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.
scheduled maid service Northbrook ..Talking about your "soul" and the deeper things in life... Read More
How did an artist accidently learn healing visualizations and improve... Read More
We as human beings consider ourselves the most intelligent species... Read More
New Age Spirituality is all about getting back your power.... Read More
A feeling of fulfillment is something we all seek. Here... Read More
In your quest for enlightenment, always ask what's in it... Read More
Has America known its finest hour? Are we losing our... Read More
Second Isaiah, so called because his book of prophecy was... Read More
The Birth of Jesus Christ18 Now the birth of Jesus... Read More
Obviously, if you really want to learn about the meanings... Read More
Paul is led up a 512 ft. hill, Mars Hill,... Read More
Almost every spiritual and religious teaching exhorts its followers to... Read More
Meeting someone so attractive, so beautiful. Your heart beats like... Read More
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and... Read More
Does God care if I marry a gentile?Even as I... Read More
What type of person grabs your attention and motivates you?... Read More
Spirit DancerThe spirit dancer is the card of creative expression.... Read More
How a Divine "Dream", gave me a Spiritual Principle for... Read More
Ecclesiasts 5:18 Then I realized that it is good and... Read More
When the Tsunami struck Asia and East Africa on December... Read More
Now, we all know that we shouldn't be lead by... Read More
What does it mean to be comfortable in your own... Read More
I find myself floating on a cloud as heavenly music... Read More
The Evil Eye has been around since the beginning of... Read More
Does this ever happen to you? You ask God for... Read More
reliable maid service Highland Park ..Whenever we have the opportunity to make human assessments, the... Read More
To many people in the Western world Metaphysical Healing is... Read More
I thought I would draw this article up as a... Read More
The atmosphere surrounding the earth is still a matter of... Read More
70% of people who send me feedback at http://www.insideoutmusic.net tell... Read More
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,... Read More
There are no better people to be around than those... Read More
It is life, time for breathing deep, sighs and touching... Read More
Walls as a blockade seem to be an integral part... Read More
I am beginning a journey starting tomorrow. I have decided... Read More
Yesterday, a marketing guru asked me a question that left... Read More
It doesn't matter what magazine or newspaper you pick up... Read More
It's an almost unbelievable thought, but could you be getting... Read More
My thoughts can get a little edgy at night. Possibly... Read More
Connecting with the Moon phases, the Full and New Moon... Read More
Existence of God: facts and figures Does God exist?If you... Read More
Rose Ann Schwab is an internationally and world renowned professional... Read More
Today I was in rather a whimsical mood, and so... Read More
Let Your Family and Friends Know That You Are A... Read More
This statement sounds incredible. ASK and it shall be given.... Read More
But my God shall supply all your need according to... Read More
The lighter side of Tarot deals with games played using... Read More
There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my... Read More
It's real easy to look at the physical world around... Read More
In a recent case study which I also summarized in... Read More
Spirituality |