Afternoon Y'all! I pray this post encourages you and gives God glory! Got suggested topics you want me to write about? Please comment below or email me at info@mocatoday.com.
I'm back! I was feeling a little "stuck" and decided to pause from blogging to spend more time with God and be more present. Sometimes, God will lead you to temporarily rest from certain places, things, and even people to call you back to Himself. Now I'm rested and excited to continue sharing about Jesus!
How have you been? Please share in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!
The other day while reflecting, I remembered themes we may experience from having an authentic, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. I was reminded how surprised I initially was by such themes early in my Christian walk... This was before I studied the Bible and fully understood how following Jesus will inevitably transform your life. I thought you may find my reflections interesting too...
So, here's at least 7 Themes You May Experience from Having an Authentic, Growing Relationship with Jesus Christ:
1. Being a Jesus follower is truly about a relationship with Him, not religion.
A lot of people think that Christianity is you doing all the righteous things you hate, and avoiding all the wicked things you love, in order to go to heaven. No, that’s a lost man with religion. A Christian is a person whose heart has been changed; they have new affections. ~Paul Washer, Grace Community Church
2. The renewal of the mind or the sanctification process to becoming more Christlike in how you think, act, and feel is a lifelong journey filled with hills and valleys. I always say, "God is in the long game with us! He's transforming us and teaching us for His eternal purposes, not just for our short time on earth (James 4:14). So of course, that takes time because naturally we are a hot mess! Thank God He's so patient and longsuffering with us!"
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. ~Psalm 103:8 (NKJV)
The Christian alternative to immoral behaviors is not a new list of moral behaviors. It is the triumphant power and transformation of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ— our Savior, our Lord, our Treasure. "[God] has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6). So transformation is a profound, blood-bought, Spirit-wrought change from the inside out. ~John Piper, desiringgod.org
3. Having a heart of repentance and being humble will become your personal preference too. It's not just because God's Word tells us to be repentant and humble. Instead, the Holy Spirit will also begin to reveal and address prideful areas within you. You will learn by various tests and trials God allows in your life that you can go much further and experience His peace and His joy when humility over pride is chosen.
4. It's about life transformation, not just behavior modification. Your life and who you were will be transformed. We cannot genuinely experience God and remain the same! It's just impossible! By His nature, not ours, we are literally transformed from the inside out over time.
5. You will accept you may never be able to fully grasp (on this side of heaven), due to our human limitations, just how much God loves you. The magnitude of God's decision to send Jesus Christ here on earth to die for our sins so we may have everlasting life may be too overwhelming at times to take in. That's ok! We serve a big God! No man can contain Him for He is omnipresent (everywhere at all times), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omniscient (all-knowing).
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16 (NIV)
However, God cannot be contained. God's infinite nature cannot be contained by the finite. ~Dr. Joseph Nally, thirdmill.org
But who is able to build Him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain Him? Who am I to build a house for Him, except as a place to make offerings before Him? ~2 Chronicles 2:6 (ESV)
6. It will become clear that life on this side of heaven is all about progression, not perfection. God knows we're not perfect and not without sin. Heck, that's why we need a Savior, Jesus Christ! Instead, God desires we grow more like His Son each day. Remember— Our lifelong goals are to honor God with our lives (1 Corinthians 10:31) and grow in our faith, trust, and dependence on Him.
7. You will learn salvation cannot ever be earned from your own works or by being a "good person". Simply put— It's not by our "good" works, but by God's grace and our belief in Jesus Christ that secures our salvation and eternal life in heaven.
We are all dirty with sin. Even our good works are not pure. They are like bloodstained rags. We are all like dead leaves. Our sins have carried us away like wind. ~Isaiah 64:6 (ERV)
On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ~Romans 10:8-9 (CSB)
Are there other themes you've experienced from having an authentic, growing relationship with Jesus Christ?
Please share your thoughts below. Remember, it's about progression not perfection!
God loves you! With Him, you got this!
Until next post, may God give you His peace and blessings!
~Natasha
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