“… we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” —Ephesians 4:14-15
How do you filter life’s events? In other words .. what is the
source from which you respond to what happens to you and around you? Since this is a faith-based BLOG, of course the
“right” answer is your faith. But that
may not be what actually happens. If we
fail to embrace the primacy of our new nature in our life then we will put the
natural in the front of the line, when it comes to making choices .. our old nature
will be at the top of the stack of responses to life.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20
The life I now live in this body of mine .. means the natural life
that used to rule and guide me has been usurped by Jesus and the Holy
Spirit. How I respond to life should
always be based on who I am in Christ.
Romans 12:2 says don’t be conformed to the natural but be transformed by
the supernatural. Loving God with all of
you does not leave any room for the flesh and the natural. When Jesus said (Luke 14:26-27) “If anyone
comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers
and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And
whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” That means that you must put the natural in
its proper place and it cannot be ahead of Jesus and your new life.
Most people want to be in harmony with their family. Sometimes our faith gets in the way of that
natural harmony. Many people want the
acceptance of their family more than anything ... above everything. If you are a Christian, that may not be
possible if you are unwilling to compromise your faith. Have you ever “tucked your faith in your
pocket” when you are around certain people so as not to offend them? If you have, you put the natural ahead of the
supernatural. You chose to deny your
faith in favor of acceptance from the
world .. and that may .. and most often does … include your family and
friends. You don’t have to be offensive,
but you should also not be apologetic.
We are called to be salt and light.
Salt that has lost its saltiness …its ability to do what it was created
to do … flavor and heal … is good for nothing and should be cast out to be
trampled under men’s feet. (Matthew 5:13) That doesn’t sound good does it.
The world is trying hard to erase that truth that God sent His Son
so we might be saved from our sin and make life about other things like
personal choice or money and possessions.
But ... you need to be salt and light – what you were created to be (2
Corinthians 5:17). Have you ever been
in a dark room and someone opened the curtains or turned the lights on. Did it hurt your eyes? That is what you do spiritually when you are
around other people who are living in darkness.
Be the light! “Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it –
Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His
Glory Alone
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