What Truly Matters For Christians
I would like to address this post as an encouragement at the least but mostly as a challenge for many Christians out there who desire to experience God more and who want to live their Christian lives beyond the four walls of the church.
This may also be considered as a wake-up call or message for all believers to burst out from the closet of ordinary, superficial Christianity and become more active in serving the Lord. I know these words may be tough but I really want to urge all of us to take part in the work of the Lord because it is good and it brings joy to bear fruit for the Lord.
It is a great privilege that God has given us to be a channel of His blessing and an instrument to advance His kingdom to the four corners of the earth.
I am not a scholar nor do I have any degree in theology but I am passionate for the Lord and I want to share this passion and urge those of us who have been cocooned most of our lives to listen to God's calling and obey it because God has great things in store for us.
When one becomes a Christian, his life is wholly surrendered to Christ and he no longer lives for his own wants but for Jesus who died and was raised again so that all who believe and receive Him can have eternal life with Him.
When we begin to realize that God has a plan for us and that it is not merely any ordinary, simple, mediocre plan that any one of us can come up with but that it is a good, pleasing, and perfect plan and will according to Romans 12:2, then we start to become more excited about how God is going to bring about this plan.
Moreover, God is continuously at work in our lives and He works together for the good of those who love Him, then what irrepressible joy and incomprehensible peace we will have in our hearts knowing that the God of all creation, who made the heavens and the earth and everything in it, is designing a great masterpiece out of our lives.
Furthermore, God has promised us a great reward when we hold steadfast to Him and stand firm in our faith, never to be shaken no matter what happens. Jesus said that whoever serves Him will be honored by the Father in heaven and what even greater joy and satisfaction to have God tell you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
We have an eternal glory that awaits when the day comes for our Lord Jesus Christ to return for us and though we may face persecutions and trials, these are merely temporary and fleeting as compared to the eternity we have with God when we stay faithful to Him.
I know that for many of us, we have the tendency to complain and grumble with the slightest inconvenience and pain but we have been commanded to endure these hardships because these will only last for a while.
I urge us then that no matter what circumstances we might be in - some may be in grave peril, in danger of death, even as I write and we shall pray for them, while others may be persecuted and rejected - let us continue to trust in the Lord for He knows what we are going through.
We know that He is gracious and loving and He will never leave us nor forsake us. He knows what we need and supplies it. He knows what is best for us.
In knowing all this, what truly matters for us who believe and follow Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength is that we proclaim Jesus to all nations so that they would know Christ whether by our testimony as we share them the gospel or by the way we live.
Many people still have not heard about Jesus and they need someone to tell them. Out of our love for God, let us go wherever He calls us to go because having our hearts set on Him and having experienced His love, let us share God's love and grace to the lost.
Let us have that burning passion to bring more people to Christ so that they too would experience His love and forgiveness. Many people have nothing in their lives and the greatest gift we could ever give them is Jesus Christ who will be everything and give them everything they would ever need.
I know many of us think that God wants us to succeed in life and to be victorious and that is true. God wants us to have a victorious life but we have to know that God blesses us so that we can bless others as well. He brings prosperity in our lives so that we can be channels of blessings to share what He has given us to others and to share Jesus to those who need Him.
When God calls us to go somewhere hostile or foreign to us, do not react immediately by thinking about all the things that you would surrender and holding those things over God's command. Remember who gave you all those things and remember who it is that calls you.
God may cause us to give up our possessions or material wealth but that does not mean He will not give us anymore when we obey Him. Rather He is gracious and generous. We may suffer some inconvenience for a little while but it is God who called us, the one true living God, who gives life and has the stars beneath His feet.
Never let the comforts of life distract you from serving the Lord. Never let your material possessions - money, luxury, comfort - to hold you captive and hinder you from following the Lord's commands. God gives generously but He can also take it away.
Never let the opportunity to serve God pass by because that is the greatest privilege we could ever have in our lives. We must always stay humble before God because we owe Him our lives. By His grace, He has given us salvation and freed us from the slavery of sin.
By His grace and mercy, we can stand in His presence through the righteousness of Jesus. Because of His love, we are able to love and we can live with Him throughout eternity.
Through His Holy Spirit, we are empowered to overcome sin and temptation. He changes our lives for the best and He makes a new person. He cleanses us and gives us a fresh new start. What more can we offer Him but our lives out of love for Him?
This message had struck me hard especially when I read through 1 Corinthians 4 where Paul makes a very convincing statement and one that pierces right through the chest. His message about living for Christ was so powerful that I really felt the Holy Spirit talking to me and convicting my heart as I read through it.
When Paul described the conditions that the apostles were going through all for the name of Jesus Christ so that the gospel may be preached to the ends of the earth, he makes such intense statements that struck me hard.
This is what Paul wrote from verses 9-13:
"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.
We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.
We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment, we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world." The last sentence sums up his appeal very strongly.
God has called each one of us to be His laborers, to go on the field and work to reap the harvest. He wants us to go on the battlefield and win as many souls as we can for Him. Christians and missionaries around the world are being beaten and torn down.
They die for the sake of the gospel and for the name of Jesus Christ. They sacrifice their lives so that salvation may be brought to those who need it. They endanger themselves so that there will be hope and light even to the remotest parts of the world.
They endure all the pain and persecution because they know that God has a great plan and that it will be fulfilled. What truly matters for Christians is to wholeheartedly devote ourselves for the glory of God and to live for Jesus Christ and bring Him wherever we go.
This may also be considered as a wake-up call or message for all believers to burst out from the closet of ordinary, superficial Christianity and become more active in serving the Lord. I know these words may be tough but I really want to urge all of us to take part in the work of the Lord because it is good and it brings joy to bear fruit for the Lord.
It is a great privilege that God has given us to be a channel of His blessing and an instrument to advance His kingdom to the four corners of the earth.
I am not a scholar nor do I have any degree in theology but I am passionate for the Lord and I want to share this passion and urge those of us who have been cocooned most of our lives to listen to God's calling and obey it because God has great things in store for us.
When one becomes a Christian, his life is wholly surrendered to Christ and he no longer lives for his own wants but for Jesus who died and was raised again so that all who believe and receive Him can have eternal life with Him.
When we begin to realize that God has a plan for us and that it is not merely any ordinary, simple, mediocre plan that any one of us can come up with but that it is a good, pleasing, and perfect plan and will according to Romans 12:2, then we start to become more excited about how God is going to bring about this plan.
Moreover, God is continuously at work in our lives and He works together for the good of those who love Him, then what irrepressible joy and incomprehensible peace we will have in our hearts knowing that the God of all creation, who made the heavens and the earth and everything in it, is designing a great masterpiece out of our lives.
Furthermore, God has promised us a great reward when we hold steadfast to Him and stand firm in our faith, never to be shaken no matter what happens. Jesus said that whoever serves Him will be honored by the Father in heaven and what even greater joy and satisfaction to have God tell you, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
We have an eternal glory that awaits when the day comes for our Lord Jesus Christ to return for us and though we may face persecutions and trials, these are merely temporary and fleeting as compared to the eternity we have with God when we stay faithful to Him.
I know that for many of us, we have the tendency to complain and grumble with the slightest inconvenience and pain but we have been commanded to endure these hardships because these will only last for a while.
I urge us then that no matter what circumstances we might be in - some may be in grave peril, in danger of death, even as I write and we shall pray for them, while others may be persecuted and rejected - let us continue to trust in the Lord for He knows what we are going through.
We know that He is gracious and loving and He will never leave us nor forsake us. He knows what we need and supplies it. He knows what is best for us.
Many people still have not heard about Jesus and they need someone to tell them. Out of our love for God, let us go wherever He calls us to go because having our hearts set on Him and having experienced His love, let us share God's love and grace to the lost.
Let us have that burning passion to bring more people to Christ so that they too would experience His love and forgiveness. Many people have nothing in their lives and the greatest gift we could ever give them is Jesus Christ who will be everything and give them everything they would ever need.
I know many of us think that God wants us to succeed in life and to be victorious and that is true. God wants us to have a victorious life but we have to know that God blesses us so that we can bless others as well. He brings prosperity in our lives so that we can be channels of blessings to share what He has given us to others and to share Jesus to those who need Him.
When God calls us to go somewhere hostile or foreign to us, do not react immediately by thinking about all the things that you would surrender and holding those things over God's command. Remember who gave you all those things and remember who it is that calls you.
God may cause us to give up our possessions or material wealth but that does not mean He will not give us anymore when we obey Him. Rather He is gracious and generous. We may suffer some inconvenience for a little while but it is God who called us, the one true living God, who gives life and has the stars beneath His feet.
Never let the comforts of life distract you from serving the Lord. Never let your material possessions - money, luxury, comfort - to hold you captive and hinder you from following the Lord's commands. God gives generously but He can also take it away.
Never let the opportunity to serve God pass by because that is the greatest privilege we could ever have in our lives. We must always stay humble before God because we owe Him our lives. By His grace, He has given us salvation and freed us from the slavery of sin.
By His grace and mercy, we can stand in His presence through the righteousness of Jesus. Because of His love, we are able to love and we can live with Him throughout eternity.
Through His Holy Spirit, we are empowered to overcome sin and temptation. He changes our lives for the best and He makes a new person. He cleanses us and gives us a fresh new start. What more can we offer Him but our lives out of love for Him?
This message had struck me hard especially when I read through 1 Corinthians 4 where Paul makes a very convincing statement and one that pierces right through the chest. His message about living for Christ was so powerful that I really felt the Holy Spirit talking to me and convicting my heart as I read through it.
When Paul described the conditions that the apostles were going through all for the name of Jesus Christ so that the gospel may be preached to the ends of the earth, he makes such intense statements that struck me hard.
This is what Paul wrote from verses 9-13:
"For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.
We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.
We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment, we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world." The last sentence sums up his appeal very strongly.
God has called each one of us to be His laborers, to go on the field and work to reap the harvest. He wants us to go on the battlefield and win as many souls as we can for Him. Christians and missionaries around the world are being beaten and torn down.
They die for the sake of the gospel and for the name of Jesus Christ. They sacrifice their lives so that salvation may be brought to those who need it. They endanger themselves so that there will be hope and light even to the remotest parts of the world.
They endure all the pain and persecution because they know that God has a great plan and that it will be fulfilled. What truly matters for Christians is to wholeheartedly devote ourselves for the glory of God and to live for Jesus Christ and bring Him wherever we go.
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