“These people come near me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” Isaiah 29:13
For many, Christianity is a lifestyle. They go to church, or youth group or maybe a weekly outreach event, and they probably enjoy themselves. Possibly they have Christian friends, or Christian family, or both. Maybe they read their Bibles and say their prayers and they might even give a portion of their earnings to the Lord. No doubt this does sound like a stark comparison to the lives some people live–chasing after every kind of vice and sin. But, would you be surprised to find that both lives, if they are missing one key ingredient–complete devotion to Christ–are very similar in the Lord’s eyes. In fact, you might be even more shocked to learn that Jesus is quicker to approve of the second person’s life than He is the first. No amount of Christian lifestyle is a substitute for unashamedly giving your life to Christ–wholly and permanently! It even stands to reason that the person with the supposed “Christian lifestyle” may, in all actuality, be further from reaching out to God than the person who’s playing with fire on a daily basis. Frankly, a true Christian lifestyle means giving everything to Christ, and living a life of complete faith and devotion to Him. Jesus put it this way, and, of course, His words say it best…
“In the same say, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33
In Christ,
PastorJimKilby @Kilbin8er
Jim@JamesKilby.com