"How great is the love the Father has
lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that
it did not know him. Dear friends, now
we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we
shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies
himself, just as he is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in
fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know
that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. he who does what is right is
righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil,
because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to
destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed
remains in him, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. " I John 3:1-8
How many times have I made a resolution to
myself? From now on I am going to clean
out the fridge every weekend. From now
on, I am going to eat more whole grains and limit myself to one diet Coke a day. I am going to record all receipts in my
ledger every day... The list is endless of good decisions that I make, but lack
the fortitude to carry out. Resolutions,
once made, do not happen on auto-pilot.
They are a result of a
multiplicity of decisions. Yes, I decide
to have only the one diet Coke a day.
But then, when I am nauseous, I have
to decide if I really will drink water.
Later, when I am eating lunch in a restaurant, I have to decide to drink
water, even if it tastes nasty, like
chlorine (I have a deep well at home.)
Then later, I drive by Sonic and realize it is "happy
hour". Once again, I must make the
decision. Am I going to drink a bottle
of water, or 'drive-in' for a Diet Coke with vanilla? Just like that, my resolution fails at
numerous points of the day. (What is your diet Coke dilemma?)
The decision to become a Christian and follow God
is a solitary decision, that is unlike any other decision. In choosing to become a believer, God extends
special grace to us, making us a "new creation." It is a supernatural transaction, all based
in his provision. Salvation is a concert
of God's grace, mercy, the drawing of the Holy Spirit, conviction of the Holy
Spirit, the "measure of faith" being activated in our lives, etc... The list of components are endless. The primary actions that are our responsibility
is to have faith (believe) and confess our sins, asking him to come in.
All the rest is on his side. His
sacrifice on the cross. Preparing our hearts to receive the Word... Wooing us
and seeking after us...
Because the event of salvation is so God-breathed
upon, it has the power to make a permanent change in us. We are granted a new character, we have new
desires and we have a new roommate- Jesus lives in our heart! In addition, the Spirit of God walks beside
us, instructing and correcting us.
No, when we receive Christ, it is much different
than other decision. The supernatural seed, or germ, of God comes to live in
our hearts! Doesn't that just boggle
your mind?! His seed takes root inside
of us and begins to grow and blossom into
an undeniable transformation!
If you believe that you have made a choice to
follow God, but have no grace or strength to live for him, I encourage you to
reflect on today's verses. Ask God to
show you why you are not showing a difference in your life. If there is a breakdown, or disconnect, we
have to accept that it is on our part.
There are many people who walk the aisle at church
and say the sinner's prayer. Some of
them you can see an immediate change.
Others, it seems like they are living my "diet Coke"
story. They make a decision, but have no
follow-through. When that happens, we
have to wonder if the person was acting in their own strength, or if God was
really at work in their commitment.
Choosing to be born again will bring a drastic change.
Dear
Lord, I pray today for my friends who are struggling with truly living for
you. If they have failed to make a true commitment
to you, I ask that you show them and draw them into true salvation and life
transformation. If they are just continually
making wrong choices, I ask that you convict them and help there to be a desire
in their heart to truly live for you, producing fruit in keeping with repentance. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Sherri
