- Jul 8, 2007
- 140
- 21
- 36
- Faith
- Non-Denom
- Marital Status
- Single
- Politics
- US-Republican
I heard this sometime in the last two weeks. The last two weeks have been crazy, with the death of my uncle and Acquire the Fire, things have begun to run into each other. I honestly, cant tell you where I heard this and therefore, cant give credit to the person I heard this from. I do want to write about it, because I think it is 100% true.
I touched on this subject in my post Christianity: What It Really Is but I will talk about it again. We worship Christ, and live our lives differently, not because of what we will be rewarded with, but rather, because of what Christ has already done for us. I am a Christian; not because my family is Christian, and not even because of eternity, I am a Christian because of what Christ has done in my life, what He did for me, and because of the real-life encounters Ive had with Him. I serve Christ because I know He is alive and because he is living, working, and using me on a daily basis.
So, Christianity is a heart thing. Serving Christ is a heart thing. The bible paints us a wonderful, vivid and clear picture of this with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the religious leaders of Jesus day and they followed all the rules. They followed all the rules. The Pharisees prayed out in the streets, lived according to the law; but Jesus Christ had nothing to do with them. Why? If the Pharisees followed all the rules, prayed in the street and lived according to the law; why would Christ not spend time with them? BECAUSE the Pharisees were blind of the truth and did not believe Christ was real.
Background Note. The Pharisees were devout Jews who were looking for a King to come and rule. Israel was being taken from them by the Romans and they were being persecuted. These Jews looked around and wondered why God had not sent them their King and restored their lives. The Pharisees then started blaming all the sinners, prostitutes and Gentiles for all their problems. They came to the conclusion that things were bad because of all the sinners around them. Therefore, they set out to live holy, sin-less lives and condemn everyone who did not live like they did. Simply, the Pharisees took their problems and blamed it on everyone else.
I feel bad for the Pharisees in many senses, although, they were the driving force behind the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees looked upon everyone by their actions, not their heart. They cared all about other peoples action, sins, and transgressions. In all of this, they missed the whole point of Jesus Christ and Gods plan for the world. They were too concerned with themselves that they missed the whole point.
Christianity is a heart thing. The Apostle Paul can testify, no one can be perfect: only one was perfect and that was Jesus Christ. It is true, though, that we strive to not sin. Not in a righteous way or a self-confident way, but in a humble, sincere way. We do this, NOT so that we may reach perfection but because we know that sin leads us further from Christ and the plans He has for us.
So, I have written all this for one point where is your heart? Why are you a Christian? Are you a Christian? The whole point is to analyze your walk with Christ and the motives behind your actions. Christ came, not so that we could be perfect, but so that we could have a real-authentic relationship with Him. This is the Key!!!! Relationship with Christ and its this relationship that motivates us to NOT follow the patterns of this world.
Anyway, I hope this was encouraging to at least one person. It has made a HUGE difference in my life and where I am headed. Once the heart is right the actions will follow. Our actions come from our heart NOT our heart being changed from our actions. Heart first, then actions.
So I will close with a challenge. In the upcoming days, weeks, months, and even years try to analyze your heart. Find out why you believe the things you do? Do you have a relationship with Christ? Is it real? If so, how is that going? Where do you need to improve? And where is your heart?
I touched on this subject in my post Christianity: What It Really Is but I will talk about it again. We worship Christ, and live our lives differently, not because of what we will be rewarded with, but rather, because of what Christ has already done for us. I am a Christian; not because my family is Christian, and not even because of eternity, I am a Christian because of what Christ has done in my life, what He did for me, and because of the real-life encounters Ive had with Him. I serve Christ because I know He is alive and because he is living, working, and using me on a daily basis.
So, Christianity is a heart thing. Serving Christ is a heart thing. The bible paints us a wonderful, vivid and clear picture of this with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were the religious leaders of Jesus day and they followed all the rules. They followed all the rules. The Pharisees prayed out in the streets, lived according to the law; but Jesus Christ had nothing to do with them. Why? If the Pharisees followed all the rules, prayed in the street and lived according to the law; why would Christ not spend time with them? BECAUSE the Pharisees were blind of the truth and did not believe Christ was real.
Background Note. The Pharisees were devout Jews who were looking for a King to come and rule. Israel was being taken from them by the Romans and they were being persecuted. These Jews looked around and wondered why God had not sent them their King and restored their lives. The Pharisees then started blaming all the sinners, prostitutes and Gentiles for all their problems. They came to the conclusion that things were bad because of all the sinners around them. Therefore, they set out to live holy, sin-less lives and condemn everyone who did not live like they did. Simply, the Pharisees took their problems and blamed it on everyone else.
I feel bad for the Pharisees in many senses, although, they were the driving force behind the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees looked upon everyone by their actions, not their heart. They cared all about other peoples action, sins, and transgressions. In all of this, they missed the whole point of Jesus Christ and Gods plan for the world. They were too concerned with themselves that they missed the whole point.
Christianity is a heart thing. The Apostle Paul can testify, no one can be perfect: only one was perfect and that was Jesus Christ. It is true, though, that we strive to not sin. Not in a righteous way or a self-confident way, but in a humble, sincere way. We do this, NOT so that we may reach perfection but because we know that sin leads us further from Christ and the plans He has for us.
So, I have written all this for one point where is your heart? Why are you a Christian? Are you a Christian? The whole point is to analyze your walk with Christ and the motives behind your actions. Christ came, not so that we could be perfect, but so that we could have a real-authentic relationship with Him. This is the Key!!!! Relationship with Christ and its this relationship that motivates us to NOT follow the patterns of this world.
Anyway, I hope this was encouraging to at least one person. It has made a HUGE difference in my life and where I am headed. Once the heart is right the actions will follow. Our actions come from our heart NOT our heart being changed from our actions. Heart first, then actions.
So I will close with a challenge. In the upcoming days, weeks, months, and even years try to analyze your heart. Find out why you believe the things you do? Do you have a relationship with Christ? Is it real? If so, how is that going? Where do you need to improve? And where is your heart?
