Scripture references: John 3:1-21, Romans 6:23 & Romans Chapter 8.
The main purpose of my blog is to share what living a Christian life is really like day to day and over the long haul. I want to clear up any misconceptions about the Christian life held by those who have not begun that journey and to remind Christians of the power we have at our disposal to take us through the sunshine and storms of our life. However, I think it is good once in a while for us to remember where it all begins.
Everyone begins life as an innocent baby in our mother’s womb, but soon we begin to take on our sinful nature and God’s judgment of death for sin. There is nothing we can do – no effort on our part – that can release us from that death sentence. I was eleven when I realized my sinful nature had me living on death row. I read John 3:16, where Jesus describes His mission to set me free from God’s judgment. I accepted His sacrifice in my place and vowed to serve Him forever. At that moment, God’s Holy Spirit took up residence within me to guide me and give me strength to overcome whatever I encounter in life. God wants everyone to be saved. He knows that some will reject His gift and follow the enemy (Satan) instead. But to those who believe and accept Jesus Christ as Savior, He gives the birth right and blessing as His adopted son or daughter.
It is God’s mercy and grace that make the Christian life possible; mercy that takes away the punishment we deserve and grace that showers us with blessings we don’t deserve, including eternal life. The Creator knows us better than we know ourselves and that is why He provides us with His Holy Spirit to help us in so many ways. His Spirit affirms with our spirit that we are a son or daughter of God. It is important to note that the Holy Spirit is not a remote control that God uses to force us to do His will. We retain our free will. I am not a ventriloquist’s dummy with God’s hand up my backside. His hand is on my life, but that is because I pray daily for it to remain there. God wants us to worship and obey Him because it is our desire to do so. There have been more times in my life than I care to remember, when I have said, “I’ve got this!” and grabbed the steering wheel of my life while the Holy Spirit dozed off in my back seat while waiting for me to consult Him. Every single time I tried that, I wound up in a ditch and humbly asked Him to take the wheel and get me out of trouble. I’ve been a slow learner, but now I know that following His lead and responding to His promptings will keep me on the road to my final, glorious destination.
So, the Christian life begins with something as simple as accepting a precious gift from God.