Colossians 1:10
So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Striving for Holiness
There is no way that a Christian can
ever be perfect, only forgiven perfectly by God through Christ’s perfect
sacrifice. But this doesn’t excuse the believer from striving to live a
life of holiness. Even though we have Jesus’ own righteousness
attributed to us, which is how God sees us now (2 Corinthians 5:21), we
cannot lie back and just coast into the kingdom. We are to grow in
holiness, grace, and the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ (2 Peter
3:18). How can we do this since we all fall short of God’s glory (Romans
3:23)? How about trying to present your bodies as living sacrifices
that are holy and acceptable to God because that’s our spiritual duty
(Romans 12:1)? We do this by being transformed in our minds by God’s
Spirit and not by not being conformed or pressured or shaped into the
image of this world (Romans 12:2).
Being Filled With the Spirit
God has given us everything we need to
live a godly life through the knowledge of Him Who called us (2 Peter
1:3). We are commanded to make every effort to add to our faith the
goodness that can only come from His Spirit (2 Peter 1:5), but we must
participate in striving for obedience. This is the sanctifying work of
the Holy Spirit, that we are to be obedient in Jesus Christ (1 Peter
1:2). This means we should be careful in how we walk in this life
(Ephesians 5:15), know what God’s will is for our life (Ephesians 5:16),
and be constantly filled by His Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). If we are led
by God’s Spirit, we’ll not yield the members of our body to sinful
activities.
Living Like a Child of God
God has called us to be kings and
priests in His coming kingdom (Revelation 1:6). But some of us–and that
includes me–don’t live as if we are. If there is scandal in our life
and we claim to be a Christian, we can bring shame to the cause of
Christ. John MacArthur said that we might be the only Bible some people
will ever read, and if people see that we’re no different from the rest
the world, they will have no desire to become a Christian. In fact, just
the opposite might occur because they’ll see the hypocrisy in living a
life of duplicity. Are we living the life that God wants for us? If most
of us are honest, we must answer not so much–or for some, no, not at
all. As Paul wrote, “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his
appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). If we are not representing the
kingdom like good ambassadors should, we cannot attract new citizens to
the kingdom.
A Closing Prayer
Father, I know that I fail You so many
times. Please convict me when I am sinning and to be the best witness or
ambassador for Your kingdom as I possibly can by Your Spirit’s power,
and in the King of that kingdom’s name I pray.
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