Live For Jesus

One of the first Christian bands I ever heard was Stryper, a heavy metal band that showed me that Christian songs can be professional, powerful and fun all at the same time. One of their songs is “Soldiers Under Command”. Every time I’d hear it, I’d feel like a man on a mission - that my mission was greater than myself. When I would hear the lyrics I’d be reminded that I should no longer live for myself, but for Christ who saved me through his death on the cross. I was ready to live for him, and in my mind, I was also ready to die for him. When I read second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 15, those same feelings of living as a soldier for Christ bubble to the surface again. It says:

"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again."

In first Corinthians, Paul reminds us that our life is not our own. That we have been bought with a price. And that price was Jesus’ death on the cross. In second Corinthians, he goes as far to say that we should no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus. Do you have that mindset? Do you still hold on to your life, your desires, your plans, your happiness, your success? Or have you chosen to live for Christ? To seek out his desires, his plans, his mission for your life? I encourage you to live for Christ and focus all of your aspirations through the lens of his mission for you. After all, our life is not our own. Our lives belong to him.

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“He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Are you living for him, or are you still living for yourself? To live for self is ultimately fruitless. You may find a level of happiness on this earth, but it is either fleeting or will end when you die. But if you live for Jesus, you will be storing up treasures in heaven, treasures that will last forever. So I encourage you, live as a soldier for Christ here on earth. He will give you purpose with an eternal focus. And when you die, you will find your treasure in heaven.

Bodily Temples

Do you believe that you have the Holy Spirit literally living inside of you? You can’t see Him on an X-Ray scan, and if you cut your body open you can’t remove him with forceps. But I believe that just like our soul is in us but can’t be seen, so is the Spirit who enters us when we choose to accept Jesus. I’ve heard it said that the soul literally weighs 21 grams. That when we die and our soul leaves our body, we actually become 21 grams lighter. If you don’t believe that, that is your choice, but it is the scripture from first Corinthians chapter 6, verses 18 through 20 that make me believe that the spiritual world and the physical world do actually converge inside our bodies. It says:

"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commit are outside of the body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

I believe that the Holy Spirit, like our soul, is literally inside of us. When we sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit. Other words for grieve is to mourn, lament, sadden, upset, destress, cause pain or feel sorrow. This is what the Holy Spirit - the third part of the trinity - feels when we sin. How much more so, when we sin with our bodies - or as the bible puts it, his temple or home? If you struggle with sexual sins, I encourage you to remember this verse and pray that the Holy Spirit break any stronghold Satan has in this area. Paul tells us to flee from sexual immorality, and this is one huge reason why.

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Paul says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” We need to take this scripture to heart. When we sin sexually, Paul tells us that we are sinning against our own body - the temple where the Spirit of God lives. I encourage you, if you are struggling with any kind of sexual sin and are finding it difficult to stop by your willpower alone, ask the Holy Spirit, the spirit living inside of you, to help you stop sinning against His temple. He will hear you, and if you’re serious, I know that he will respond.

Two Sides

There are likely verses or portions of scripture that you may have heard or read so many times that you remember the well-known part, but you may have forgotten the context, what verses come before or after or even the complete verse. One such example comes from John chapter 15 verse 20 where Jesus says:

"Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also."

The part where Jesus says that if they persecuted him, they will persecute us also has been branded on my brain. And yes, it is certainly something we need to remember. But don’t forget about the rest of the verse where he says, that if they obeyed his teaching that they will obey ours also. So, there are two sides to this statement. One giving us a heads up about persecution that is bound to come our way, but the other encouraging us that when we share about Jesus - when we teach the words and concepts that he shared, people will believe and obey. I encourage you to remember this truth. Yes, we will be persecuted, but we will also find that if we boldly share what we know about our faith, that some will hear, they will come to Christ, and they will ultimately obey.

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Jesus tells us that if people persecuted him, they will persecute us also. But he also says that if people obeyed his teaching, they will obey ours also. I hope this truth encourages you to share about Jesus. We are to do it in love, and we should do it as we ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance. And if we do, Jesus tells us that there will be those who will hear and obey - not by our persuasive words, but because it is his pleasure to draw people to himself. And that is what the “great commission” is all about - spreading the good news about Jesus and the salvation he offers us. If you want to store up treasures in heaven, if you want to be used by God, you need to be ready to be persecuted but you also need to be ready to share about him so that people can believe.

Too Hard?

I love being remind of who God is. He is a powerful, loving and sovereign God. Nothing is impossible for Him and nothing happens without His notice. I was reading Genesis the other day where the Lord asked Abraham a question that I think we need to ask ourselves every now and again. In Chapter 18 verse 14 the Lord says:

"Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

I like that… “Is anything too hard for the Lord” - implying that no, nothing is too difficult for our God. Sarah was 90 years old when she gave birth to Isaac. 90! This, of course, would’ve been impossible to accomplish by human effort. Even today, with all of our technological advancements, I would still argue that this is impossible. But God did it. He did it because this is how he wanted things to play out. He could’ve allowed her to get pregnant when she was younger, but that wasn’t his plan. He chose the road that was impossible for nature to accomplish. And because of that, we are able to learn a huge lesson here. We learned that nothing, hear me now - absolutely NOTHING is too hard for our Lord.

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Is anything too hard for the Lord? The answer is clearly, “no”. But sometimes we need to be reminded of that fact, because we’re surrounded by the natural world 24/7 where this truth is easy to forget. God chose to have Sarah become pregnant in her old age, a miracle that was played out for Abraham to experience and for us to read about. I hope it encourages you if, and when, you find yourself in an impossible situation. God is still in the business of performing miracles. He does it for His glory, he does it for our benefit, and he proves time and time again that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. This is the same God who raised people from the dead, made the sun stand still, and ordered 10 incredible plagues to take place in Egypt. He is the God we pray to. He is the God of the impossible.

Book of Life

The power of God is amazing! Do you believe that through the Holy Spirit, miracles can happen? Do you believe God can heal, that he can raise people from the dead, that he has the power to do the impossible? I hope you do, because he can. Yes, whether you believe it or not, I know that he can even do it today because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. In Luke, Jesus explains that he has given his disciples the authority to do the impossible, but he reminds them that this is not why they should rejoice. He reminds them that there is something far more important to get excited about. Jesus says in Luke chapter 10 verse 20:

“However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

The bible talks about the book of life. It is a book that contains the names of all those who believe - all of those who will spend eternity in heaven. This is the book that every human being wants to find their name in. It is more important than anything we can achieve or gain on earth. It is more important than riches, it is more important than fame, and yes, it is even more important than having the power to perform miracles. Jesus knew that, and he wanted to remind his disciples as well. If you don’t know if your name is written in heaven, I encourage you to believe on Jesus today. Accept his sacrifice for you, believe that he is the son of God almighty, and confess your sins to him that he might wipe them away. There is nothing more important than having your name written in the lamb’s book of life.

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Have you ever gone to concert or black tie event? They will not let you in the door if your name is not on the list or if you don’t have a ticket. The same goes for our admittance into heaven. There is nothing more important than having your name written in the book of life. If you are saved, then when you die your name will be found in the book and you will spend eternity in heaven. But if you have never accepted Christ, if you have never bowed your heart and your knee to him, then your name will not be found there, and you will not be permitted in. Instead, you will be cast out where the bible says there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So, I encourage you to make a decision for Christ today. Allow him to save you, to make you a new creation, and to write your name in the book of life.