How Should We Be Living?

[Christsfreeservant]

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.​

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“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (2 Peter 3:8-12 NASB1995)​

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, was put to death on a cross by his enemies nearly 2000 years ago. On the third day, God the Father resurrected him from the dead. In his death Jesus took our sins upon himself, putting them to death with him, so that by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, we will now die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands. For in his resurrection he rose victorious over sin, Satan, death, and hell so that we could be delivered from Satan’s control and now follow our Lord in surrender to his will and to his purpose that he has for our lives.

Before Jesus left this earth to go back to the Father in heaven, he appeared to many people for about 40 days, I believe. And he promised that one day he would return for those who are his faithful followers (his bride) and that, in the meanwhile, he is preparing a place for us. This parallels with the Jewish marriage of old where the husband would prepare a place for his bride, and then he would come and get her, and then their marriage would be consummated. For our salvation and our marriage to Christ will not be complete until Jesus returns and he takes us to be with him for eternity.

[Romans 8:24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5,9]

He has not yet returned for his bride, though, and there are people who mock his words of his promise to return because he has not yet returned. But when he does return, all who have died, who were of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, will be gathered up, and we who are still alive when he returns will be taken up with him, too, and we will be given glorified bodies, not like our human bodies, and we will forever be with our Lord. And where we are going there will be no more death, no more sin, no more sickness or injuries or crying, but only rejoicing that we are with our Lord forever and forever.

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 24:30-31,42; Matthew 25:13; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 17:25; John 1:1-36; John 6:35-58; John 8:24,58; John 10:27-33; John 14:1-3; John 20:28-29; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 9:5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-9; Hebrews 2:14-15; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 22:12]

So, why has Jesus not yet returned for his bride? – For all who have forsaken their sins to follow him in obedience to his commands, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord Jesus? – He is slow in his promise to return, for he is patient, not wishing (or willing or wanting) for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. For this is why God the Father sent His only begotten Son to the cross to die for our sins and to rise from the dead, that we might, by faith, die with him to sin and now live to him and to his righteousness, in obedience to his commands, in the power of God.

So many people in this world of ours today, even if they have professed faith in Jesus Christ, have not genuinely repented of (denied, died to, forsaken) their sins to now follow Jesus in obedience to his commands in holy living. And if Jesus would come back today, which he certainly could, so many people, even many who profess faith in Jesus, will die without Christ because they did not deny self, die to their sins, and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands. But they held on to their sinful practices, and they continued to live for self and not for God. And they will not inherit eternal life with God.

So, for all of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who are still living on the earth, what sort of people ought (must, is necessary for) we to be? We must be those who are living in self-denial, in death to sin, and in walks of obedience to our Lord, in practice, by the grace of God. And we must no longer be those for whom sin and disobedience to our Lord are what we practice, by habit. We must be living holy, godly, honest, faithful, morally pure, and obedient lives to God, in the power of God, by his grace, by God-provided and God-gifted faith in Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

My Sheep

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

How Should We Be Living?
An Original Work / June 28, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love