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Living to Display the Gospel

I've been listening to Cornerstone Church: Simi Valley podcasts of Francis Chan lately. He is a radical thinker who lives the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His messages have been convicting me of a lot of things and I wanted to share with all of you and confess as well that I have not been living a life worthy of the calling of Jesus as I should.

I pray that we may all be convicted by the Gospel to live as Jesus has called us to. God Bless.

What would life look like if we were only concerned with displaying Christ in our lives? Would I be worrying about getting married? Or what seminary to go to? Or how much money I want to spend on shoes or my car? Or would I simply be desiring to know God in a way that has an eternal impact on the lives of others? When I think about it, what worry of my own do I really have any more? God loves me. He is faithful and He will give me everything that I need when I need it. He will grow me in the ways that He desires. He will finish the work that He has started in my life. Why am I so consumed with my own well being?

I just wanted to confess that. I'm convicted that I have spent far too much time worrying about myself.

What does God's Word say? This is how we should live:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying 'what shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:25-34
How much faith does it take to store up money in banks or be concerned with food, water, clothing, or a place to stay? God himself says that He knows our needs better than we ourselves do.

The Apostle Paul has this to say in 2 Corinthians 5:4, 6, 7, 9:

For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.

When we are in Christ, the above is true! This earthly body should make us groan and long for Christ and His return. Let's not buy into the saying that "seeing is believing."

Let's walk by faith and make our goal to please our Lord and Savior!

It's not about me. I want to live that. By God's grace.

Comments

  1. EHApril 7, 2009 at 7:48 AM

    Amen brother...this is convicting and encouraging. To know that it is Christ producing this within us...wow... God blows me away at his goodness and his grace. We serve a great God and He has done so much to bestow on us his unfathomable love. 1 Cor 2:1-5 " ...For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified..."

    All we need is Christ... this is the mystery of Christ in you

    Ok I am done thanks for writing this it is encouraging and you know that I am wrestling with this too.

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