I have gained with Him
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Proverbs 21:21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor.
Ephesians 4:31.32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
So often I hear from my friends and relatives who are not actively seeking God, that they think there is always time later to accept God’s invitation. Or they fear they might have to give up and sacrifice a lot, and would rather keep their lives status quo. And still others do not believe Jesus was God, but just a wonderful prophet, and although was killed on a cross, he was not the Son of God, only a good man. So therefore, He did not die to free us from sin, to enable us to get to heaven and have an eternity there.
They see life as good, things are going well for them, and they see no need to seek God. They certainly can’t see how their lives would improve and many fear there would be way too much sacrifice; things, fun times, and would have to curb language, having a drink when going out, etc. Some have no belief there is anything after this life. No heaven, no hell…nothing.
They also sometimes do not see a loving, nonjudgmental heart in some who proclaim to be a Christian and love God. Instead they see a negative, judgmental, gossip or crass speaking person. And that’s a shame. Christ always showed kindness We are not, and never will be perfect, but we should strive for kindness, gentleness, and love toward others, as well as humility. People should be able to see that within us. It ought to be one of the first things we should strive toward is kindness and simple pleasantness to all.
Christians should work toward being better. It means not abusing alcohol, food, drugs, and other products that can harm you or another. Because when we accept Jesus as savior and lord over us, we are also accepting the presence of the Holy Spirit residing in us, and are therefore denigrating God’s dwelling place by treating ourselves negatively. We can abuse ourselves with drugs, alcohol, overeating, abusing sugar, and so many other ways, including trying to harm ourselves physically. We are on a journey to learn to love, not just others, but OURSELVES.
We have a responsibility to strive to improve. We believe Jesus Himself came to this earth, giving up His place of honor in heaven, to walk among us, tolerating our selfish ways, teaching and showing grace and forgiving sins, demonstrating the kind, patient and loving way to live. Then He AGREED to offer Himself in full atonement for OUR sins. He was sinless. It required a sacrifice to get right with God after sinning.
But we are not perfect, only human. We needed a Savior, a final sacrifice to free us from the laws of the Old Testament, so we could have a way to attain heaven upon death. We were then able to have a relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus. But it also becomes part of one’s desire. Once we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, there’s an inner urge to become better in all aspects of our lives. We cannot do this alone, but when we are aware of doing something that would grieve God, we don’t want to do it any longer. It is not easy to resist certain behaviors sometimes, but it gets easier asking the Holy Spirit for help; and suddenly things you may have craved or enjoyed are removed and resisting gets easier. Things that were acceptable at one time in my life (an example: daytime soaps) are just no longer acceptable to me.
Sometimes I change without seeking the change, again the soaps, but other times, there is a struggle. Cigarettes were a struggle for me for years. But with God’s help they are no longer a part of my life and I have no desire for them to be in it ever.
Another area is my mouth. I sometimes hear trash coming from it—cursing, gossip, or being judgmental. When I hear it and catch it, I apologize and ask God to help me AGAIN. This behavior is NOT acceptable or honoring Him and I do not want to do it. But I do sometimes. Hopefully less than I used to, but I caught myself the other day being judgmental, gossipy and cursing in one brief time with a neighbor. Shame! That is NOT who and what I want to be.
But I don’t find I have to give up anything I don’t want in my life. It seems it’s just a natural growth and walk with Him; many negative things fall away. No struggle, no desire to hold things, but growth, and I must admit a smoother path in life. It feels good to see some things I enjoyed over the years, gone. If something does not meet my standards, it’s eliminated. I don’t want to be near something that makes me uncomfortable…even though a few years ago, it was acceptable. I certainly feel I have gained knowing Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have not released anything that was not good for me, and have gained a positive perspective, a peace, a knowing, a belief that I will have eternal life with Jesus and many others when my earthly life ends. What a wonderful peace and reassurance.
I’m enjoying the journey. I still have many areas I would like to see improve, but I know it is a life walk and path; not just an acceptance of Him and then no sin. But life is less chaotic and I see His blessings all the time.
Thank You for accepting me and “mybellaviews.”
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