"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37,38).
From 1994 to 2001, I went through what I call my "Joseph Pit" experience. During this season, I discovered a spiritual truth about how most believers experience three distinct phases of their growth toward obedience in their Christian walks.
When we first begin our spiritual journey we often make decisions from convenience. Often, we decide what the outcome is that we want and then make decisions based on the perceived outcome. If it is a positive outcome, then we will make an obedient decision. I call this outcome-based obedience.
However, God desires that each of us live an Obedience-based life. In order to transition us from an outcome-based process to an obedience-based process, he will bring a crisis into our lives. This crisis is designed to create pain which motivates us to seek Him to alleviate the pain. We have all heard of "fox-hole" Christianity. There is place of obedience for everyone! However, this is not where God desires us to remain.
Ultimately, God desires us to live a life of obedience and intimacy rooted in conviction. We obey His commands from a heart of love and devotion. During the crisis phase we discover the personal love of God in our lives which we had never experienced before. Most of us will get to this phase of our walk with God by first living a life of convenience, then we will go through the crisis that will them lead us into an intimate love relationship with God.
The Christian life can be summed up in one word-love. God?s desire for each of us is to know Him intimately and to love Him with all of our heart. Have you told your Heavenly Father you love Him today?
That's good Rev..and yes, i tell him everyday that i love him..i have often said if i had realized when i was younger how much He loved me, how much more could i have done serving him..
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wayne
"There's room at the cross for you."
"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37,38).
The Christian life can be summed up in one word-love. God?s desire for each of us is to know Him intimately and to love Him with all of our heart. Have you told your Heavenly Father you love Him today?
Amen and Amen...
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Jesus said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved" Mark 13:13.
Live Life in such a way that those who do not know Christ will come to know Him because they know you
God?s desire for each of us is to know Him intimately and to love Him with all of our heart.
Rev, You hit the nail on the head. The secret is to love him and not ourselves. No man can serve two master. The old man must die before the new man can live.
Wait a minute! Are you saying we can't just believe something and continue in our life of sin?
Good come back Dave. I've saidmany times, NO CHANGE-NO JESUS. I battle daily with temptations, I don't now anyone who isn't tempted and I don't know anyone that doesn't sin.
Obedience-based life
