The Changes Required to Live a Christ-Centered Life Devotional Reading July 15, 2023
Every day a thousand choices present themselves to us, each one more complex and convoluted than the last. How is the modern Christian expected to figure out the will of God in their lives? What compounds the problem are the multitude of voices and Instagram-celebrities that promote their own unique way of following God. When faced with such complexities, perhaps the solution is to go back to the basics. gcu.edu
Back to the Basics are always Biblical and requires us to study the Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Knowledge of God’s Righteous standards and spiritual wisdom form the spiritual foundation to live a Christ-Centered, Bible-Based life.
- “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…” —Ephesians 1:7.
To receive Salvation, every Christian believer accepts Jesus as their personal Savior and agrees that they are redeemed from sin by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” —1 John 1:9.
It is our responsibility to pray daily for the forgiveness of our sins. Although, we are aware of wilful sins, not every sin is intentional. At times we commit sins because of learned behaviors and harsh spoken words. Therefore, we pray and ask for the forgiveness of our sins [as often as necessary] and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal our character traits that displease God.
- “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” —Hebrews 4:15-16
We express our prayers of gratitude for God’s continuous love, grace, and mercy bestowed upon us. It is for humanity that Jesus sacrificed His life, allowing us to receive unlimited forgiveness for our sins and weaknesses and also to live forever in the New Heaven and New Earth.
“For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9
Jesus tells us that we receive Salvation and Redemption as a result of God’s grace. Our heart-to-heart relationship with Jesus is based on our love and faith in God. We cannot work our way to heaven. The reward of eternal life will be given individually and is not based on our pastor, our church membership, the various theological concepts of a particular denomination, or good deeds.
According to Matthew chapter 24 and the book of Revelation, we are living in the last days of Earth’s existence. Not enough emphasis is placed on possessing a foundation of biblical truths. Studying the Bible has never been optional! Spiritual warfare includes deception accomplished through our senses of vision and hearing.
Without studying the Bible, we cannot use human wisdom to discern false doctrines. Satan, our enemy is skilled in twisting the Scriptures. The person appears to have concrete knowledge of the Scriptures leading us to believe the words they speak are the Gospel Truth breathed by God!
Reflection: Have I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal any false teachings that I inadvertently embraced as God’s Truth?
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” —Hosea 4:6
History does repeat itself. The Christian Community is in chaos from lack of Scriptural knowledge. God’s Truth is not what we perceive it to be. Each Scripture only has one true meaning. God is aware of our spiritual struggles. He has given us the Holy Spirit to teach and give us discernment of the Holy Scriptures.
The desire and human effort of studying the word of God combined with the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit ensure that we do not embrace false teachings or misinterpret the Bible while studying for ourselves.
Two such erroneous beliefs will cause the loss of eternal life: “Once saved–always saved” which continues to feed the prideful hearts of Christians who feel they have reached spiritual perfection on this earth and do not have to pray for repentance. The second false concept is to “Do your best by doing good on this earth and you will go to heaven.” Jesus says, “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:10.).
When our minds are confused and our lives are in a mess, we need to pray, pray, pray! King David acted on his visual, lustful desires leading to the sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. Yet, God extended love and mercies to David allowing him to confess and repent of his heinous sins.
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness: According unto the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my sins and transgressions.” —Psalm 51:1
Every day, we are required to make the tough decision to faithfully surrender in obedience to God’s Will and plans for our lives. From the humility of our repentant hearts [the heart filled with godly sorrow for sinning against God], we pray daily prayers of confession and repentance for our unintentional and our wilful sins against God. “Though we have rebelled against him, to the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness.” —Daniel 9:9
“Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” —Lamentations 3:22-23
Mercy is an attribute of God’s love—we do not receive the penalties we deserve for our continuous disobedience. Every one of us needs the Sovereign mercies of God. Sadly, from the busyness of life, we fail to recognize the benefits of God’s mercy, nor do we thank Him for receiving undeserved favor in our lives. Take a daily time-out to reflect on your life. Our good lives are evidence of the blessings of God’s loving mercies.
Our Heavenly Father God lovingly showers His mercies to keep us from the devastating impact and consequences of our intentional sins which arise from harboring selfishness in our hearts. Yet, we continue to give our attention to self-seeking activities that consume our time. Many refuse [whether intentionally or not] to even dedicate 60 minutes every day to spend time in meaningful worship through prayer and study of the Bible.
We awaken to a new day with a sound mind because of God’s mercies. Angels protect us from the evil Spiritual Warfare prevailing on this earth. We receive our daily necessities of life. Our children are kept safe from physical harm and human trafficking. Many of us have been healed from terminal or life-threatening illnesses, but still, we refuse to honor God through surrender and obedience.
Jacob confessed his unworthiness: “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which You have shown Your servant…” —Genesis 32:10
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” —2 Peter 3:9
There is a trending song entitled, “Come, Lord Jesus, we are waiting for You.” Our gracious and merciful God has a remnant who are ready for Jesus to come. Yet, many believers are in a lukewarm Laodicean spiritual condition that would be lost if Jesus came today.
Lastly, we must agree that God has given us above and beyond what we deserve. In Revelation, Jesus promises to come again and give the faithful righteous their reward of eternal life. “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.” Revelation 22:12
By faith take hold of the grace and mercy of God. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength and power to stay on the Path of Righteousness through our willingness to obey, exercise faith, and surrender ourselves wholly to Christ. Dedicate your life to Christ by searching the Scriptures and praying as never before.
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” —John 4:24
We can live a Christ-Centered, Bible-Based life! Yes, at times, we will fall. Even so, Jesus promises in Philippians 1:6, to finish the work in us, if we do our part. Because of God’s mercy, your name will be listed in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Your name will be alongside Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Moses, Joseph, and Rahab. Our Father God is Loving, Gracious, and Merciful!
Prayer: God, thank You for Your love, grace, and mercies. We repent of our many sins and surrender our hearts and lives to You. Yes, we desire to worship You for the rest of our days. Even so, Come, Lord, Jesus. In Jesus’ Holy name, we pray, Amen!
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