LIFE IN CHRIST

Okay so before I start this blog I just want to apologise for being AWOL over the past how many weeks I don't even know,there is no excuse to be honest. Although in my defence life has a way of distracting you every now and again unfortunately. To all my day one readers thank you for being patient with me and for all the newbies I hope you enjoy and are blessed by this blog.Without further ado lets get into this weeks topic.

Life in Christ is something I've been thinking about for a long time, what does it mean to live in Christ or for Christ? I started thinking about this topic years after I had first dedicated my life to Christ. One day I was sitting down thinking about the life I lived now being born again and the life I lived when I didn't know Jesus. I mean a lot had changed I'd passed from death into life literally and was no longer burdened by the chains that once held me like depression, anger and bitterness. This was all great and I praise the living Jesus to this day that all these things were lifted from my being. When I thought about it though that was all God, I didn't actually do anything if that makes sense. Don't get it twisted I believed in his name but other than that I didn't do anything it was all Jesus.

For awhile I pondered on my new life in him and as I got deeper and deeper into the Christian faith I realised that there was and still are a lot of opposing doctrines within the church about what life in Christ is. I questioned my life in him because although I was a new creation hungry for his word and spending time with him it felt like I wasn't doing what I should be with the power he had given me in the Holy Spirit. It always felt like I should be doing more with my newfound beliefs; I mean I legit went from death to life so you can see how I may have been a bit questionable of whether or not I was living the way he wanted me to. I guess I was in the faith but I wasn't using my faith.

I believe that Christianity nowadays is being portrayed as a quick fix to all your problems, I'll give you a few examples of things I've heard said since I began my walk with God in services, tv etc.. :

'Come to Jesus and he'll heal your pain, takeaway all your suffering and give you a good life'

'Jesus will give you the breakthrough in your finances that you need'

'Jesus died so that you can live a good life full of blessings'

'God just wants you to be happy'

These statements along with many others I've heard over the years had made me cynical and a bit skeptical if i'm honest about what it actually means to live in Christ. You see I was like a hundred percent sure that Jesus didn't leave his throne in heaven and come to earth so that I can have surplus amounts of money, a nice home and a great car. It may be just me but I'm pretty sure he came to take away the punishment for my sins and give me a chance at eternal life. Maybe that's just me though you know. But no seriously I believe that many a times in the church we take away the true meaning of what it is to live a life in Christ, to live for him. Being a Christian does not equate to blessings from God and no pain or hardships; in fact the word of God guarantees that you will have pain and hardships living for him. This is because as a Christian we don't uphold the standards of the world but we go against them. Did Jesus not say that the servant is not greater than the master, they hated me first so they will surely hate you?

I'm not writing this blog to point a finger or call out anyone who may have said something like the statements I have earlier I'm writing this to help people on their walk with Christ and start an awareness of how you ought to live in him. Christianity should not be based off of material things, wealth and prosperity but on truth, grace and love. There is nowhere in the entire Bible where it says that those who follow God will have an easy life I repeat NOWHERE from the Old Testament to the New we see that those who live righteously are persecuted and shamed by their fellow man. I'll use Job as an example, he did what was right in the sight of the Lord and the Devil did awful things to him so that he would blaspheme God but he did not, many today would have if they went through what he did. There are many today who would even say that he's not a true Christian because if you're doing right by God bad things wouldn't be happening to you. Let me tell you that's a lie from the pits of hell...the Lord never said that bad things wouldn't happen to us but he promised that he'd be with us when they do.

Living for Christ does not mean getting all the desires of our heart it means letting them go to seek after God. The word of God says to carry your cross daily and follow me, to seek first the kingdom of God and all theses things will be added onto you. Jesus has your best interest at heart trust me he does but he did not die for you to receive all the pleasures of the world rather to drop them and do his will. You were not saved to chill in the blessings that God has so graciously given you but to give them away and do his will. The Bible says that he who saves his life shall lose it but he who gives his life for my sake shall find it. Please don't get what it means to be a Christian twisted God is not there to grant you all your wishes he is your God and never forget it. We worship him and praise him because he is GOD; more than worthy, more than righteous, more than the Heavens and the Earth. He deserves it all. The way I see it God has given me so much, from the breath in my lungs to the clothes on my back, all of it belongs to him and he doesn't have to give me any of it. He has blessed us a thousand times more than we deserve because of his great love and grace. if he decided today to cast each and every one us into the pits of hell guess what? He would still be God.

To live for that kind of God does not mean to gain more but to give more.

As always I will leave you verses from the word of God about this weeks topic: Life in Christ.

John 15:18-20

If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before you.                                     If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.                                                                                                                            Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

2 Timothy 2:3

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 3:12

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Matthew 24:9

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Matthew 16:25

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.

That is all for this weeks blog, thank you all again so much for being patient with me I will try my best not to leave again for so long. I hope you were all blessed and learned something new from this post. For those of you who are alive in Christ I pray that you would not buy into Prosperity Christianity but live according to the word of God. If you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour I pray that today you would repent and believe in the gospel, tomorrow is promised to no one. Jesus came, died and rose again so that you could have a chance at eternal life. I love you all but God loves you a billion times more. Enjoy the rest of your week and know you're loved always.