Evidence of Our Christianity...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 4:30AM 
Greetings, Dear Friends!
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. Each month I give away a $10.00 Starbucks gift card to someone who posts on my blog. So leave a post, share an insight, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a fun treat this month!
I am thinking of changing things up on my blog and posting shorter pieces twice a week rather than a longer piece once a week. Let me know what you think of that idea...
One more fun piece of information:
Post a review of my new book, "Growing Grateful Kids" on Amazon and enter to win a 4GB I-Pod Shuffle!
Now on to my topic...
It's been an eventful week thus far. My mom was taken by ambulance to the hospital due to some heart issues (she's okay now), and my brother in law and nephew were in a horrible boating accident leaving my brother in law seriously injured. For the Believer, tough times always remind us of our moment by moment need for Jesus.
The other day as my son and I drove home from the hospital, we talked about the day when Jesus returns. I said to him, "You know, there are plenty of people who think they are saved, but are not. There are plenty of people who expect to be taken up who will be surprised to be left behind. The Bible says that there are even those who performed miracles in Christ's name, to whom Jesus will say, "I never knew you."
Read Matthew 7:21-23 from the Message paraphrase:
"Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance— isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.'
Very sobering, don't you think?
Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that we are saved by GRACE, and that it's a GIFT of God and not a result of works, so that not one of us can brag about it. We are saved by grace, but the authenticity of our salvation is proved by the fruit that comes from our lives. And we don't produce 'more fruit' by cranking out a bunch of good works that make us look like good Christians. We produce fruit to the extent that we abide in the Vine. Daily, moment by moment nourishment from our Life Source is what gives us life and grows fruit that through us, nourishes others.
My heart breaks to thinks of the millions of people who, by association, consider themselves Christians. They go to church, they may even be involved in church activities, but their personal lives bear no evidence that a living-breathing Savior resides within compelling them to cultivate an atmosphere of growth in their lives.
What are the fruits of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control. And further evidence that we have a thriving-intimate walk with a loving Savior? An ever-increasing sense of gratitude and humility.
For the truly saved, there is an overwhelming sense of what we've been saved from, and of what we've been forgiven. If we are loosely casual with God's unfathomable offer of forgiveness, then we are not clear on the depths of our offense or the weight of our debt. Because if we truly understood the eternal significance of our sin, we would be overwhelmed by the eternal significance of God's gift to us through Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross.
As we grow in Christ, we become increasingly grateful for His forgiveness. Why? Because the more we understand His greatness, the more apparent our nothingness becomes. And in understanding our insignificance apart from Christ, we become overwhelmed that Jesus would want to make something significant of us in spite of our human nature. Truly amazing.
The longer I walk with the Lord, the more grateful and joyful I become. The more I learn about my Savior, the more I am overwhelmed that I get to be associated with Him. Even though His purity exposes my carnality, it only inspires gratitude because His goodness swallows up my badness.
Oh, my heart aches for the multitudes who consider Jesus a casual acquaintance. He didn't come to us on those terms!
May our lives bear the evidence that the Savior of the world lives and breathes through us! And may our ever increasing passion for His presence, His Word, and His concerns shout to the world that Jesus lives and He lives in us!
Have a blessed week~
PS ~ I'll be on a much-needed vacation next week but I'll be back the following week. Thanks for your patience. Bless you.
Reader Comments (15)
Please forgive me if I made things more confusing instead of more clear. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that God rose Him from the grave, you will be saved. We are saved because of what Christ did on the cross. When we receive His sacrifice for our sins, we are saved. My point was that so many consider themselves Christians because they maybe said the 'magic words' but their lives bear no proof of conviction over sin or of a heart to grow in the knowledge of God. The Bible clearly says that when we have the Spirit of the Living God within us, we CAN'T continue to live sinful, carnal lives. Not that we change overnight, but that we change - we grow - we go from strength to strength and glory to glory. We may have our 'off seasons' where it feels like we've lost ground, but deep in our souls we are aware of God's love and His call on our lives. And again, not to make us jump higher, but to make us bow low; not to make us self-aware, but to make us God-aware; not to make us clean up our acts, but to give God permission to change us from the inside out. His grace is sufficient to save us and to change us. He is crazy in love with us and wants an intimate relationship with us. He wants to be known by us. I love that about Him. Hope this answers your questions. Bless you, dear!
Remain in the vine. You will bear much fruit.Apart from Me, you can do nothing. Amen.
Love you dearly sister!~Kathy
I'm so sorry that it's been a tough year, but I'm thankful for the beautiful work God is forging in you as you trust in Him. I've been through my share of sifting and it's always painful, but when I come out the other side with a greater awareness of God's presence in my life, I say that it's always worth it. God carefully guards His investment in us. Love that.
Thank you SO much for your willingness to pray for my family! I'm glad God's word is alive and powerful to you! I feel that way too! :)
Thank you for your note. I loved the Set Apart Conference this year. And I love the 'abide in the Vine' message so very much. We're here to bear fruit and to bring God glory and we can't do that without an intimate, vested, involved, and life-giving relationship with Jesus. How blessed we are that He has made such a relationship available to us! Love you too!
Thanks so much for your prayers for my family. Really appreciate it!Bless you!
I really appreciate your questions and comments.Bless you, dear!
Thanks again for sharing such intimate aspects of your journey. I so appreciate your honesty. We all need Him moment by moment, but too often our comfortable circumstances keep us from running hard after Him. You are definitely in one of those 'hang on to the Vine for dear life' seasons. May God fill you with great faith and peace. Blessings to you~