Hey beautiful friends! Today I am going to talk about how God calls us to live differently and fully for Him. If we are going to call ourselves followers of Christ, then we should shine the light of Jesus. We should reflect God in our everyday lives and live in a way that is honoring to Him. I pray that this message blesses you and the Lord gives me the words to write!
A little bit of my testimony before truly committing my life to Jesus was that I was calling myself a Christian but I did not have a relationship with God. I was not putting Him first in my life and did not spend time with Him, I was only aware of Him. I was living for the world and at the same time trying to live for God – and this is dangerous. It’s either we live our life for God or live for the world, there is no in-between. Once I gave my life to Jesus, I experienced how amazing He is! At first, I did not know much because I never truly had a strong understanding of the Gospel. Also, I remember struggling with living my life for God but then also trying to fit in with people near the beginning of my walk with God. Once I learned the Gospel (by reading God’s Word) and more about Jesus, I learned that He has called us to live differently.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO REFLECT JESUS
It is important that we reflect God in our everyday lives because we love and desire Him. Once we commit ourselves to Jesus, it will show by the way we live our lives. It will show by the way we love other people, care for others, how we are open about our faith, or serving others. However, if we live our lives living in sin (rebelling against God) or in ways that are not honoring to God, what do we think that says to the non-believer? When we live our lives differently, it can inspire others to come to know Christ and give Him glory. We are not called to fit in but stand out for Jesus.
“Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” – Romans 12:2 ♡
NOT LIVING THE DOUBLE LIFE
Something I wanted to add is not living a double life – a life for the world and a life for God at the same time. Living a double life is like having your tea lukewarm rather than having it hot or cold. Again, if we are going to call ourselves Christ-followers, then we need to be fully committed to God. Once we commit to Jesus, it will come naturally for us to want to honor Him in everything that we do. He will convict us when we fall short so that we can keep walking in His path.
Additionally, in Galatians 5:16, Paul says, “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry the desire of the flesh”. It’s important that we do not take for granted Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and His resurrection from the grave that has now given us life. The freedom that Christ has now given us should not be taken for granted to go practice sin and live in the world. It is important to remember that not everyone who calls themselves a Christian will inherit God’s kingdom, but those who do the will of the Father, those who are surrendered to God; those who live lives committing themselves to Jesus and having that true relationship with Him. Which is the hard truth, I know but it’s really important. We also have to realize that God wants us to be in His kingdom but He does give us free will with how we want to live our lives. We follow the Lord with the desire to get to know Him more and because He is our Creator.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21 ♡
WAYS WE CAN STAND OUT FOR CHRIST
As I mentioned above some ways we can be a light is to love others like how Jesus loves, care for those who cannot or can take care of themselves, share our faith in Jesus, honor God in the things we do, forgive others when it’s “undeserved”, and so much more. It’s so important that we go to God first and pray to ask to give us opportunities to honor Him and serve. When I say honoring God in everything we do, I mean honoring God by what we choose to listen to, who we choose to be around, what we choose to watch, how we choose to speak to other people, or how we speak about other people. We can pray and ask God to give us the strength to be a light in this world because it can be challenging. We need to keep picking up our cross every day and it is by His strength that we can do that. Following Jesus is a daily decision to trust in Him and to live according to His Word.
“Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23 ♡
Friends, let us continue to shine the light of Jesus so that He can be glorified. I shared this topic because it is so important to me and what the Lord has been teaching me during my walk with Him. This message is a reminder that we should live our lives honoring our Lord and Savior. I pray that you and I can continue to run the race that God has called us to. I pray that we have a willing heart to serve Him and those around us.
“For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” – Galatians 5:1 ♡
Love Bea ♡
Spreading God's Love 