What does God require of you and I?
For some time now my heart has been burdened with how we treat one another inside of the church walls and outside of the church walls. I’ve seen some down right nastiness in my 50 plus years of living as well as some amazing love. I am making a choice to no longer allow the cold, bitter, negative people have such a say in my personal life any longer, they are toxic and cause me to spiral in a direction that does not please my Lord. Instead, I am giving them to God, placing a smile on my face, and loving them the best way I can.
1 John is helping me through encouragement of what it means to be a child of God. To not be a participant in sinning, to not allow myself to be used as a pawn for the enemy, to not be un-loving. Instead I am to be pursuing righteousness, and that is an on-going process until the Lord calls me home. Meaning, I will back slide, I will not be perfect, and that I will find myself sinning, BUT it will not be a habitual sin. Meaning I have a choice to make: will I choose Christ, or will I choose self? Will I choose to love and extend grace to mankind, or will I instead be nasty, mean, and unforgiving?
Brothers and Sisters, we have a choice to make as well. Will we put aside our denominations, our preconceived notions, our thoughts on who is right and who is wrong? It dawned on me yesterday during the early morning hours that I really deep down don’t care if you use a certain version of the bible, or use musical instruments in your worship, or have a prayer language. What I do care about is this…..that YOU have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That you will be spending eternity with Christ versus eternity with the devil. That Heaven is your home not hell. That we begin conquering sin, unforgiveness, and hate.
How does that happen? It happens by being able to answer my opening question…..what does God require of you and I? A relationship! God gave us a very firm command, To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind. And to love your neighbor as yourself.
Let’s get out there and do it!
**I saw a quote today (4/20/2917) from Charles Spurgeon and I couldn’t agree more. “I do not ask you whether you are a Weselyan, a Baptist, or a Presbyterian; my only question is, “Are you born again?”**