Lovin and Living
This is a place for me to just be me… (All content Copyrighted Yeve Eeffoc 2008-2015)Archive for 1 Kings
Christian Living
We have been having a series at church that really has had me thinking a lot. The main point of the whole series has been about asking if what you are about to do fits into the your Christian Life.
Do you actually live a Christian Life? Do you make time to read the Bible? Do you make time for Church? Do you make time to have a relationship with Him? Do you Tithe? Are you making choices that put you in Debt? Do you Gift others? Are you someone who knows they have issues to work on but Never does?
It can apply to anything in your life. Do you swear to much? Do you eat to much? Do you exercise to little? Are you moving in with someone and are not married? Are you having premarital sex? Are you having an affair? Are you using the gifts God has gifted you with? Are you really in need of the new car, shoes, boat, house? Are you living above your means? Are you saving money for later in life? Are you gossiping about others? Are you involved in activities at church? Are you pushing aside church for sports, sleep, fun?
How important is the Lord in your life? He sent His only Son to this world to save us!
John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.God sacrificed His only Son for us! Do you make any sacrifices for Him?
God did not send Him to condemn us He sent Him to save us! Which then brings me to another verse that really has opened my eyes with how I view some things.
For a very long time I have read Matthew 18: 15-17 and seen it in a different way than the way I do currently.
Matthew 18:15-17 15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.In the past when I read that verse my mind instantly goes back to the Old Testament. It is the only way I could explain it to myself. How was a pagan treated? You avoided them, you didn’t want them in your life, you didn’t want to be influenced by them and so you “killed” them. Of course now you would not literally kill them but you could remove them from you life and kill them and the relationship that way.
But now read that verse and see it from the eyes of the one who is speaking those words, Jesus. How did Jesus treat a pagan or a tax collector? He ate with them, He sought them out, He spoke to them, He was kind to them, He LOVED them; sins and all! He won them over with His actions and His grace and then told them they were forgiven and to go and sin no more. Did He really expect they would never sin again? I don’t think so because we do live in a fallen world, but to have the Savior say go and sin no more to you, to touch you, to care about you and what YOU did when no one else did?
We are not supposed to push these people away from us (there are situations when I do think it is important to remove them from our lives, like if they are influencing us to follow in their footsteps instead of you influencing them), we are supposed to love them and after a while confront them again.
There isn’t a single Christian around who does not sin. So are you open to others confronting you and you confronting others? That is also part of Christian Living! Are you defensive if someone points something out to you that goes against the Bible and God’s way for us?
I am not perfect and I certainly don’t claim to be. There are days I really am not the Christian I should be or could be. There are days I struggle more than others, just like anyone. But for me the really big thing is am I really trying to make it to church, tithe, have a relationship with Him, showing others I am a Christian by my actions, and not using excuses for not doing all of it?!
How is your Christian Life going? Are you loving everyone, no matter what their sin is? Are you judging instead of loving?
1 Kings 8:39 Forgive and act; deal with everyone according to all they do, since you know their hearts (for You alone know every human heart),You are allowed to bring to the forefront a sin, but we are not allowed to judge because God is the only one who know what is truly in our hearts!
Lovin and Living 