Friday, July 11, 2014

When you check the box for Christian.....

Definition of a Christian:  Someone within whose heart Jesus is happening.


Back not too many years ago, if I was filling out some sort of questionnaire which asked for religious preference, I automatically checked the box for Christian. The problem was that
I WASN'T! I certainly wasn't Hindu, or Muslim....yet, I didn't understand, nor was I internally filled, with what makes one a Christian.

So how do we know if we are truly a Christian? Here are some of my thoughts....

1- The name JESUS is paramount in importance and reverence. This happened slowly to me, even after being baptized. As time went along, the name, even saying it, began to mean more and more. It's not only the name above all other names, it's the word above all other words!
As you know and understand His walk, His task, His loving-kindness, His sacrifice... Jesus begins to mean the ultimate in so many ways inside your heart.

2- The Bible becomes your book of choice. Now I still need loads of work in this area; yet, having now become so much more aware of the purpose of the Bible, the story it tells of Jesus and salvation, the guidance it provides for our lives, it is #1. If one is not reading from The Holy Book, I'd hesitate to check the box.

3- Sin is less a center of our lives. This is through the grace of the Holy Spirit and our own desire and efforts to turn away, repent for our sins. We will continue to sin because it is in our DNA, but we should be both more aware and more determined not to be centered in sin.

4- Our attitude has changed. Here we mean the fruits of the Spirit are developing within us and becoming our normal way of living. Again, it's a process and a trek, but we can begin almost immediately to see a change in the way we live, think and communicate.

5- The desire to share the gospel has become important. This blog is one example of what we, as individuals, can begin to do to try and share the blessing of God's grace. There are a myriad of ways to share and we will be helped to find those opportunities to engage in
the work of bring the Good News to others.

6-We have a great desire to learn much much more about our God. There are so many wonderful resource out there to aid in this process; the desire to know Him and love Him becomes a primary effort in one who is truly a Christian!

Now days, I would certainly still check the box for Christian as my religious preference. The
difference is that now I would be correct. I am honored to be so!

Praise our God!

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