Tag: holy living

What Do You Do For Fun?

Author Unknown

Several years ago a Christian girl told me about an incident with a young man who had been trying to date her. He was not a member of the church, and they just did not have anything in common. She had turned him down twice and now she had said “no” to attending a rock concert with him. In a kind of mock exasperation, the young man asked, “What do you do for fun?  You don’t dance, you don’t drink, you don’t attend rock concerts. What do you do for fun?”

She replied, “For fun, I get up in the morning without feeling embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty about what I did the night before.” The young man had nothing more to say. She was right; it is not fun to feel guilty for your actions the night before. There are many things in life that are fun. For example, the Christian girl is now married to a fine Christian man. They have a little girl and are building an outstanding Christian home together. Think of the fun she is having.

She is having fun every day living without the scars of fornication, drugs, alcohol, or regrets from her past. She is having fun getting ready each afternoon to receive a husband home from work; knowing that he will not be stopping off at the local bar for a few drinks with his friends. She is having fun knowing that her little girl will never see her father in a drunken stupor or experimenting with drugs. She is having fun knowing that while he is away from her, his Christian conduct will not allow infidelity or even flirting. She is having fun watching him hold his little girl on his lap with loving, protective arms. She is having fun living with the assurance that the home will be led by a spiritual leader who will guide each family member towards heaven.

The list of fun things for the Christian is endless.

What do you do for fun?

Who You Are Is Not Who You Were

The Bible clearly teaches that we will be judged by our actions. Revelation 20:12 tells of judgment where “…I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” The books (Old Testament and New Testament) reveal the standard of what we must do in order to please Him (2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 1:3). Paul clearly links our actions to eternal punishment or reward (Romans 2:6-11 – note the variations of “do” and its direct relationship to the results). Jesus says that we will even be called into judgment for every careless word (Matthew 12:36). What we do and say impacts our eternal life.

But our actions also enrich our earthly life and the lives of others. I think the scripture makes it clear that God does not want us to live holy lives to prepare for a grand accounting, but in order to share in His holiness and to be like His righteous Son. Jesus lived the life of a servant and had a tremendous impact on the lives of those He touched. A life that serves God and others is the life revealed in God’s word.

The Bible teaches that we have all fallen short of the standard God has set (Romans 3:23). The question is, how will you react to your failure to be holy? You can beat yourself up and say that you’ll never be able to live up to God’s standard but, in truth, you are blaming God for your lack of effort. You can say that you have too many sins or you have messed your life up too much, but that is accusing God of having insufficient grace. However, God wants you to take two important steps.

First, be reconciled to Him through His Son. We must believe what the gospel says about Jesus and confess Him as God’s Son (Romans 10:9-15). We must also turn away from a life that is dedicated to honoring self instead of God and the sin that separates us from God (Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19). We must also submit to baptism, immersion in water, which is a burial and resurrection with Christ, so that our sins may be cleansed (Romans 6:1-14). Note that it is not the actions themselves that save us but obeying the will of God that commands these things. When we sin after we are baptized, we can repent and pray to God to forgive us (1 John 2:1-5).

Second, as a child of God you have the duty and privilege to bring others to God to receive the forgiveness, hope, peace, and joy that you received. The reaction of the Samaritan woman in John 4 is a great example of one who lived an unrighteous life but used the testimony of her past (“Come see a man who told me all things I ever did”) to bring others to Jesus. If you have overcome a type of sin or habit you are in a better position to help others overcome that sin or habit better than someone who has no experience with it. We should not indulge in sin so we can help others–we must strive for holiness–but when we do fall, we should use our failures to help others succeed. God can help us use our defeats to bring victory in our life and the lives of others.

Do not let yourself be defined by failures of your past. What has been done cannot be changed, only forgiven. But yesterday’s actions do not demand the same actions today. When we give up because of past sins, we allow history to steal the present and hinder the opportunity for a brighter future. When we give our sins to God, make the choice to reject sin, and strive for holiness we will become more like Jesus and less like what we were. Jesus can clean up a polluted life, fix what is damaged, and create a wonderful child who lives a satisfying life and makes a positive imact on the lives of others.

A Life Others Love

Who are the important people in your life? Though you may have many Facebook friends and people you have met through the years, some people shine out above the rest. You might not know some of these people very well but they made an important impact on your life and you remember them with appreciation. Some friends you know very well and you value the memories you share and the bond with them. What do these groups share in common? Their lives have meaning and importance with you.

When I was a boy, there was an old man in the church who sat on the front row at every service. He was a frail skeleton of a man in a suit that seemed fitted for a slightly larger man and his smiling face was etched with the hard life of a coal miner. Every service his large Bible lay across his lap and he followed the preacher carefully. Unless he was extremely sick (his health never was the best when I knew him), he was sitting in his seat. He died decades ago, but I remember Brother Pope to this day. I remember his dedication and kindness. Any time I feel like not going to worship because I’m “a little sick,” I think of his diligence and it motivates me to quit whining and onto worship services.

There are people that, to this day, could call me at any hour of the day or night and I would drop everything to help them or their family because they helped me through a critical time in my life. They encouraged me or perhaps provided assistance to me in my time of need. They are not forgotten.

When we live the life of service to which we are called, we develop bonds with others and make the world better for having lived in it. We glorify Christ by our words and actions because we are doing what He would do. God does remember what we have done, but those whose lives were touched will also remember us–perhaps even when we have long departed from this earth.

When we live a life cherished by God and others, we will cherish it ourselves.

Stand Strong At School

first day 2009 bNo…I’m not talking about getting your paper, pencils, backpack, or clothes. Are you ready for the new school year. It will be a year of great opportunities but also challenges. Whether in school or when we’re older, we are often challenged to defend who we are.

Pressure from others to conform to their accepted standards is sometimes open and forceful such as bullying or taunting. The pressure is exerted to press someone to conform to a standard or punishment for ignoring or rebelling against the standard.

Pressure may be subtle such as avoiding someone or talking about them. Ignoring sends clear signals of rejection of  the behavior and may be more painful than bullying.

What should a godly teen do?

  1. Following the principle to “esteem others better than self” (Philippians 2:1-10), godly teens should never be involved in bullying, taunting, gossiping, or ignoring others. Every soul is precious in God’s sight and we should see their value as well.
  2. Jesus was a friend to the friendless. So many people want to do great things for the world: cure diseases, save the planet, make changes in government, etc. You can do something greater in someone’s world by being a friend to them. You might be the person who helps them find the answers to the big questions in life they are looking for or to be that friend in their greatest hour of need. Very likely, they will be the friend who will stick by you when others might forsake you.
  3. Embrace your uniqueness! Do you really want to be just like everyone else? When you live as a child of God you reject the foolish and life damaging choices that so many of your “wise” friends make. They will think you are foolish for not following in the path of destruction but the wise will avoid their folly (1 Peter 4:1-5; Psalm 1)
  4. Stand proud and thank God if you are persecuted for your faith because you are in good company. The apostles, prophets, and Jesus Himself was mistreated because of their dedication to God. Pray for them that they may become wise (Matthew 5:10-16; 1 Peter 4:12-19)

“If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you… if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” (ESV)

Do You Follow Jesus or Just Admire Him?

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He was often followed by great crowds. The numbers were so great that at times he had to withdraw from them to have time with His Father. However, Jesus challenged the motives of His followers on certain occasions and some “turned away and followed Him no more,” (John 6:66). On such occasions Jesus did not change His message to be more acceptable to the crowds. He let them depart. Wise followers, such as the apostles, did not cease to follow Him. As Peter said, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” (John 6:68).

Today God wants men and women to follow Jesus. Just as in His earthly ministry, Jesus has admirers and followers. The philosopher Sorën Kierkegaard wrote “It is well known that Christ consistently used the expression “follower.” He never asks for admirers, worshippers, or adherents. No, he calls disciples. It is not adherents of a teaching but followers of a life Christ is looking for,(Provocations. P.85). The admirers left Jesus when His message became uncomfortable; the followers changed their lives for the better.

Kierkegaard continues, “What then, is the difference between an admirer and a follower? A follower is or strives to be what he admires. An admirer, however, keeps himself personally detached. He fails to see that what is admired involves a claim upon him, and thus he fails to be or strive to be what he admires,” (Provocations. P.86). Admirers can be seen wearing religious shirts, attending church, or even teaching Bible classes. They like “God things” and can be very excited about the teaching of Christ–until they hear something that they don’t like or condemns a practice they like. Admirers will leave the teaching to Christ or only follow what agrees with them. Followers will say “thy will be done” and change their lives to conform to eternal principles. Being a follower requires complete submission to God and investing ourselves completely in Him.

If you want the truly fulfilled and exciting life with God, learn how to be followers of Christ: not admirers, adherents, or simply worshippers who are around God but not with God.