Most of you all know from my testimony, that for years after I was born again, I lived a plastic Christian life. I learned a hard lesson—if my Christianity is not the real deal then—what’s the point? Why pretend? Who do we think we are fooling? If God is who He says He is—omniscient and omnipotent—we certainly aren’t fooling Him! Why would we go through all of the trouble to try to fool other people? I certainly didn’t fool my children or those who knew me best. Instead, why not just live any old way we want to instead of pretending to be something we’re not? For many years of my “christian” life I did a lot of pretending—outwardly conforming to the rules while my heart was far from God. It was like taking a marriage vow without EVER enjoying any of the intimacy and friendship of a marriage commitment.
What’s the point?
I can tell you this—it was not worth maintaining the charade. And so I walked away. Until…God showed me what I’d been missing all along.
So what does the “real deal” look like? Well, it’s really simple. Have you ever met someone who is absolutely, totally wrapped up in love? They can’t stop talking about the person they love and would do anything for that person—right? Whether it’s a grandbaby or a lover—love manifests itself in everything they think, say, and do.
The same is true with our relationship with Christ. After we are born again, AND we begin to make Him the center of our life—it drastically changes the way we think, what we talk about, and what we do. We become more like Christ. The fruits of His Spirit pour from our life. Do you know anyone who has a richer life than someone whose life is characterized by love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness…as well as God’s profound wisdom, and undeniable strength? Well, my friend, you can be this person and so can I!
When God is our center, we become His masterpiece, and it is evident in everything we say and do.
Without His presence—we are merely a worthless reproduction. We are faking it and never making it. In His presence, we have what the Bible characterizes as “pure religion:”
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
(James 1:27)
This verse characterizes the way God’s righteousness leads us to live in selflessness. We are unafraid to give selflessly to those who can NEVER repay us. But to perpetually give without expectation of reciprocity, we must be receiving all that we need from God. Thus, to give like God gives, we must live according to His righteousness. We choose to seek FIRST His kingdom and HIS righteousness. Not the tainted, false promises of the misshapen culture of this world. True Christianity is NOT measured by how much money we have (or even give); how much talent we have; the number of our possessions; our lofty position; or even—our knowledge of the Bible! I gave thousands of dollars to missions and church, sang in the choir, taught Bible studies and hosted women’s groups, and la de da! It never satisfied me. Despite my assets and talent—I had not discovered real Christianity.
When it comes to true Christianity—God levels the playing field!
ANYONE with a heart to serve and to live in the righteousness of Christ—can live in TRUE Christianity. Any born again person can decide to make God their center. Then we can afford to care for those who can’t give us anything in return without regard for our own needs. We are not caught up in our own security and comfort so that the helpless among us only get our leftovers. While we are working, going to school, caring for our family and taking care of our daily responsibilities, we are also looking for opportunities to help the physically and spiritually needy among us. We are thinking about whether the family down the street or lady in the gas station know Jesus.
My friend, the physically and spiritually needy are all around us!
When we dedicate ourselves to Christ, this verse characterizes it as living “unspotted from the world.“ When we take God’s perspective on this we dedicate more time purifying our heart instead of preening and polishing our body. If the goal of our physical betterment isn’t to enable us to better accomplish spiritual goals—then it’s wasted time. Our talent, time, and resources might as well be expensive wine poured onto the ground! But God gives us such an incredible opportunity!!!
The more time we spend with our Holy God, the more He “unspots” us.
As we learn to live in more and more freedom from the chains of sin, we become addicted to our relationship with God. He gives us all we need and more than we imagined. We always have more to give because God is constantly filling our cup. THIS is the glorious experience of true Christianity!
God is love—when we abide in Him our—love is never wasted.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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