By all counts, this has been an interesting year! Many would like to forge ahead into the next year hoping for better days or wishing to return to normal days. Most if not all have undoubtedly heard the phrases, ‘challenging times’, ‘unprecedented times’ or ‘new normal’. Whatever the times or seasons in your life and how you fare in them will largely depend on your relationship with Jesus Christ!
Your relationship and fellowship with Jesus will determine how you view situations in your life! Not that you have to like the conditions, but it will affect how you respond in them! If you fall apart and crumble or if you remain confident in the Lord your God! Whether you blame God for all the wrong in the world or understand what the will of the Lord is!
What is your standing or position with God? Are you in right standing with Him? Here is how you can know:
To be in right standing with God is to receive eternal life!
All religions believe the way a person gets right with God is through good works. Every religion is man’s effort to be reconciled to God by earning His favor. But biblical Christianity is God’s reconciling sinful man to Himself apart from our good works. God sent His Son to pay the penalty that we deserve so that we can be right with Him through grace alone by trusting in Jesus Christ.
Sinners can be right with God through faith in Jesus Christ and His gracious sacrifice to redeem us.
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NKJV
When you believe God has raised Jesus from the dead and confess this, you are born again or saved! In this, you are also confessing Jesus is the Son of God! Then you are saved from ETERNAL SEPARATION AND DAMNATION and receiving ETERNAL LIFE and thereby in RIGHT STANDING WITH GOD!
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 NKJV
Knowing God can only come through acceptance of His Son, Jesus! Time spent with Him and reading the Bible develops bonding in your relationship. The same as you would do in any relationship. It is called fellowship! Through this fellowship with God, if you listen and obey, He will walk with you and show you direction in your entire life! You will grow to know the things of God!
Everything spoken about God is not true, but you won’t know that unless you spend time in prayer and reading/studying the Bible!
I have listened to lots of people say they love God or are Christians (followers of Christ teachings) but do not care about the things He cares about!
This should be of a great concern!! Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” Do what I say. Care about what I care about!
But why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say? Luke 6:46 NKJV
The Bible talks of a True Way into the Kingdom:
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23. NKJV
Jesus spoke plainly, many will stand before Him one day and declare they know Him, but He will reply “I never knew you!” That you lacked fellowship with Him to really know Him. There was no real relationship. Therefore, you did things contrary to what He commanded.
Begin to search the scriptures for what God is saying in any given situation you are questioning in your life. God will answer you through His word and through His Spirit! Then purpose to do them!
Marguerite Wafula
Thank you, Amen!!
Amen! Thank you Yafay!
Amen!! What a good word and important reminder! ❤️
Thank you Hannah! We all need reminders 🙂