You Are More Than "Just" A Christian

My Utmost For His Highest

“Once “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,” we deliberately begin to identify ourselves with Jesus Christ’s interests and purposes in others’ lives (Romans 5:5). […] We have no right in Christian service to be guided by our own interests and desires. In fact, this is one of the greatest tests of our relationship with Jesus Christ. The delight of sacrifice is that I lay down my life for my Friend, Jesus (see John 15:13). I don’t throw my life away, but I willingly and deliberately lay it down for Him and His interests in other people. […] Paul spent his life for only one purpose— that he might win people to Jesus Christ. Paul always attracted people to his Lord, but never to himself. He said, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).[…]  Many of us are interested only in our own goals[…] But if we are totally surrendered to Him, we have no goals of our own to serve. Paul said that he knew how to be a “doormat” without resenting it, because the motivation of his life was devotion to Jesus.”

When you read that, do you have a problem thinking of yourself being that person?  It is easy to think of some of the great saints of our day living like that .. Billy Graham … Jim Elliott … but not you.  You might be thinking, how does this kind of living fit with my role in this world.  I am not a preacher or missionary or evangelist .. I am “just” a Christian trying to live my life. 

The thing is … each person that is born again by faith in Jesus stands the same at the foot of the cross.  We are all called to live with an attitude that our lives are not our own.  That our devotion is to be to the One who saved us.  Our lives are to be lived in service to others because of the love we have for the Father.  We should not be more interested in “feathering our nest” than we are in showing the love of Jesus to the people around us. You see, it is not what you do .. what your place in the body of Christ is .. but why you do it.  Our new life starts and ends with Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ, therefore I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”  And just as He loved us .. we are to love others.

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)