By the Numbers

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Enjoying Life on the Way to Heaven!

                       Enjoying Life on the Way to Heaven!

#Heaven  #Christian Life  #Hope  #Joyous living
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What's the Christian life to be according to the Bible? Do Christians live according to the Bible, or fall far short of it? Admittedly, some persons claimed to be Christian, don't give a favorable impression. But, when we don't know what the Bible teaches, then we don't know all that Christian life should be. We can have misconceptions about ideal Christian living. Is it joyous or serious, loving or condemning, wise or foolish, frivolous or responsible, or what? Can we also confuse personality with spiritually? Let me try to picture what this enjoying life on the way to Heaven is like.
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Jesus compares God's people with honest humble needy sheep trusting God their great shepherd (John 10:1-10 NLT). Sheep are kept in a sheepfold or enclosure to protect them from thieves, bad weather, and wild animals. The shepherd leads his sheep in and out to pasture to provide and protect them. They know his voice, trust his leading, and can only enter the sheepfold through him standing as the gate. Jesus warns that thief's come to steal, kill, and destroy the sheep.  But He, the Lord Jesus, came  to meet our life needs and lead us who trust Him to a rich and satisfying life.  See also John 14:6, Luke 19:10, Psalm 23. (Christians are not of a goat nature that tries to butt down anything pertaining to God.)
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Jesus pictures our relationship with God as a grapevine giving life and fruit to its branches (John 15:1-17). Jesus is the life giving vine and his Father God is the vinedresser. Fruitless branches are cut away and burned--persons claiming to be believers that don't bear fruit aren't true believers as they never received the gospel message that purified them and without Christ can do nothing spiritual. But the Father prunes the true branches to bear fruit--a father who doesn't correct his children for their good doesn't really love them (Heb.12: 5-6). So, true believers produce fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. Answered prayer, joy, and love are the particular fruits mentioned here.. 

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The godly Christian focuses on the fruit of the Spirit, not the works of the flesh.  "The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things" (Gal. 5:22-23). The desires of our sinful nature are listed as: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these--anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God . . . You have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters, But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love." (Gal. 5:19-21, 13). 
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Unlike programmed machines or instinctual animals, persons who freely seek God find Him. Critics who claim we have no free will, defeat their own arguments by asking us to believe them. The Bible repeatedly promises true seekers of God, will be real finders (Deut. 29:14; Jer. 29:13; 2 Chron. 6:37: Matt. 7:7; Acts 17:26-28, 30-31). Behavior scientists tests show we can program out minds to believe and behave in good ways if we daily meditate and repeat  good concepts. Now isn't this the very thing the Bible tells us to do so many times and ways?  
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Yes! Consider these Scriptures. "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right" (2 Tim. 3:16). I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Repeat and meditate on verses in Psalm 119.asking and trusting God to make it your mindset and lifestyle.
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But wouldn't I have to give up so many things I love,  to live the Christ life? Honestly, yes! You will need to give us things supremely important from this limited temporarily world's perspective.. But the loss is nothing to compare with the gain from God's all knowing eternal perspective.  Jesus answered the question this way--"anyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, or property for my sake will be paid a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then" (Matt.19:29-30).. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your hearts desires." (Ps. 37:4). That's because our desires then become His desires.
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Now think with me about this: Scientists tell us this material, space time universe came into being. If that's true, then what brought it into being would have to exist before the universe of matter, space, and time. It would have to be eternal, self-existing, and outside matter, space, and time. Further, we know life only comes from life. So, it's nonsense to claim undesigned mindless molecules arranged themselves into complex life forms in any amount of time. That would be like someone eternally throwing red, white, blue confetti from an airplane expecting it to form the American flag. Further, if we say murder and destruction is evil, that requires a moral standard which in turn requires a Moral Lawgiver who can know and enforce the moral law. In sum, all this requires an eternal, self-existent, all powerful, moral, life-giving Mind like what the Bible describes as God who acts in human history.
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Now this is the really hard thing. We're selfish, self-willed. We naturally want our way, and resent anyone telling us what to do, even when we know they're right and want the best for us. And according to the Bible, God will never force us to trust in Him. His love requires we make a free loving response.  As the Bible says, God works all things (both good & bad) for good to those who know and love Him (Rom. 8:28). But true relationship begins and continues with admitting our sin (wrong doing) and trusting Jesus dying on the cross to pay our sin debt. That's God's way.
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Now you are invited to admit your need of relationship with the one true God and trust Him now to same you from sin and Hell. If you don't want the one who died to save you, God will let you have your way. The alternative is self-inflicted torment forever alone in the darkness of Hell. Say, yes Jesus I trust YOU now as my Savior, Lord, and Guide. Thank you, Lord.
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