Were you lied to as newborn Christian? I was...let me explain.
You are a Christian, right? So, Can you live the Christ life? Well I guess I want to get a little more involved than that. I want to ask you if you can live the Christ life by your own effort!
If you're like me, you were probably brought up in a Church where the pastor told you every Sunday how you were supposed to act. He probably told you that you needed to do such and such in order to be a "good Christian".
And what if that stuff was hard to do? If you had a problem with a certain sin, what was the advice that you received. How was it recommended that you go about the subject of "living the Christian life"? If your early Christian education was like mine you were lied to!
The way to success I was told was through willpower. Grittin' the teeth and whatnot and just to "buckle down and do something for God". No matter how uncomfortable it may of seemed.
And uncomfortable it was! Are you still with me? I'm sure I'm not the only one that found the burdens of Christianity hard to live with. What could be heavier than the burden of a God that was displeased with your level of performance? Nothing comes to mind for me. Why then does the Bible say this in Matthew 11:29-31:
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.?
And I'd bet dollars to donuts that I'm not the only one that found myself failing more than I was succeeding-am I right?
Sure you might get nice and fired up about being a good Christian once or twice but then you'd fail and the "failure, condemnation, rededication Cycle" would set in (to quote a phrase coined by Dr. Steve McVey). After the failure, I'd feel condemned that I had failed God. After that period of self pity and general feeling of patheticness (Is that even a word?), I'd rededicate my efforts to do better for God the next time.
Sound familiar? Would you like to get off that religious rollercoaster ride and find the rest spoken of by Jesus? Are you ready for the Truth? Good, let me tell you what it's all about!
The Truth is that you, by your own efforts, can not live the Christian life!
Consider this verse:
"This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Galatians 3:2-3
Didn't you come to salvation and the Christian life by faith in Christ to bring you that salvation? So why would you try to live that Christian life by your own effort instead of by faith in the one that will live it through you?
This is the key that will set you free. You can not live the Christian life, only Christ can! It makes sense doesn't it. He did it over 2,000 years ago and he is capable of doing it through you today! Consider Hebrews 4:15:
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
Jesus has lived the "Christ Life" and he will do it through you if you let him!
Caleb Osborne, a native of Virginia, is an up and coming author who has just completed publishing his first book--Christ Through Me. He is now in the process of working on other projects and running his website at http://www.christthroughme.com where he has a FREE email newsletter that all are encouraged to sign up for.
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Who Else Wants to Experience The Abundant, Care-free Life of Being a Better Christian Day In and Day Out and Experiencing the Guiltless Joy of Living Life Without Limits or Having to Worry About Following a Bunch of Uptight Rules?" Click Here: http://www.christthroughme.com
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=-=-=-
** Attn Ezine editors / Site owners / everyone ** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed.
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..The "Left Behind" series is inspiring, in that it makes... Read More
Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?"... Read More
What kind of foolishness is astrology? You read about Sun... Read More
Karen was the name of the reception person, who sat... Read More
If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine,... Read More
We shamans are a strange breed.....often we tend to isolate... Read More
I am beginning a journey starting tomorrow. I have decided... Read More
I was recently asked how I interpreted the Mayan and... Read More
"Spirit is beyond the void of space. This realm, beyond... Read More
Whether we admit it or not, we operate by emotion.... Read More
As we go through life we all have to deal... Read More
We'll begin with a question:What is a moral?I'd say it's... Read More
You know that the Bible tells us a lot about... Read More
We, a group of ordinary people who believe in Jesus... Read More
"Self-Actualization" is the process of making our self "actual." Our... Read More
When King David was old and well advanced in years?... Read More
As a walked across the gym floor with perspiration coming... Read More
One cannot ask why bad things happen to good people... Read More
No one appreciates mothers enough. In this life, that's a... Read More
Maybe once in a lifetime, we find ourselves seeking spiritual... Read More
It is my personal view that the reason we call... Read More
I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just... Read More
All Shamans have several power songs because the vibration of... Read More
Coming face to face with yourself in the space between... Read More
We have to go through some unfortunate experiences sometimes in... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..Every workday, five days a week, I take the light... Read More
His name sounds as Finn. He has beautiful blue eyes... Read More
Have you ever heard something that really "resonated" with you?... Read More
Yesterday, a marketing guru asked me a question that left... Read More
I have almost died twice in my life. The first... Read More
I thought for sometime that I was hard done bye... Read More
One does not have to live long to realize that... Read More
Are you always looking for bargains, especially something that you... Read More
Lately I have become aware of a new truth that... Read More
It happens to us all from time to time, especially... Read More
Good morning Roy, good morning Joseth. (Channelled)From time to time... Read More
I believe in the source we refer to as 'God'.... Read More
Being a Christian does not exempt us from having to... Read More
Life is like an obstacle course in which we run... Read More
Most forms of psychotherapy I know either tries to help... Read More
"A common jar of clay can never become a noble... Read More
The possibility of almost 400 Old Testament prophesies coming to... Read More
I want to tell you a love story. It's actually... Read More
I was recently asked how I interpreted the Mayan and... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
Until recently, miracles were usually credited to a supernatural power.... Read More
Why do bad things happen to good people? Surely this... Read More
God poetry is one of my favorite genres, although I... Read More
I have held numerous teleconference workshops where I help individuals... Read More
Listen to the sound of silence. Enjoy the peace and... Read More
Spirituality |