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.
car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareAs we proceed further into the 21st century there is... Read More
Would you like an exciting and wonder-full resolution for the... Read More
Recently it has come to my attention people are noticing... Read More
1. Life is a precious gift given to us by... Read More
Looking for some ways to feed your soul in the... Read More
Most Tarot decks consist of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana,... Read More
If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to... Read More
When the storms in your life are raging, just believe,... Read More
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls... Read More
"No man is a prophet in his own country."That line... Read More
But my God shall supply all your need according to... Read More
So I met a friend recently and we went to... Read More
Angels, those divine beings of love and light, are here... Read More
Some of us might hear from time to time that... Read More
Are you looking for a way to improve your accuracy... Read More
1. The name Michael means, "Who is like God". In... Read More
I love rivers. I have for many years lived away... Read More
There is nothing more valuable to a sentient being then... Read More
"All you who are thirsty, come and drink." ISAIAH 55:1,... Read More
Getting the most from a Tarot card reading relies on... Read More
Eden, the garden of ecstasy is no longer available to... Read More
Before the movie "Finding Nemo", came out Steve Jobs the... Read More
The Evil Eye has been around since the beginning of... Read More
With those words recorded in Exodus 15:26, God proclaims to... Read More
Aristotle referred to happiness as the most we can achieve.... Read More
Granger limo Chicago ..It seems to me that our moment to moment relationship... Read More
What is the opportunity here? What is the benefit of... Read More
The Birth of Jesus Christ18 Now the birth of Jesus... Read More
Did we just overlook the amount of love that God... Read More
Symbols and symbolism are popular in almost every civilisation, culture... Read More
"There must be a higher love/Without it life is wasted... Read More
We often forget that we are human beings first, and... Read More
If I speak in the tongues of men and of... Read More
As human beings it is inherent to want to self-actualize... Read More
Our Creator is an infinitely loving and generous provider -... Read More
I believe in a phenomenon I have been known to... Read More
I always thought Ecclesiastes was like Proverbs. That's probably because... Read More
It has long been surmised that emotional trauma can lead... Read More
It's human nature to point a finger when we think... Read More
Walls as a blockade seem to be an integral part... Read More
The formula for spiritual growth is given briefly in 2... Read More
There is a concept in Jewish mystical thought known as... Read More
WHAT IS E.V.P.?EVP stands for electronic voice phenomena, some believe... Read More
It was in the middle of the night and the... Read More
Spending 'Quiet Time' with the LordFrom the beginning of my... Read More
In Corrogue it is frosty.The ramp into our "acre of... Read More
Connecting with the Moon phases, the Full and New Moon... Read More
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ... Read More
Years ago no matter where I lived, whether a house... Read More
Seems that everyone who writes to me signs their letters... Read More
Spirituality |