Editor’s Note: This column originally ran Oct. 13, 2016
By Sister Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor
“This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:5b-6
When Christ came to earth, He came to bring to mankind the gospel of the Kingdom. Over the centuries, the Church has tended to emphasize only a portion of the gospel. That portion is the gospel of salvation. However, Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation. He came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily.
However, Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation. He came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily. He came so that we might walk on this earth as He did. If our lives are not reflecting the same things as Jesus’ did, we must ask why?
I have noticed three distinct types of believers walking with Christ. First, many of us come to Christ out of a need for salvation. Our hearts have been touched by His call on our lives. We reason and analyze the claims of Christ and make a decision for Him. It is the convenient time to accept Him in our lives.
This first stage is often characterized by a “Bless me, Lord” attitude toward God. It is the first stage that primarily brings salvation into our lives. Some never really go past this first stage.
The second stage is the crisis stage. A crisis takes place in our lives, and we are motivated to seek Christ with a whole heart. Â However, this motivation is not out of pure love for Christ; rather, it is motivated by the desire to get out of the pain of living. The motivation is to solve “the what” versus “the why” in my life at the time. This stage is best characterized as “Help me, Lord.”
In the third stage, we begin to experience the gospel of the Kingdom. It is the place where Jesus resided in His walk with His heavenly Father. It is the place of conviction. The numbers of people who live at this level are quite a few, but these people are experiencing the reality of a walk with God that is foreign to all others. They are seeing daily occurrences of His involvement in their lives. They are motivated by a deep love for Him. They know Him. These people have an attitude characterized by these thoughts, “Have me, Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him.”
Where are you today? Have you merely accepted His salvation to simply float along? Or do you seek Him with a whole heart only when a crisis occurs?
God’s desire is for Christians to live a life of conviction, motivated by our love for Him and His love for us. This is where we will experience the gospel of the Kingdom. Thank God today for standing on the solid Rock of Jesus. Thank Him that your life can be built upon a strong foundation.
Trust God to live, to take every breath based upon the foundation that you can have in Him. Ask Him to help you to weather life’s storms, to help you keep looking to Him, and to be a thankful child…never a complaining Christian.
Pray that God will strengthen you and keep your feet steady on solid ground. Pray for your family members that each one will be committed to God and live a life that glorifies Him and ministers to others in the blessed name of Jesus.
