Is Your Light Shining?
Bogged down…in a
rut…too consumed with the cares of the world to care about a relationship with
Jesus. Have you ever been in that place? Let me just be honest, I have!
Sometimes as a Christian, I want to think I am walking around and doing
everything just right. I am keeping all of the Biblical rules and I am
saying my prayers (well at least my blessing before I eat my meals). I should be
good then, right? Well…not really. When my life has gotten to the place where I
am going through the motions, my light is probably not shining too brightly.
Are You Living By The Law Or
By Grace?
Why did Jesus object
so greatly to the Pharisees? They were Godly people. They kept all the rules. I
am sure they said their blessing before they ate their kosher meals. So, what
did Jesus see in them that upset Him? The Pharisees lived by the Levitical law,
but they did not understand the grace of God. This is partially because Jesus
had not yet died on the cross to become the sacrifice for the world’s sin, but
also because they were blinded and did not want to recognize Jesus as God’s
Son. They liked being in control and being the keeper of the law. I have heard
it said that truth without grace is harsh and grace without truth is sin. As
modern day Christians, we understand the difference of law versus grace and
forgiveness. I am thankful that because of Jesus, we do not have to live by a
list of rules and make animal sacrifices when we sin. All we have to do is ask
the Lord to forgive us and all is forgiven. So when I become bogged down and
find myself going through the motions, Jesus is waiting patiently for me
to recognize my sin and sincerely ask Him to forgive me.
A Transformed Heart
So let me ask you a
question. Since God gives us grace and forgives us when we sin, do you think living
the Christian life gives us a free pass to sin? When we humble ourselves before
a living God, who loves us more than we deserve, something takes place within
us. Our sins are forgiven and we feel clean…on the inside. Our hearts are
transformed and we live life with a new focus. Instead of sin being a
deliberate act that we enjoy, we long to live a life that is pleasing to God.
We become consciously aware that sin stifles our relationship with the lord and
we humbly ask Him to forgive us in our weakness.
What is new life?
Nicodemus asked this question to Jesus
(John 3:9) He did not understand the concept of being born again. Jesus
explained to him that the rebirth He was referring to was not physical, but
spiritual (John 3:5-9). New life is what happens through a heart change. When
we surrender our life to Jesus, He comes into our hearts and lives. Through His
Holy Spirit, we become new creations, influenced by His love.
So, what does that new
life look like when applied to a life that was totally influenced by sin and
worldly living prior to salvation? Does it mean that we never sin again? On
the contrary! We are human beings. Our very nature is sinful. This happened
when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. It took many years of constant failure
as a human race before God sent His Son to earth to die so that our sins could
be forgiven without going through the rituals of the law. In taking God at
His word, He knew before He created us that all of this would happen and He
loved us anyway. He knows that our nature will cause us to sin and fall short
of His ways, but it does not mean that we should shrug our shoulders and sin
for the fun of it. As followers of Jesus, we are called to live life with our
eyes on Him and our hearts full of His word. We depend on the Holy Spirit to
guide us and help us. And when life overwhelms us and we fail, Jesus waits for
us to recognize that all we really need is Him. We pray…He forgives. We learn
from our failure…He loves and guides us as we walk out our Christian lives.
When Jesus comes into our hearts and changes our lives, we no longer focus on
the sin. We focus on Him. Our life looks different and other people notice that
something is not the same about us. The beauty within reflects in the way we
carry ourselves in our daily routines. The sinful nature is still there, but it
no longer rules us. Jesus is reflected through our actions and our focus becomes
more like living inside out instead of living outside in. And, this is where
lives are influenced and God uses us to fulfill our calling by drawing others
to Him.
How has the Lord changed you? What has He
called you to do to influence others? Please share your Christian experience
with us!
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