Do You Live for the World or for God?
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. – 1 John 5:13
Yesterday, we started talking about the seven questions we can derive from John’s first epistle to see where we are in our relationship with Jesus. If you missed yesterday’s devotional, I would encourage you to go back and read it. But for now, we’re going to ask the final four questions so that we can reflect on where we stand with Jesus and think about where have room for growth.
The fourth question we can take from first John is: Do you love the world? Many folks find their fulfillment in how much money they have made, the position they have, or the fame they’ve developed. If your fulfillment is about what you have, what you have received, and how you appear to other people, you are sucked into the world system. A Christian (someone who knows Christ) is not defined by the world system. We may have to live in this world, but our values are not about how much we have and how we appear to other people. It’s not who we are by the world’s standard, but rather whose we are that makes all the difference.
The fifth question is: Do you hurt for the hurting? If you see people in pain and you want to practically help them out of that pain, whether it costs you money, time, or words of encouragement, that says something about your nature. Jesus met people’s needs. He did not heal everyone, but those He came in contact with, He did heal. Word got out and He met their needs, and, as a result, people rushed toward him. We should strive to have the same priority to help those who need help and hurt with those who are hurting if we want to impact the world for Christ.
The sixth question is: Do you sense His Spirit? When you become a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you. From that moment on, you have access to the Holy Spirit always and forever. As you walk through life, the Spirit will guide you, lead you, direct you, comfort you, and intercede for you when you need it. He is your constant companion through every mountaintop moment and every valley-filled season. If you are a Christian, you should sense the Spirit working, leading, and speaking in your life.
Finally, the seventh question is: Do you happily continue to sin? If you are a child of God, you will never be happy living a life of sin. You will either try to get out of that sin or die trying to get out of it. If you are happily continuing to sin and ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit, now is the time to realign your heart with God’s and ask for forgiveness and repent from your sin. You won’t be able to live a life honoring the Lord if you’re actively living in sin with an unrepentant heart.
Like I said yesterday, my prayer is that you will spend time thinking about praying through your answers to these seven questions. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of any area you need to
change or work on, and ask for wisdom on how you can make your relationship with Jesus stronger and deeper.
Yesterday, we started talking about the seven questions we can derive from John’s first epistle to see where we are in our relationship with Jesus. If you missed yesterday’s devotional, I would encourage you to go back and read it. But for now, we’re going to ask the final four questions so that we can reflect on where we stand with Jesus and think about where have room for growth.
The fourth question we can take from first John is: Do you love the world? Many folks find their fulfillment in how much money they have made, the position they have, or the fame they’ve developed. If your fulfillment is about what you have, what you have received, and how you appear to other people, you are sucked into the world system. A Christian (someone who knows Christ) is not defined by the world system. We may have to live in this world, but our values are not about how much we have and how we appear to other people. It’s not who we are by the world’s standard, but rather whose we are that makes all the difference.
The fifth question is: Do you hurt for the hurting? If you see people in pain and you want to practically help them out of that pain, whether it costs you money, time, or words of encouragement, that says something about your nature. Jesus met people’s needs. He did not heal everyone, but those He came in contact with, He did heal. Word got out and He met their needs, and, as a result, people rushed toward him. We should strive to have the same priority to help those who need help and hurt with those who are hurting if we want to impact the world for Christ.
The sixth question is: Do you sense His Spirit? When you become a follower of Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you. From that moment on, you have access to the Holy Spirit always and forever. As you walk through life, the Spirit will guide you, lead you, direct you, comfort you, and intercede for you when you need it. He is your constant companion through every mountaintop moment and every valley-filled season. If you are a Christian, you should sense the Spirit working, leading, and speaking in your life.
Finally, the seventh question is: Do you happily continue to sin? If you are a child of God, you will never be happy living a life of sin. You will either try to get out of that sin or die trying to get out of it. If you are happily continuing to sin and ignoring the conviction of the Holy Spirit, now is the time to realign your heart with God’s and ask for forgiveness and repent from your sin. You won’t be able to live a life honoring the Lord if you’re actively living in sin with an unrepentant heart.
Like I said yesterday, my prayer is that you will spend time thinking about praying through your answers to these seven questions. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you of any area you need to
change or work on, and ask for wisdom on how you can make your relationship with Jesus stronger and deeper.
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2 Comments
I will read my Bible more and seek answers from the Holy Spirit
God knows what I need and What I Will Do ! PRAISE GOD.