Integrity- People of God

We have been told to say a prayer so that God will save us from hell and so that we may go to heaven when we die. But the Bible says eternal life is to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Jesus taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. God does not want us to just go the heaven when we die. God wants His heavenly will to live in us and His kingdom presence be carried out on earth though us. God has sent Jesus to show us how to live and God has given us His word through His Son Jesus and the Bible. The Bible is the written Word of God and in it we can know His way and know God’s will for our lives. Yet so many people shy away from God’s word but they willstill listen to the voice of reason of this fallen world system.  

John 17:3  Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. NIV

Many people have been taught that God is so far off that they could never understand His will or His ways but God’s word tells us differently. The Bible tells us to come boldly to God’s throne of Grace so we can obtain His mercy and help in time of need. It tells us to come to God when we are in trouble or when we have missed the mark, because this is when we are in need. But this fallen world system says stay away and do not go to God until you get yourself clean and right. If we were able to live right and get clean on our own there would be no need for Jesus to come and save us.  It is Jesus’ death and resurrection that makes us righteous before God and not anything we have done for ourselves.  It is God’s Spirit in us that give us Hope and enables us to give glory to God in hard times. We cannot live righteous before God without the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Hebrew 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. NKJV

Many people fail to see the truth of God’s word because most are blinded by their own human reasoning and life experiences. Instead of looking at the life of Christ and allowing His life to define what is possible and to let Jesus become the standard of life for us to obtain,they will say, yes, but this happened or that happened to me.  They will allow their life experiences in a fallen world system define what they believe about God and how they will live rather than listen to the word of God.  Faith and belief is developed through the word of God. People are told to ask the Holy Spirit to come into our lives to help them but God wants to come into our lives and transform us into the image of Christ. To know God and the love of God and to allow Him to transform our lives, this should be the goal of every true believer and this is the will of God for our lives.

Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly,
To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? NKJV

Before Christ came to earth, God’s plan for mankind’s salvation was a mystery that was hidden for generations but God has revealed Himself to His people through the life of Christ and His word.  The Spirit of Christ is now living in the true believer and this is the Hope we have forour lives and our future. This is the Hope we give to others through the love we display to others, even as we are experiencing and walking through difficult times. 

Colossians 1 26-27   The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

In this western world system we have cultivated a self-centered gospel which is not the Gospel of Christ. People are told to come to Christ for what He can do for them, to save them from their pain, to bless themand for what He can give them. They are taught to come to God with a self-focused theology rather than a Christ centered belief.  Their successin life is determined by their being blessed, protected and prosperous and when life comes and hits them with loss and lack they think God has failed them. Many have come to God for what He can do for them,rather than taking up their cross, dying to self and being transformed to live a life that glorifies God. 

Romans 12:2   And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what isthat good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV

Instead of dying to pride and dying to self-interest and living for God, they will always focus on what they are lacking, their problems and the chaos in their lives.  The Bible calls our problems light afflictions and they are opportunities for us to reflect Christ to a lost world. But many believers fall just as deep into despair as those who are without hope inChrist because the lack knowledge and an eternal perspective.

John 12:24-26 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

It is only when we take our eyes off of ourselves and self-centeredness that we can die to our need for immediate self-gratification. Then we can look to God, know His purpose and represent Him well in this life with an eternal outlook. This is eternal life to know God, to know the love He has for us and to allow His love to be in us so that we may love others just as He has loved us.  

John 17:3  Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. NIV