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Many times, Christian living
is defined by a set of behaviors (e.g. church attendance, prayer, tithing,
Bible study, evangelism, etc.). But honestly, before we can behave
like Christians, we must begin to think like Christians.
Presented here are biblical truths that we need to think and live! (After
each definition I include a verse(s) upon which the truth of the definition
stands.)
Freedom
is the destination of the Living Christian. (Galatians 5.1)
Life in the presence of God
will be limitless and lovely. Our life on earth should be like that.
We should live free to pursue whatever God wishes for us. The worst
bondage is that which we place on ourselves through fear and sin. Christ
died to set us free; we should not be satisfied until we live in that
freedom.
Faith
is the fuel of the Living Christian. (Romans 1.17)
If we are not yet living
free of sin and fear, faith gives us hope that we can arrive there.
Faith is the food of our spiritual life. With it we grow and thrive,
without it we fear and sin. Without it we wither and die.
Grace
is the transport of the Living Christian. (II Corinthians
12.9-10)
What is our faith in? Not
ourselves! Fear and sin mark the life separated from God, but faith
in grace puts us on the receiving end of God’s love. In grace, God gives
us the courage to face today and the hope to face tomorrow. In grace,
God gives us the joy of eternal life with Him.
Fear
is the strongest form of slavery. (Proverbs 29.25 / Hebrews
2.15)
We all are afraid of something.
Those fears keep us from living a full, abundant life. Christ died and
lives again so that we would have the courage to fear nothing – not
even death.
Humility
is faith in the sufficiency of God’s Grace. (II Corinthians
12.9-10, Jeremiah 2.13)
In our pride we think we
can conquer our fears and perhaps face death fearlessly. But the truth
of history is that we don’t conquer our fears and we never conquer death.
In humility we acknowledge the Creator of life also as the Sustainer
of life. In humility, we stop trying to fill up with man-made things,
and beg for the love of God to provide us His idea of an abundant life.
Sin
is acting out the fear that God’s Grace is not sufficient.
(Romans 14.23)
God loves us and has provided
everything we need for an abundant life here on earth. All sin originates
in doubting God and ends in our acting as if He had not sufficiently
provided for us.
A
Promise is the Grace of God with your name on it. (Jeremiah
29.11)
God’s love is personal. The
life He provides us is personal. The promises of God are often very
personal and tell us how or when or where or what He wants to provide.
The Holy Spirit is God tapping on our shoulder, whispering in our ear,
"I long to be gracious to you."
God’s
Love is the guarantee of His promises. (John 3.16, Romans
8.32, I John 2.24)
The only thing God expects
in return for the promises He makes to us is that we have faith in them
and that we show gratitude. His love is free and giving. His promises
flow out of that sacrificial love.
The
Living Christian clings by faith to the gracious promises of God, avoiding
sin, and discovering the abundant and free life that God has given us
through Jesus Christ.
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