The Test of Knowing Christ

 

"We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did." (1 John 2:3-6)

The test of true Christianity (proof that we really know Christ, abide in Christ, and love Christ) is obedience (to God's Word/commandments). Do you know Christ? The word "to know" in verse 3 is ginosko in Greek, which refers to an experiential and intimately personal knowledge (as opposed to mere head knowledge). Is your behavior congruent with your beliefs? Obedience to Christ is an essential evidence that you know Christ. On the contrary, disobedience to Christ is a proof that you do not know Him. A professing Christian who disobeys God is a liar/a hypocrite. "The best evidence of our having the truth is our walking in the truth." (Matthew Henry) If we truly know Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, abide in Him, and love Him, we will want to please Him, honor Him, obey Him and His Word. We are to walk in the same way/manner in which Christ walked....walking in obedience and desiring to do our Father's will.

"If a profession of faith in Christ does not result in a changed life that hungers and thirsts for God’s Word and desires to obey that Word, the profession is only that - a mere profession. Satan, of course, loves such professions, because they give church members the damning notion that they are saved when they are not! They still belong to him, not God." (John MacArthur)

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for being patient with me and for forgiving me! I desire to know You more and to make You known. Please give me wisdom, courage, and strength to walk daily in faith and obedience. Please mold me to be like Christ and enable me to please & honor You in all I say and do. May how I live my life bring joy to Your Heart! In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

If You Want Me To

Note: Please turn off my music playlist at the bottom of this page before starting the video.

Trust...obey...surrender all...rest in God's love and His faithful promises! "And I will go through the valley if You want me to." I do desire God's will for my life and my family...nothing more...nothing less...nothing else. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me...Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." ~Psalm 23:4, 6
 
"This is God's universal purpose for all Christian suffering: more contentment in God and less satisfaction in the world. I have never heard anyone say, "The really deep lessons of life have come through times of ease and comfort." But I have heard strong saints say, "Every significant advance I have ever made in grasping the depths of God's love and growing deep with Him has come through suffering." ~John Piper
 
"It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ."
~Esther Kerr Rusthoi
 
If you like her voice, check out my review of Ginny Owens' new CD "Get In, I'm Driving" and enter to win a copy here. She is blind but she sees the world through her Heavenly Father's eyes.

Are You a F.A.T. Christian? I Hope So :)!

“ God is looking for F.A.T. disciples, disciples that are faithful, available, and teachable. We can’t teach others what we don’t know ourselves. ” ~Anonymous

I have seen this acronym (F.A.T.) before in a church's leadership training manual. It's easy to remember and it is true. God does not require us to be capable, beautiful, smart, or famous in order to become useful for His kingdom work. The parable of the talents in Matthew clearly shows that the master was pleased with faithful servants. "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21) "So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:1-2) "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10b) Are you firmly and totally devoted to God and God alone?

Are you too busy for God? Do you spend plenty of time with Him (prayer, worship, reading His Word, listening to Him)? Have you surrendered all (your life, desires, dreams, time, talents, treasures, etc.) to Him? When God calls you to do something, do you respond immediately or do you hesitate or even refuse, making up all kinds of excuses? We can learn from Samuel and Isaiah. "The Lord came and stood there, calling, as at the other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' Then Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3:10) Samuel was available; he didn't say...not now, I'm sleeping. Have you been tempted to say...not now, Lord, I'm comfortable where I am? "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (Isaiah 6:8) Isaiah was available/willing to do God's will. Are you always ready/available to serve God...to obey Him?

I believe another word for "teachable" is "humble". And "unteachable" would equal "prideful". If we are full of ourselves and think we know it all, there's no room for God's wisdom and teachings. God hates pride! We must be humble...be receptive to being taught by the Holy Spirit, God's Word, other brothers and sisters in Christ whom God use to share His truths with us. "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way." (Psalm 25:9) "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12)

The last sentence in the quote above makes sense, too. We cannot impart what we don't have. Timothy is a good example of being teachable. "But as for you (Timothy), continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God- breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Do you want to be used mightily for God's glory and His kingdom? By God's grace, may you and I always be F.A.T. :)!

~ This week, In Other Words, is hosted by Karen on her blog, In Love W.I.T.H. Jesus.
~ Want to learn more about “In Other Words” (what it’s all about, how it works, how it originated)? Click here!
NOTE: Next week, I will be hosting In Other Words. Hope y'all will come back and link up next Tuesday :).

A Heart Exam

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I think a heart exam seems appropriate :) (no...not a warning about fat & cholesterol piled up during Thanksgiving feasts). What is our heart condition?  Do we have a thankful heart? Truly thankful? Not thankful only for material things...for worldly pleasures, but truly thankful to God for everything in all circumstances (or in spite of circumstances)... Do we daily thank God for who He is and what He has done? Or do we only thank Him when He answers our prayers the way we want, or only when we have been blessed with something big?

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

"Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" Hebrews 12:28-29

"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15

"Thankfulness is the soil in which joy thrives." ~Unknown

"When thou hast thanked thy God for every blessing sent,
What time will then remain for murmurs or lament?" ~Unknown

A thankful heart not only produces a joyful heart but also gives us a right/pleasant attitude. The attitude of awe, admiration, reverence, and gratitude for the Almighty God! Other benefits include contentment, peace, complaint-free atmosphere, no envy, no covetousness, desire/eagerness to give and share, etc., besides doing God's will.

I will never forget what a dear friend of mine said when I visited her and her daughter at the hospital after a car accident that took her son's life and left her daughter in critical condition. I went there to encourage and comfort her but instead, her words touched me deeply. She said, "I'm so thankful that the Lord gave me all those years to homeschool my kids. I thank Him for all the time we spent together." She retained a thankful heart throughout the whole ordeal. Wow...isn't that a wonderful example of "giving thanks in all circumstances"?

A Simple Prayer of Thanksgiving by Helen Steiner Rice

I come not to ask, to plead or implore You,
I just come to tell You how much I adore You,
For to kneel in Your Presence makes me feel blest
For I know that You know all my needs best...

And it fills me with joy just to linger with You
As my soul You replenish and my heart You renew,
For prayer is much more than just asking for things--
It's the peace and contentment that quietness brings...

So thank You again for Your mercy and love
And for making me heir to YOUR KINGDOM ABOVE!

Father, We Thank Thee by Grenville Kleiser

Father, we thank Thee:
For peace within our favored land,
For plenty from Thy bounteous hand,
For means to give to those in need,
For grace to help in thought and deed,
For faith to walk, our hands in Thine,
For truth to know Thy law divine,
For strength to work with voice and pen,
For love to serve our fellow men,
For light to goal ahead to see,
For life to use alone for Thee,
Father, we thank Thee.

*I'm hosting 'Tis the Season to Be Thankful Giveaway.  Please click here to enter.
~Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts.  Thanks so much to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays every week.