Do You Know How To Live For Christ?

Do You Know How To Live For Christ?

 

Good Morning Friends,

 

Living for Christ and being a person of faith is not necessarily the same thing at all. Being a person of faith is good but being a person who lives for Christ is very good. It is a matter of focus and intensity. Being a person of faith, if one has faith in the wrong things, robs one of life itself. Our faith must be faith in the Gospel of Christ. Do You Know How To Live For Christ?

 

Scripture: Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. 

 

Philippians 1:27-28 (NRSV)

 

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Philippians 2:1-11 (NRSV)

 

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

Psalm 37:4 (NRSV)

 

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

 

Micah 6:8 (NRSV)

 

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

 

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

 

Job 38:4-7 (NRSV)

 

Message: Jesus is the incarnate cornerstone of the building blocks of life. Everything…absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him. The point is this: We can live for many things that are good…spouses, family, friends, community, creativity and even commerce, but the key to living life large is to live it for someone who is eternal. To become what we are meant to be, we need to come together through love held calmly, collectively and concurrently in Christ. Christ is to be the living cornerstone of that love so that we become more holy in the process. We need that rock in our lives…that firm foundation to build upon. But here is the thing, it is not just thinking and praying about Godly things but also acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with Jesus. The key, is turning that rock into a verb and that is the walking part…the abiding part. It’s only when we walk with God in a relationship with him that we’re able to do what’s right and love others. The amazing thing is that as we spend time getting to know Jesus, the Holy Spirit will change us so that we fit in place more perfectly. The change comes as we see how awesome God is and how we, with all our imperfections, pale in comparison. It comes as we learn that God loves us and this gives us an opportunity to respond in a way that is devoted to the experience of what God will bring next. Friends, we are to desire to love and live for Christ not because we have to, but because we really want to….Christ is what turns a good life into a very good life. And when we choose this kind of devotion to God, the things we do for the Kingdom is not a chore to dread but a joy to look forward to doing. And not only is this more pleasing to God, but more enjoyable for us as well. Friends, we have been blessed to be a blessing born out of faith but best realized, exacted and shared by living for Christ.

 

Pray we have an outward focus that builds good relationships. Pray that we as precious living stones be built on the solid rock of Christ.  Pray we put aside our selfish ambitions. Pray we stop having selfish conceit. Pray we develop a Christ-like character. Pray that we experience God with us always. Pray we are God-centered instead of self-centered. Pray we increase our faith by reading scripture. Pray we put what we learn into practice. Pray we do all this out of a desire for a relationship with God, not out a sense of obligation, but of love. Pray we not only love the truth but live it. Pray our words are filled with hope, peace, encouragement and the good news of salvation through Christ. Pray we reflect God’s image not our own. Pray we realize that bringing glory to God also brings joy to those around us as well as ourselves. Pray we have amazement and gratitude for the life we have been given. Pray we learn to live for and in and with the love of Christ.

 

Blessings,

 

John Lawson