What is a Christian?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

 For it is with your heart that you believe and is justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9-10

Many people believe if they go to church, they are Christians. Some believe that because they are members of a church they are Christians. Others believe because they grew up in a church or if their parents are Christians, that is all it takes for them to be one. Still, others believe that if they were baptized as a baby or even later in life, that is all God requires of them and they will go to heaven when they die. And there are still other ways a person may think they are a Christian but they are not.

Going to church, becoming members in one, and being baptized is all" a part" of being truly Christian. But that is not all it takes to being one. So what is it that sets them apart from those that are not? Because in many religions, people believe they are Christians that probably do not have a clue to what it really means to be one.

First, he has to recognize that he is a sinner. He needs to see that apart from Jesus Christ, he has no hope for eternal life.  That he must repent and be willing to do that. He needs to understand that God's word is the truth and be willing to accept it as so.

And then he must try to live the kind of life that exemplifies Christ. Turning from the old ways of doing the sinful things he was doing to living as a godly example.

Christians aren't perfect and should never try to pretend they are. They sometimes do dumb things. They make mistakes.

But they know they are redeemed of God. They know that by his grace they are accepted into his kingdom through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. And while their lives are not perfect, they know that God is and they are thankful that he loved them so much that he sent his Son Jesus Christ, to shed his blood in their place.

What kind of Christian are you? One who believes in church membership will save you, or one who truly has given your life over to Christ. The difference will determine where you spend eternity. Think about it.

Have a blessed day, Friends! 

Fruits of the Spirit-Self Control (conclusion)

The lack of self-control is what turns people into drug addicts. The lack of self-control is what turns teenagers into parents. It is can turn greed in our spending into theft. The lack of self-control in people is what fills our prisons. It leads our bodies to disease.

Proverbs 25:28 equates it to a city with broken-down walls.

Have you ever thought of it that way? I never did until I read that scripture this morning. The lack of self-control can and does tear down our lives until it destroys them.

We are bombarded with so many temptations. Every day. And satan knows our weaknesses so that is where he brings on the attack and sometimes we end up giving in to them.

But we need to control those areas. In our bodies, emotions, and thoughts and in our deeds. If we eat too much of the wrong foods, it can hurt our bodies. If we are out of control in our emotions, we can fly off the handle and hurt someone. If we spend too much time watching ungodly tv programs, or are around ungodly people, we can become the kind of people that are on those programs or the kind with whom we associate.

Self-control is a battle within our selves because of our own selfish desires. In Luke 9:23 Jesus says to "take up our cross daily and follow him." Each day, we need to desire to deny those things that are out of control.

 What kind of self-control do you need in your life? It is not easy to deny ourselves those things that are not good for us, but by faith, we can achieve it in our lives. The Holy Spirit does produce it in us if we sincerely desire it.  But to achieve it, we must do as Luke 9:23 says, and take up our cross daily. It is our only hope.

Thanks for your visits this week on the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. I hope you have been able to take something positive from each one. For those of you that do visit my blog every day or as often as you can, you are important to me. I hope you will be back tomorrow for where ever God leads us next! Until then, have a blessed Lord's Day!

Fruit of the Holy Spirit-Gentleness (Part 9)

                             Gentleness: kind, amicable, moderate, not severe, soft, meekness

      These are just a few words that mean gentleness. But, what does the bible say about it?

1. To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.Titus 3:2
2. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Mathew 11:29
3. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11 
4. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, Ephesians 4:2
5. A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
6. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Mathew 11:29

These are just a few scriptures of what the bible says about gentleness. Does have this fruit mean we are weak? Some might say or think so of us. But actually, if we have it, we are strong. Jesus was very gentle in his dealing with people like Mary and Martha in Luke 2, the woman at the well in John 4 and the woman caught in adultery in John 8, just to name a few. 

But then Jesus went to the cross for our sins. That showed us his strength. Because to be sure, strength was needed for him to do that. 

Oh but that was the Son ofGod, you might say.  Maybe we would not have that kind of strength if we ever needed it. However, what we need of strength at any time we need it comes from our heavenly Father. Just as it came to Jesus from the Father. Gentleness and strength can exist in our character through the Holy Spirit. There are times, we need to be gentle. And other times we need strength. And God will give us each at the times we need them. 

And so what does gentleness look like in your life?  With your family? Your friends? In your church? At work? It does not mean we have to let people walk on us. It does not mean we let people abuse us. It does mean to learn how to deal with those around us in a godly manner. Always with the question of "What would Jesus do?" in the back of our minds. It is truly a fruit that we need to practice.

                                                                      Cartoon of the day:

Thanks for stopping by today Friends. Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Fruit of the Spirit-Faithfulness (Part 8)

Faithfulness is to be reliable and unwavering. People can be faithful without being a Christian. But in Christians, it is a gift of God, a fruit of the Holy Spirit working in us.

Having faith is the assurance of the things we hope for, the things we can not see. Hebrews 11:1.

There are many examples in the bible of the people of those days that demonstrated their faith in God the things that they were hoping for.

It is trusting in who God says he is and by accepting him, it is trusting that he will do what he says he will do. And actually, it is the very first step to becoming a Christian. Because without being able to put our faith in God, we cannot be saved. And as we grow in that fruit, we grow in our faith and serve God alone.Having faith in God allows us to be unshaken in those things that we cannot control ourselves. It is knowing that he is working everything out for our good.

How many times do we fail at really trusting that God is working things out for our good?  Jesus was faithful to fulfill his calling to the end. And because of him, we are able to enjoy the blessings of this life, but also to look forward to eternal life with him.

Because God is faithful to us, he wants us to be faithful in all areas of our lives. Our families, our jobs, our finances. And of course, most importantly, he wants us to be faithful to him.

Are you lacking any faithfulness in your life today? If so, meditate on 2 Peter 1:3. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to[a] his own glory and excellence

Trusting God and his word is the beginning of all the things that pertain to life and godliness. But we must make that first step. 

Have a blessed day folks!

The Fruit of the Spirit -Goodness (Part 7)

Goodness: the quality of being good.

Jesus has all the qualities of the fruits of the spirit. And suffice to say, goodness is one of them, of course. In Mathew 7:17 he talks about the tree that produces good fruit and the tree that produces bad fruit. The tree that produces good fruit cannot produce bad fruit and likewise, the tree that produces bad fruit cannot produce good fruit.

The tree that produces bad fruit can be cut down and thrown into the fire. And then he says, "By their fruits, you will know them."

Know who? Who does Jesus mean?

He is talking about those of us that are Christians.

The question we need to ask ourselves is: What kind of fruit am I producing in my life?

There are many ways we can produce good fruit. As we forgive others, as we are generous and gracious, as we are pure in thought and deed, as we worship and love God, in how we treat others and so on.

Goodness is turning from our sinful natures and being transformed and renewed by the Spirit of God.

Many people think because they are good people, they will go to heaven. I have a sister-in-law that believes this. But she and so many millions more, are very mistaken. Our good deeds do not get us a place there. It is only by accepting the shed blood of Jesus that secures it, and we must acknowledge our stand ask him to forgive us.

And that is the first step in letting the Holy Spirit to start producing goodness in our hearts and deeds.

It can be no other way friends. We have to make a choice as to whether we follow Jesus or not. If you have not done so before, give up your idea of being a good person, and trust in he that paid the ultimate price for your sin. Only then can you become the person he wants you to be, producing good fruit and having a place in heaven when you leave this earth.

Because the alternative means that you will be cut off. and you will spend an eternity in hell. Just like the tree that produces bad fruit, is cut down and thrown into the fire.



                                               

                                                              Cartoon of the day:

Have wonderful day friends. 

Fruit of the Spirit-Patience(Part Five)

Patience: the state of forbearances under difficult circumstances without complaint.

Are you the kind of person that is patient? Or are you more impatient?  Are you always complaining?
Is it ever ok to complain?

It is said, "Patience is a virtue."  But, have you ever noticed how many impatient people there are nowadays? In traffic. In grocery store lines? At post office?. At a restaurant?

Is it ever right to complain?
Complaining is making known a frustration or irritation about something. It can be expressed in non-verbal ways as well as verbal ways. Rolling our eyes or shaking our heads are just a couple of ways we complain without verbalizing it to others.

And yes, there are complaints that are legitimate and those that are not.

I would guess that it is something most of us have to develop in our Christian walk with God. It probably does not come easily to us to have to be patient when things in our lives get uncomfortable or hard.

However, it is something that sometimes God does require of us. And actually, it is waiting on God to move on our circumstances,, to change them for the better or to answer prayer about them without complaining.

Christ himself was patient.

Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Patience and endurance is something we do learn through our trials. But, while we are waiting for God to move on our behalf in those situations, he will give us the patience to wait.

Patient people bear their trials calmly. They are not hasty but act wisely and with discretion. They understand that God knows what it best for them and are willing to wait on his perfect will for whatever they are going through.

.The bible has much more that we can learn about being patient.  If you have a problem with that fruit today, ask the Holy Spirit to help you with it. It an important one that he wants to develop in you. Just ask him.


Thanks for coming by Friends. For some reason this blog did not get posted yesterday, so I will post it today. Take care and God bless.

Fruit of the Spirit-Kindness (Part 6)

2 Corthianians 6:6  Live by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned.

Thinking about acts of kindness, it can be an unexpected card of encouragement from a friend. Or perhaps giving a neighbor a fresh baked loaf of bread. Or maybe even someone  that takes their time to mow the grass of a senior that can no longer do it themselves. Perhaps it is giving a meal to a homeless person. Or like my mother used to do, she was always looking for flower vases at garage sales or thrift stores, and then filling them with flowers from her garden and giving them to people.

Acts of kindness can be anything you do, or someone does for you that they do not have to do. And when we do something for someone else, it gives us a wonderful sense of doing for others. Because that is what God wants us to do as it comes from him. 

There are many examples of the kindness that Jesus gave to people in the bible. 

In Luke 6:35 he admonishes us to love our enemies, do good to them without expecting anything back.In Romans 2:4 God's kindness leads us to repentance
And in Luke 10:30-5 he teaches us about the Good Samaritan that found a man on the road that had been beaten and robbed, and while most people passed him by, the Samartian took care of him. 

How many of us can love our enemies or help a person that has been beaten? 

Many people can and do help others that need it. During crisis times as in times in an aftermath of terrorism, people rally together to do what it takes to help others. Or after tornadoes or flooding has destroyed property of others. And those people are putting into it into action. 

But an even greater kindness is when God brings those people to his repentance during it or after something like that happens.

God demonstrated his kindness for us, when he sent Jesus to bear our sins on the cross. And Jesus demonstrated it when he took our sins for it. Without these acts from them, we would be truly lost as many people are that don't accept it.

Love is kindness in action. And we need to looking for ways to show it to people. Within a crisis or just in our everyday actions. God wants us to be kind to others and to show his love to them. 

What have you done this week to show someone kindness? What have I done?
God has given us this fruit through the Holy Spirit. We need to practice it. To get it to produce and grow in us. In so doing, it will ripen and lead others to him that gave his life for us, if we allow it.  


       Thanks fors stopping by folks. Have a blessing filled day in the Lord!