in a place of eternal torment in hell. However, for those who say “Yes” to Jesus, 1 Peter 1:8-9 says,
“You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.”
We can all live with a sense of perfect peace, confidence, and complete assurance surrounding where we will live forever, according to Romans 8:38-39,
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If you have yet to receive the gift of salvation, through faith in Christ … please reconsider your current worldview having rejected Jesus thus far in your life, and then take to heart what Ephesians 2:8-10 says,
“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
“Work our plan”
If the Bible is true, then living with eternity at the forefront of our minds is the wisest way to live!
Do you think it’s possible to truly focus our hearts and minds on heavenly things rather than the things that have temporary value?
As we consider how we all develop good habits which are imperative in helping us achieve our objectives & goals in this life … we recognize that it’s necessary to discipline our thoughts moment-by-moment.
The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:2,
“Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above, not on things that are on the earth.”
God doesn’t force us to avoid chasing after empty, worldly, and temporary gratification … however, when we choose to embrace an eternal perspective, the things of this world no longer have the power to derail us from God’s best for us in this lifetime, as well as in the next.
In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 Paul says,
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
It will definitely require us to live counter-culturally … but the risk vs reward component should help us mitigate unforced errors when we truly consider what God has planned for our eternal future!
How does the Bible describe being filled with the Holy Spirit?
We can identify a very clear passage surrounding our responsibility of being filled, along with the Lord’s role here in Ephesians 5:15-18,
“Therefore see that you walk carefully, not as the unwise, but as wise, making the very most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is wickedness (corruption, stupidity), but be filled with the Spirit and constantly guided by Him.”
There’s a very important distinction God makes here in Ephesians 1:13-14 when He provides every new believer with the Holy Spirit once they’ve repented of their sins & professed Him as Lord and Savior … compared to how we surrender to His will daily by allowing Him to guide us moment-by-moment in everything we do:
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him.
The following list from Galatians 5:22-23 is the evidence & result of the Holy Spirit’s presence and His help whenever we choose to surrender our daily decisions unto Him:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Have you been redeemed?
A good Biblical definition for being redeemed is, “The act of being bought back from the slavery to sin that every person has been born into … due to the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross.”
It can’t be forced on anyone and is literally a free offer from the Lord for those who decide to accept His very sacrificial gift.
For all those who choose to become redeemed by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior, their future eternal destination of living forever in hell will be forever changed to a heavenly inheritance that has already been secured.
If you weren’t able to answer my initial question of if you’ve been redeemed with a resounding yes … don’t just take my word for why I strongly recommend you consider (or reconsider) taking Jesus up on His free gift of eternal salvation … please search the Scriptures and let them be your guide:
Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 3:16-18 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Romans 10:9-10 says, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
If not now … then when?!
Is Jesus enough?
Perhaps the next big question should be, “What do we mean by enough?”
We discover satisfaction in our lives when we identify our true purpose for being here. Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we experience being justified through His sacrifice, and are consequently assured of our eternal salvation.
However, I believe Apostle Paul nailed the dynamic (day-by-day) aspect of our walk with Jesus which brings a supernatural sense of satisfaction, regardless of any/all of our difficult, fearful & challenging circumstances … here in Galatians 2:20,
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Godly satisfaction is not to be confused with self-satisfaction. Godly satisfaction is a state of being grateful as we acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, and trust His provision for us.
Paul provides us with a very specific outline for how to go about living moment-by-moment in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Since the Lord clearly states what His will for us is … it must be possible (through the power of the Holy Spirit within us) to do these three things in our daily lives!
Disappointment is part of everyone’s life … and oftentimes on a daily basis
However, for those who know the Lord and have put their trust completely in Him for everything … crossing over from being disappointed to becoming discouraged or demoralized, is a choice.
Even through very challenging circumstances, Abraham never lost hope of God’s promise to him.
Romans 4:18-20 says,
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.”
Satan is relentless on trying to win our soul and from keeping us from trusting in Jesus. One of his most effective tools is trying to get us to become discouraged. However, once we have the Holy Spirit within us, we don’t have to fall for his lies.
1 John 4:-5 says,
“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Leaning heavily into God’s Word and His promises and His Holy Spirit through every disappointing circumstance will help defeat our adversary every time … because Jesus is alive and He’s always with us!!
How do our trials and our suffering and our super challenging tests, make any sense with a loving God?
Surely if God truly loves us, He would spare us from all the hardships and the difficult times we experience throughout our lifetime, right? No, not right!
I suppose if we think we know better than the creator of the whole universe, then it may seem natural for us to conjure up how we feel God should respond to all our pain & tribulations. Therein lies the problem with our premise … that we know better than God.
Everyone puts their faith in someone, or something. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people reject the Jesus of the Bible, and choose to make up their own version up of a God that suits them better … ultimately themselves.
1 Peter 1:5-7 says,
“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Good Friday is only a few days away … and what better time to put your faith and trust into the only One true God who is eager to accept you into His forever family?!
Our response to Christ’s sacrifice
It may not be popular to say that we’ve all been born with a sinful nature … yet it’s true. However, we don’t have to continue to live out our selfish, vain, prideful ways if we choose to surrender ownership of our lives to Jesus.
Paul says in Philippians 2:3-5,
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”
Due to Jesus’ ultimate example of humility and His willingness to pay the price on the cross for our sins … we would do well to respond by recognizing & embracing His 24/7 365 presence with us.
His shining example of how He reacted to everyone around Him, can be a reality for us to interact with everyone around us in selfless ways when we intentionally change our self-centered attitude to be more others-focused.
Our own planning for our eternal future, compared to God’s plan … how similar or how different is it?
Whatever season of life you may find yourself in … please take a moment to consider the context of Paul’s life and his reflections as he recognized his time on this earth was coming to an end.
He says here in 2 Timothy 4:6-8,
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”
Can we possibly imagine having a similar sense of fulfillment and contentment and satisfaction that Paul had when we look back on how the Lord used us for His glory … as well as looking forward to the Crown of Righteousness when Jesus returns?!
The Crown of Righteousness is promised to ALL who love the Lord and who eagerly wait for His return!
Does the evidence of the choices we make and how we live out our day-to-day lives point more to pursuing ‘earthly crowns,’ or like Paul do we base all our decisions on God’s promises?
There’s only two clear Biblical eternal outcomes predicated on whether we pursue earthly or righteous crowns during our lifetime based upon what Paul says here in Philippians 3:19-20:
“They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”
To live is Christ
It can be very humbling and convicting when we take a sincere look at what the objective evidence is of what we actually live for.
I belief it’s true that our behaviors won’t change without the awareness of the specific areas in our lives that need to be changed.
Consider what the Apostle Paul says here in Philippians 1:21a,
“For to me, to live is Christ.”
How he chose to live his life after his salvation experience was proof beyond any shadow of a doubt that he made Jesus his source of joy and his reason to live!
Every believer has the ability, due to the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives within us … to make the same choice (daily and regardless of how challenging our circumstances may be) to glorify Jesus in every single thing we do.
The big question is, ‘Do we have the will and the conviction to make Jesus our source of joy and the reason we live?’
Among other things, to live in Christ means:
That Jesus is our main focus and glorifying Him in everything we do is our daily goal.
That we desire to imitate His example.
That we will proclaim His gospel message to those in the broken world around us.
And that we’re willing to give up anything that prevents us from living moment-by-moment in Christ.
Compelling evidence for belief in Christ
We can’t argue anyone into a saving faith in Jesus … however, we’re called to be a light in this dark & broken world around us.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
For those who are skeptical or agnostic surrounding Christ’s resurrection, and willing to consider the evidence … you may find it helpful to point them in the following direction:
The historical reality of the 500 reliable witnesses (beyond any Biblical standard) who saw Jesus after His resurrection.
Many of these eyewitnesses willingly experienced prolonged torture and ultimately died for their faith, rather than repudiating their testimony. Do you really think they would have died knowing all along it was a lie?
Consider the numerous empty tomb theories and see which one is most objectively believable.
Try to poke holes in the fulfilled prophecies that have undeniably come to pass.
Do some research surrounding all of the archeological discoveries substantiating the claims of the Bible throughout the last 2,000 years.
And then there’s the verifiable miracles in the Bible that can only point to a loving God Who wants to be intimately involved in the lives of those He created.
Although we have plenty of ways to share God’s truth with our yet-to-believe friends … I would strongly recommend leading with your own personal salvation story, and allow the Holy Spirit to open their eyes as they hear all about your miraculous life-change!
The thief on the cross … and what a difference a day makes
That could very well be the biggest understatement of the history of all understatements!
Luke 23:39-43 says,
“One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”
If you’re like me, you have a list with names of family members, friends, and acquaintances who you’re praying for to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior while there’s still time.
May today’s passage be an encouragement to all of us to never ever give up on God’s miracle working power to save those who are lost.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 says,
“This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”
Even though we only know him by the title “The other criminal,” can you imagine the eternal joy he’s experiencing right now due to his trust in Jesus literally moments before his death?!
The second law of thermodynamics and our eternal future
As much as we might not like to admit it … our bodies (as well as the earth) are subject to entropy, and the reality is that we will all continue to decay over time.
Hebrews 1:10-12,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with Your hands. They will perish, but You remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But You are always the same; You will live forever.”
Perhaps we would be wise to think more about our own mortality than just when we’re at a friend or family members memorial service … and to seriously examine why we believe what we believe.
Hebrews 9:27-28 says,
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
The Apostle Peter said in Acts 4:11-12,
“For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
Regardless of the season of life you’re currently in … are you prepared to put your eternal future into the hands of a loving and a just God once you take your final breath on this earth?
Everything changes when we recognize our identity is in Christ
God will never force us to believe what He has said in the Bible is true … as everyone possess a free will to either reject His claims, or to identify them as true, and surrender ownership of our lives to Him.
Genesis 1:26-27 says,
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Since we’ve all been born with an inherited sinful nature, it’s up to each and every one of us to make a decision to repent of our sins and accept that Jesus paid the price on the cross for them all … or, to continue to live ‘in the flesh’ by following our adversary’s plan.
Ephesians 6:12 says,
“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:5-7,
“Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.”
Everyone who says “Yes” to Jesus will literally be adopted into His family of believers … and will be able to overcome and live victoriously because of His moment-by-moment presence with us.
As long as we’re still breathing, we need a plan for how we’ll respond to the daily spiritual warfare we’re sure to face
It is possible to live in this world and not be of it! However, our adversary the devil is relentless and our ‘battle plan’ needs to be executed moment-by-moment by disciplining our minds.
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:1-2,
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
If we fail to recognize our daily battles of living in this world are not against flesh and blood, but with unseen spiritual forces … our enemy has already won.
The Apostle Paul wisely warns us that as followers of Christ we are constantly facing spiritual warfare. And he gives us our ‘marching orders’ here in 2 Corinthians 10:5,
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
God has provided us with the ‘Sword of the Spirit” which is the Bible, and may we do our part by literally picking up our sword daily in preparation for each and every attack!
Something we all can do for our own good
Today’s verse is from Proverbs 15:13 and is a challenge for all of us to consider,
“A glad heart makes a happy face;
a broken heart crushes the spirit.”
One of the principles I encourage my students to do on the golf course in order to help lower their scores, is to smile throughout their round … regardless of outcomes.
As followers of Christ it shouldn’t be too difficult for us to go throughout the day with a smile on our face … considering both our eternal reality, as well as having the presence of the Holy Spirit always here (moment-by-moment) to help us with our perspective.
Proverbs 17:22 says,
“A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.”
Similar to what I ask my students to do whenever I lay out a proposition or a game plan for them to implement that will help them play better golf … I would encourage you to ‘poke holes’ in my encouragement to smile your way through each and every day.
I’m open to hearing alternatives to this simple (but not easy) attitudinal change. Please take my 30-day “SMILE” challenge and follow-up to let me know if you experienced any noticeable or note worthy impact?
Why would those who don’t share our Christian world view even be interested in our answers to their questions?
From today’s passage in Colossians 4:5-6 the Apostle Paul says,
“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each one.”
When the Bible makes a distinction between those who are not believers compared to those who have chosen to follow Christ … it’s imperative to recognize that even though we live in this world, we’re not of it (we don’t share its values).
Here’s what Jesus says in John 17:14-15 when He was praying to the Father about His followers,
“I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
I think we should be grateful & prepared for the opportunities we have to share God’s love and His truth whenever unbelievers ask us questions.
Since it’s true that we ‘can’t give away what we don’t possess,’ may we pay close attention to what’s within our control surrounding how we go about living out our faith to those who are broken in this lost world around us.
When we talk about seeing ‘the big picture’ … this is the biggest of them all!
Truly grasping today’s passage will help confirm our ultimate calling and purpose for our lives here and now as followers of Christ.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21,
“But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. He made Christ who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God.”
Easter is right around the corner, and may we have a renewed passion for sharing Jesus with our family and friends who continue to reject His offer to take on their sins so they can live forever with Him in heaven after they die.
And may we be grateful daily for being able to be in a right relationship with Jesus due to His gracious loving kindness towards us.
We’re all heading somewhere
When someone comes to me asking for help in trying to lower their golf score, one of my first questions for them is, “What’s your current game plan look like?”
The reality is we’re all born with a ‘terminal disease,’ and it would be wise to choose very thoughtfully the path we’re taking towards our final destination.
Today’s verse from Acts 4:12 speaking of Jesus, decisively declares the only way for any of us to go to heaven,
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
The beautiful truth surrounding God’s version of, “Working our plan” is that it’s 100% available for anyone at anytime!
God Himself has promised in His Word that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and is always with us to help us moment-by-moment successfully work His plan (Hebrews 13:5).
Don’t just take my word for it, search the Scriptures and let them be your guide.