A study for Those young in their Faith
When was the last time you asked yourself: "Why have I come to church?"
It may be for many reasons. If it not out of habit or for a special occasion, it may be because:
- you enjoy the service
- you enjoy meeting others who come
- you want to learn more about your faith
- You like putting aside some time each Sunday as the Lord's Day to meet in God's name.
- you have a need
We all have needs and deep down we want to be different. We want to find meaning to life. We want to find lasting purpose for our lives. How does God meet our needs? By beginning a 'journey' with Him.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS LIKE A JOURNEY
Every Christian has a starting point and that is true of the Christian life as well.
The Christian life begins for real when you:
- accept that God is perfect and we are not
- accept that God's Son Jesus Christ came into our world to make it possible for us to be at peace with God
- accept that Jesus made this possible by dying on the cross for our sin and through His resurrection from the dead, he defeated sin and death
- accept that you need to make a personal response to God by asking Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Saviour
Your journey with God has begun!
THE CHRISTIAN JOURNEY
There is one thing that marks out the Christian: he or she wants to learn more about God so that we can live the way God wants. In the beginning of this journey we do not depend on ourselves. We come to God just as we are. We do not need to get our act together first.
So why does the Christian want to:
- go to church each week and join in the service?
- meet with other Christians?
- learn more about God by reading the Bible each day?
- speak to god in prayer?
- live a God-centred life?
The apostle Paul gives us the answer: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation - old things have passed away - everything has become new." ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ). In being a Christian, changes should begin to take place in our life. God really does give us a new nature. God does want to change us through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
What sort of thing does God want us to enjoy?
- He wants to change our discontentment into joy
- He wants to take your feeling of insecurity and change it to peace
- He wants to change our bitterness to goodness
- He wants to take our lust and change it into genuine love
- He wants to change our mean streak into genuine love
- He wants to take our impatience and change it into patience
- He wants to take our harmful habits and give us freedom
- He wants to change our anger into self-control
God is into the change business! He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us to change.
WE WILL COME ACROSS ROAD BLOCKS
Like any journey we will encounter hold-ups and diversions at times. Spiritual 'road-blocks' get in the way of us changing.
A couple of paragraphs ago, we read that God wants to transform, rather, change our lives. There may be more for others.
Making a list of them is not a bad idea. It is like the garage going through a check list when your car has a service. the apostle Paul made such lists. they include such things as: pride, lust, stealing and anger. He could have added: having an affair, overspending, being too controlling. Today, seedy films and magazines might be added to the list.
We need to ask God to change us. In Acts 3:1-8, the lame man's life was totally transformed when he was healed by Peter in the name of the risen Lord Jesus. Our lives can be changed through Jesus Christ today.
SET YOUR SIGHTS ON YOUR DESTINATION
The immediate destination is to have a personal, living relationship with Jesus Christ and then to grow spiritually. You - and me - are involved in that process.
Then, with the apostle Paul, you have to set your eyes on your final destination. This life does not last forever. Beyond it, the Christian can look forward to everlasting life in God's presence. Then we will receive a new body - a body like that of the risen Lord Jesus. In the meantime, we are to prepare ourselves for that great day and become more ready to meet God.
POINTS TO PONDER
1. Why not make a list of the things that hinder your life becoming more like Jesus?
2. Then, lay these things before God, one at a time, and ask the loving, gentle Holy Spirit to help you to renounce these things and to conquer them.
3. make a list of some of the things (attributes) God would like you to display in your own life. How could you achieve this? (And don't forget we cannot change ourselves - but the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the life of the Christian).
May God speak to you about these things, and in turn you become richly blessed through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In His Mighty Name. . .Amen!
Love In Christ, Joylee
TheJoyOfTheLordIsMyStrengh.
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