“For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” I Corinthians 3:9, 10
Today there are so many things that people call Christianity; but they are only a shadow of what God truly intends for His people…for His Church.
So what does it take for us to build a strong work for the Lord? To have a life that is pleasing to God?
Salvation – the church is made of born again Christians. We are the body of Christ. We are the church.
The building is not the church, we are. If you have not received Christ as your Saviour, you are not a part of the church. No matter how long you have been attending, no matter if your name is on the church membership, you are not part of the body of Christ.
Jesus Christ is the perfect foundation on which to build. He is to be the center of your life. You must be born again.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
Jesus wants you to be saved. That is what He lived and died and lives for…
The natural state of Christians is to be completely submerged in Christ. Many of us live defeated lives because we do not understand our position in Christ, or maybe we do not appreciate it.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:4, 5
Abide in Christ simply means to stay where you are, or where you should be…submerged in your Saviour. Rest secure in the Lord. Don’t try to get out of His arms and choose your own way. Don’t be afraid of the threats of enemies or discouraged by trials in your life. Don’t be tempted by what others have in the world or by what they are doing; just abide. Trust God in everything.
When the prodigal son of Luke 15 made up his mind to return to his father’s house, the first thing he had to do was get out of the pig pen!
Before the Israelites could enter the promise land, they had to leave behind Egypt and all of Egypt’s idols. They had to leave behind the wilderness that they traveled for many years, their unbelief, and an entire generation of self-centered rebels.
What hinders you from serving God the way God teaches us to serve Him?
We all have to make choices. What will you choose? Will you choose the way of the world, or will you choose what you think is right, or do you want the way of God?
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Cor. 6:17
Shouldn’t we be a living sacrifice for our precious Lord? Did He not sacrifice everything for us?
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1, 2
Submission means to obey with a willing heart. Not because “we have to” but because we know it is what is right. Obeying God’s Word is to give God complete control of your life. We know we can trust Him, but how often do we take control of our life and not obey God. How often do we think our compromise with God is good enough. When we do not obey God completely and do not give Him complete control, we are disobeying the Word of God.
“But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” Jer 7:23
Why does God want us to obey Him, submit our lives to Him? So He can bless us, protect us, provide for us…it is for our benefit.
There are benefits when we build a Christ centered life.
You will know the truth…John 7:17, 18 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.”
Your prayers will be answered…sometimes God says ‘no’ and sometimes He waits so we can prepare ourselves to receive His answer…but God will answer your prayers…1 John 3:22 “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”
You will be filled with joy…Psalm 37:4, 5 “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Happiness comes and goes with the moments, but joy continues in your heart. It is a comfort from the Lord.
You will have power…Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Power from the Holy Spirit to be a part of what is very important to God; winning souls.
You will ‘see’ Jesus…John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
It is a wonderful thing when we can see Jesus Christ in our lives, it is a powerful thing when others can see Jesus Christ in our lives.
No true child of God would willingly reject a life filled with such joy and victory, however, many times we fail to meet His qualifications for a Christ centered life.
One reason we fail; we do not study His Word enough. We aren’t sure how to live a Christ centered life because we don’t read the instructions.
Another reason is that even when we are aware of the life available to us, we continue to struggle to believe that living victoriously is possible for us in a personal, pratical, everyday life.
When I think about walking with God, I think of how a child walks through a crowd of people with his father. His father is holding his hand so he won’t get lost, the child cannot see where they are going at times because of all the great obstacles and people. He holds his father’s hand and follows. Why does he follow? He trusts his father to lead him to the right place.
He knows his father loves him. The child knows that if he lets go of his father’s hand, he will be separated from him causing him and his father to be sad, and the child in danger. This child is wise enough to know that he needs his father.
Proverb 3:5, 6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Ask God to take you by the hand and lead you. Follow him and never let go. Of course, we can do nothing in our own strength. Only in faith can we achieve a life that is pleasing to God.
Romans 5: 1, 2 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
When we live our life God’s way, we can be a strong part of the church. In faith, we can add wisdom to the church.
Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”
We can be a part of the heritage of God that others may follow and build upon.
1 Cor 3:10 “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”
Peace does not come from good circumstances, luck or anything other than faith and living for God.
Living for God enables us to be an encouragement to others to live for Him.
Do we trust God in everything? Do we prove our trust by giving God complete control in our lives?
Take some time and evaluate your life. It’s easy to say, “I trust God completely”, but what do your actions say or your response to trials and temptations?
Are we trusting God in everything?
