For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. -Rom 5:10
The most important relationship anyone ever has in their life is their relationship with God! Believe it or not, everyone has a relationship with God whether or not they recognize it as so. One is either in a broken relationship with God because of their sin or one is reconciled to God and in the most beneficial relationship one will ever have that will literally last forever! One is either an enemy of God or a friend of God. A child of God or a child of Satan. A seeker of God or one who doesn't seek God. A lover of God or one who hates God. One who is obedient and in submission to Him or one who is disobedient. One who is elect or not. One who sees Him as Lord or not. There is no grey area, there is no in between! Either God looks down upon you as a beloved child or He looks upon you with wrath because you despise Him and live in your sin! Yet people try to live in grey areas. They try to display attributes of God but essentially don't display any real Godlike substance in their lives. Where does pretending to be His end and truly being His beloved child begin?
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth -
1 John 1:5-6
John was very clear throughout his first epistle about what it means to truly be a child of Him and how one knows that he is truly God's child. John left no room for grey areas; he was very black and white in his writing so that no one could claim they were a follower of Him, yet display in their actions and lives otherwise! If we say that we have a reconciled relationship with Him, an unbreakable union with Him ("fellowship"), and yet we walk in darkness, WE ARE LYING; plain and simple! So why all the fake "believers" out there that claim they have been reconciled to God and yet don't live as though they have been? I personally was one of those fake "believers" who truly had not submitted my life to Him and had not made Him Lord of my life. I was essentially a "believer" at six years old, and I began to learn how to do good things. Learned what not to do and what to do in my life as a "Christian", but essentially I didn't care about seeking His discipleship, seeking to do what He had called me to do in His word. Sure I talked like a Christian and looked like i was walking like a Christian but honestly had no passion behind my actions, no desire to attend church and learn more about how I should be living. I was truly living the life of a hypocrite, the life of a Pharisee. One who knew what to say and what to do but had no desire to live it out with purpose and passion for my Savior. This went on for several years since 6 until about 13 or 14. I talked the talk but didn't walk the walk everywhere i went! There needed to be change. I needed a desire to serve Him but where would that come from and how would that desire be cultivated?
4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back. -
Isa 50:4-5
44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 "It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. -
John 6:44-46
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me -
John 10:27
There was hope for me, for my Savior lives and was in pursuit of me from the beginning of time! Praise God for the ways in which He drew me to Him and gave me the desire for His discipleship after living such a long time "going through the motions" and acting like I was doing right things. God used several people who had passion for Him in my life to show me what I should be desiring. He truly proved to me through those people and through the work of His Holy Spirit in my life, what the error of my ways were and how I needed to follow Him as His disciple having Him Lord of my life! Through His grace and His love, He brought me to my knees as He showed me that I needed to be surrendered fully to Him. He "Awakened my ear to listen" and "Opened up my ear" so that I could truly be His disciple and never turn back from Him. The Father taught me the err of my ways and drew me to Him, giving me a desire for discipleship I truly never had before! Oh, May we never forget and neglect the work of His AMAZING GRACE! Since I now hear His voice because of the opening of my ears to His voice, I follow Him with my life. It is still a constant act of surrendering to Him daily though!
"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. -Luke 14:27
One who is so blessed by God to be able to be His disciple because of His work within Him does not have an easy road ahead of Him by any means! Such a one needs to carry His own cross daily, dying to self daily and renewing that passion for Him and His word daily so that they can learn and follow Him as Lord and Savior with their whole hearts! I am yearning and longing to be His disciple to the best of my ability but I know that I cannot do it on my own, which is why the Holy Spirit is here to help me day by day. He is the one who gives me strength to live for Him! All one needs to do is ask the Spirit for strength and guidance and wisdom and it will be bestowed on Him, if he is a true disciple of Jesus Christ! Such a disciple of Him is truly blessed beyond belief and cannot help but praise His NAME with all he/she has! Praise God for His amazing grace in my life and in the lives of the brothers and sisters He has blessed me with, as we yearn to be His wholehearted disciples together daily! Soli Deo Gloria
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. -
Eph 1:3
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