Were you lied to as newborn Christian? I was...let me explain.
You are a Christian, right? So, Can you live the Christ life? Well I guess I want to get a little more involved than that. I want to ask you if you can live the Christ life by your own effort!
If you're like me, you were probably brought up in a Church where the pastor told you every Sunday how you were supposed to act. He probably told you that you needed to do such and such in order to be a "good Christian".
And what if that stuff was hard to do? If you had a problem with a certain sin, what was the advice that you received. How was it recommended that you go about the subject of "living the Christian life"? If your early Christian education was like mine you were lied to!
The way to success I was told was through willpower. Grittin' the teeth and whatnot and just to "buckle down and do something for God". No matter how uncomfortable it may of seemed.
And uncomfortable it was! Are you still with me? I'm sure I'm not the only one that found the burdens of Christianity hard to live with. What could be heavier than the burden of a God that was displeased with your level of performance? Nothing comes to mind for me. Why then does the Bible say this in Matthew 11:29-31:
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.?
And I'd bet dollars to donuts that I'm not the only one that found myself failing more than I was succeeding-am I right?
Sure you might get nice and fired up about being a good Christian once or twice but then you'd fail and the "failure, condemnation, rededication Cycle" would set in (to quote a phrase coined by Dr. Steve McVey). After the failure, I'd feel condemned that I had failed God. After that period of self pity and general feeling of patheticness (Is that even a word?), I'd rededicate my efforts to do better for God the next time.
Sound familiar? Would you like to get off that religious rollercoaster ride and find the rest spoken of by Jesus? Are you ready for the Truth? Good, let me tell you what it's all about!
The Truth is that you, by your own efforts, can not live the Christian life!
Consider this verse:
"This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Galatians 3:2-3
Didn't you come to salvation and the Christian life by faith in Christ to bring you that salvation? So why would you try to live that Christian life by your own effort instead of by faith in the one that will live it through you?
This is the key that will set you free. You can not live the Christian life, only Christ can! It makes sense doesn't it. He did it over 2,000 years ago and he is capable of doing it through you today! Consider Hebrews 4:15:
"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
Jesus has lived the "Christ Life" and he will do it through you if you let him!
Caleb Osborne, a native of Virginia, is an up and coming author who has just completed publishing his first book--Christ Through Me. He is now in the process of working on other projects and running his website at http://www.christthroughme.com where he has a FREE email newsletter that all are encouraged to sign up for.
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Who Else Wants to Experience The Abundant, Care-free Life of Being a Better Christian Day In and Day Out and Experiencing the Guiltless Joy of Living Life Without Limits or Having to Worry About Following a Bunch of Uptight Rules?" Click Here: http://www.christthroughme.com
-=-=-==-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -=-=-=-=-
** Attn Ezine editors / Site owners / everyone ** Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include our resource box as listed.
shuttle from Midway Glen Ellyn ..Attract and hold your family at home with some unique... Read More
Today we do not experience great manifestations of God as... Read More
It will all be clear in a minute, but first... Read More
That we must live with imperfections is a fact of... Read More
At any given moment, there are 'things' occurring within the... Read More
So, none of us arrived with an Owner's Manual, neatly... Read More
Many people are awakening today to the idea that the... Read More
It is within us to... Read More
The Angelic realms have been very active throughout the human... Read More
If you've been on a conscious spiritual journey for any... Read More
With excitement and anticipation I jumped on a plane last... Read More
Burn out, it can happen to anyone. Some of the... Read More
The word means different things to different people. Is it... Read More
Coming face to face with yourself in the space between... Read More
If we don't behave according to a specific church's doctrine,... Read More
1. The name Michael means, "Who is like God". In... Read More
The Birth of Jesus Christ18 Now the birth of Jesus... Read More
The Evil Eye has been around since the beginning of... Read More
Your creative gift has power.God was the first and still... Read More
Matthew 2:1-12The Visit of the Wise Men1 Now after Jesus... Read More
There was this TV commercial a couple of years back... Read More
After 6 years, I left an abusive relationship with an... Read More
Sundered Knight:Although the world, Denies the weak aid and justice,... Read More
Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you... Read More
Matthew 1:1-17The Genealogy of Jesus Christ1 The book of the... Read More
shuttle from O'Hare North Chicago ..I am not enlightened, and yet,... Read More
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in... Read More
Heaven is a place of abundance and earth is a... Read More
One of the first steps toward understanding the Tarot lies... Read More
I come face to face with self whenever you come... Read More
Ever wonder what happened to the family dinner hour? Or... Read More
One of the first things you will find that God... Read More
In the year 2000, I went on a mission trip... Read More
My favorite scripture is Roman's 8:28. "And we know that... Read More
According to H. G. Bosch, the newspaper cartoonist H. T.... Read More
The question of life after death is one that continues... Read More
The myths of man have been with us throughout time.... Read More
Recently I was watching a re-run of "Everybody Loves Raymond".... Read More
I know God will not give me anything I can't... Read More
If you spend a hundred bucks and buy the right... Read More
As a child growing up, whenever I was worried about... Read More
Continued from "Origin of Certain Thoughts, Part I"If you haven't... Read More
The smart 'spiritual' answer is 'you always get what you... Read More
THE GNOSTICS, ESSENES AND THE 'OCCULT':Throughout this book I have... Read More
Many people are awakening today to the idea that the... Read More
Obviously, if you really want to learn about the meanings... Read More
Listen to the sound of silence. Enjoy the peace and... Read More
The teacher of the future.... will be a master of... Read More
There are many different and interchangeable terms that are used... Read More
Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 (NIV) We... Read More
Spirituality |