Living For Christ (3)
BELOVED, let this truth be written on your heart that Christ is the reason we are living and even when we die, we have resolved to be fully resigned to the same reason. Other men may live to gratify themselves, but the grand purpose of any Christian’s life is to promote the Lord’s glory. Living for Christ, therefore, demands that you must become insensible to the law as a means of justification, to the world; to ambition and the love of money, to the pride and pomp of life; to the fashion of this world and to the dominion of evil and hateful passions. All these must lose their power over you and cease to influence you. By this, you will be distinguished from other men. 2Cor. 5: 20 says, “Nowthen we are ambassadors for Christ, as though god did beseech you by us: we pray you in christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to god .”
We must understand that all born-again believers are representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ, hence we are known by the name ‘Christians’ i.e. Christ-like. If your lifestyle is, therefore, not in accordance with the will of God, or in conformity with the lifestyle of our Lord Jesus Christ, it shows that you are not a Christian and not living for Christ. And if you must be perfect as He wishes us, then you must endeavour to be like Him.
Lk 6: 40 says, “The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect shall be as his master.”
Everyone who is thoroughly instructed in divine things, who has his heart united with God, whose tempers and passions are purified and restored to harmony and who has in him the mind that was in Christ, though cannot be above, will be as his teacher- holy, harm- less, undefiled, and separated from sinners. A Christian, who perfectly understands the rules and sees the example of his Master, will think it his business to tread exactly in His steps, to do and suffer as His master did and so be like his master. And so my beloved, we should try to live our lives for Christ, if our claims are that we are Christians. We should make Christ the scope of our life and end of our living.
Matt. 5:13-16 says, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost hiss av our, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men .14 year et he light of the world. a city that is set on an hill can not be hid .15 neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bush el, but on a candle stick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house .16 let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.”
Christians are the ones that make this world tasteful; they are the ones who provide light in a dark world. God uses them to purge the world from that corruption in which it lies. The kind of lifestyle and the good work you engage yourself shows the light of God in you, just as Jesus Christ was a light while in His earthly ministry. He went about doing good. So, you are the light of the world and your life should, therefore, reflect the belief, ideals, goods and works of God so that He Himself shall be glorified. The Lord will never depart from you if you are living for Christ. You should be mindful of heaven as good representatives of Christ, who is sure of a better home than this world. This is to prove you are living for Christ. So, ensure that you are living in Christ, living for Christ and endeavour to do the will of God. No believer who solely lives for Christ till death will ever regret it.