John 1:12 NIV
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
All it takes to become God’s kingdom member is to believe in God’s saving grace through Jesus.
It is a simple act of believing in Jesus which guarantees our access to eternal life.
John 3:16 NIV
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.
As simple as it is, many are not willing to believe and take the step of faith.
Only by Faith
A key point about faith is understanding that you cannot live successfully by your power but by the grace of God.
God, realizing that you trust Him for help, supplies you with all you need as long as you have faith (trust) in Him from start to finish.
Christian’s relationship with God is all about exercising faith in Him.
Romans 1:17 NIV
[17] For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.1.17.NIV
If Christians do not apply faith appropriately, they cannot live a successful life.
The fight to finish victoriously
1 Peter 5:8-9 ERV
[8] Control yourselves and be careful! The devil is your enemy, and he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to attack and eat. [9] Refuse to follow the devil. Stand strong in your faith. You know that your brothers and sisters all over the world are having the same sufferings that you have.
https://bible.com/bible/406/1pe.5.8-9.ERV
The devil’s goal is to attack, and attack the Christians.
The enemy is against God and he is against the Christians.
Christians must be on guard continually.
Victory is only assured as long as we stay close to Jesus who has won the battle for us.
Still standing
1 Corinthians 15:58 ERV
[58] So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.
https://bible.com/bible/406/1co.15.58.ERV
The world and its environment are full of discouragement, and a lot of wickedness surround us.
The psalms says that God should respect His agreement because evil exists in every place of the earth. Psalms 74:20
The admonition is to keep standing still regardless of all the atrocities in the world.
Wickedness abounds everywhere, but God is able to keep His own to the end, and He will.
Quest for holiness
Holiness is the nature of God, and we must quest for it until we become like Him.
Becoming like God is a necessary desire for any believer who thirst for a life that distinctly pleases God.
We cannot be God, but we can be a copy of Him.
We cannot be Holy as God is, but when we desire to be holy, He builds His nature in us that makes us look like Him.
Beyond insult
1 Peter 4:14 NIV
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
The things that believers experience these days are far more than insulting.
And I believe that as the end of time approaches, the sufferings of the believers will greatly increase that, if God does not help, only a few will be able to endure to the end.
God will (surely) help!
Your good works not good enough
Romans 3:20 ERV
[20] because no one can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin.
https://bible.com/bible/406/rom.3.20.ERV
Most times we think we can impress God and others with our good things. Actually, we believe we can convince others of our good behaviors by doing good things.
God, however, is not necessarily impressed by any of our good actions.
Doing the right stuff does not endears us to God’s right standing.
It is only through Jesus we have access to God.
Obeying all the laws does not makes us sinless; it only makes us realize how awfully sinful we are.
A prayer from the heart
Psalm 20:4 NIV
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Amen!
Let your will be done, Lord, and let your name be glorified.
Do not allow the enemies to prevail over your own.
And make all their evil plans fail in Jesus name, amen!
Whatever you ask!
Mark 11:22-24 NIV
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. [23] “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. [24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
This is a wonderful promise from Jesus to His redeemed people.
The Love life
Galatians 5:14 NLT
[14] For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
https://bible.com/bible/116/gal.5.14.NLT
The life of a Christian is a love life. The whole nature of God is encapsulated in love. God’s nature is rooted in love, deepest love that any human can ever imagine.
Now, if any man experience and has this love life, it will exude God’s nature, the very essence of living the life of God.
You can only become like God by having a love life. This is what God calls us into, and this is the reason God is God, and this is how a Christian is distinguished from every others.
The Christian life is a love life. Ability to love deeply and love strongly and love unconditionally is the God-given nature that Christians experience in it grandiose.