The game of life is won or lost with every person's acceptance or denial of Jesus as their savior. Any person that denies Jesus, whether rich, poor, homeless or powerful, all have the same fate. All will suffer the wrath of God. On the other hand, all who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior have the righteousness of Christ. All Christians are to conform to be like Christ. Each start at a level according to their own experience and knowledge. We each grow by reading and studying God’s word, prayer, and relationship with other Christians. You’ve heard we are what we eat and there is some truth in this. It also applies to us spiritually. We have the choice of reading the bible or reading a newspaper, listening to music that praises or honors God or music that glorifies this world. We can watch programs that are morally responsible or teaches the ways of this world. Most Christians don’t read the bible except in church or in Sunday School. However many churches have replaced Sunday School with Small Groups and there is nothing wrong with that as long as it involves bible study. It’s hard to grow spiritually if we don’t actively seek God. Bible-believing Christians are rare these days. Sure they believe some of what they think they know but how much of what they think they know is actually biblical?
One of my gravest concerns deals with people I know and love that have children and grandchildren. They love their offspring and work hard to prepare them as they grow into adults. Stressing education(college) and career choices. It seems that success is rooted in getting a college degree from a good school so they can get a well paying job to have a nice house, car, clothes, etc… They spend very little time preparing them spiritually. Sure they may teach manners, proper etiquette, and may even take them to church from time to time. But how much time away from church do they read and talk about the bible? Sadly these days we have to ask how much biblical truth is taught in the churches? And without much exposure to God’s word, they won’t be any spiritual growth. So maybe you have been saved and reserved your place in heaven. Are you content with that? Do you have family and friends that aren’t saved and you know what fate awaits them and your still content with showing up at church for an hour or so once a week? Sing a few songs, listen to the message and drop a five in the plate then back to the world where it’s more comfortable? Maybe you join a small group and hang out with your church friends for another hour a week. If that small group is not about bible study or lessons rooted in biblical truth it’s merely a social group with church-going people. Which is fine as long as it’s a secondary group and you are getting bible knowledge elsewhere. If our daily life looks the same as our unsaved friends and family then how are we going to draw them to Jesus? And without Jesus, there is no redemption. If you’re a Christian you must live intentionally if you expect to grow spiritually. You need to grow spiritually if you want to make an impact on the world around you. If you don’t care about the world around you, you have to question your salvation. So read your bible daily. Even on days you just don’t feel like it. Get in a bible study group. Don’t be afraid to question what is being taught. Try and understand the context of scripture as to who and why it was written. And know that if there seems to be a contradiction that the interpretation of one or both of the seemingly contradictory verses is wrong and requires deeper study. Don’t ever be satisfied in where you are as a Christian because there is always room for growth.
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