FOUR SIGNS THAT YOU ARE LIVING FOR CHRIST
Christians are people whose lives are suppose to be God-centered instead of self-centered. The Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to “count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus,” (Rom 6:11) while Augustine confessed “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” It’s …
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Christians are people whose lives are suppose to be God-centered instead of self-centered.
The Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to “count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus,” (Rom 6:11) while Augustine confessed “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
It’s Christ who is the source of our joy, strength and purpose. (Col 3:4) “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
So how do you know you’re living for Christ?
1) You desire to read and study the Bible. Show me your ways, o Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Saviour, and my hope is in You all day long. (Ps 25:4-5) Reading and studying the Bible pleases God because it increases our faith. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom 10:17) Reading and studying the Bible also pleases God because it allows us to identify and avoid bad teaching about Him. “Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.” (Rom 16:17)
2) You desire to put the Bible’s teaching into practice. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Jam 1:22) A famous prayer says “Father, let me not only love Your truth, but live it.” When we’re living God’s Word it pleases Him because it’s evidence we’re walking with Him. “This is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.” (2 Jhn 1:6) When we walk with the Lord He comforts us with a special love. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Ps 23:4) We don’t look to do good works in order to be saved but because we are already saved through Christ.
3) You’re searching your heart. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23-24) We please God when we search our hearts for sin because sin hinders our relationship with Him. What do we do when we find sin? “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but we are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:23-24) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”4) You build people up through your words. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph 4:29) God is pleased when we build people up instead of tearing them down. We represent the living God to a dying world and our words should reflect that. Our words should be filled with hope, peace, encouragment and the good news of salvation through Christ. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isa 52:7)