I know I am saved, but I have not lived, as I should!
Does God still love me?
This
is something that all Christians deal with at sometime or another. No one can live the perfect Christian
life. The bible teaches that we all sin
in word, thought or deed at sometime or another.
“There is no one
righteous, not even one: there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away,
they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even
one. Their throats are open graved; their tongues practice deceit.” The poison
of vipers is on their lips”. Their
mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There
is no fear of God before their eyes”. Now we know that whatever the lay says is
says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and
the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the lay we became
conscious of Sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, have
been made knew to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through
faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference. For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God. And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus.
-Romans 3:10 - 23
We
have to repent of things we do each day that are not pleasing to God, but it
doesn’t mean that God has stopped loving us or will take back our
Salvation.
Jesus
himself said this!
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in
heaven over one sinner who repents that over ninety-nine righteous persons who
do not need to repeat”.
-Luke 15: 7
JESUS
loves for his children to come back to him. In the Gospel of Luke we see “The
Parable of the Lost Son”
Jesus
continued: “There was a man who has two sons. The
younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate”. So he divided his property between
them.
(The
Christian turning from Christ to sin)
Not long after that, the younger son got together all that he had,
set off for a distant county and there squinted his wealth in wild living.
(The
devil has the Christian out so far away from God that he/she feels that God
couldn’t possible love them anymore)
After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that
whole country. And he began to be in
need.
(God
has made us all to have this place in our hearts that he can only fill with his
fellowship and when we turn from God we feel empty)
So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who
sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the
pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
(God
will call his children back)
When he came to his senses, he said ‘How many of my father’s hired
men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!
(True
repentance means knowing that you have sinned against God and confessing it to
him, and turning from your ways and getting back in line with the Lord)
I will set out and go back
to my father and say to him ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against
you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, make me like one of your
hired men. So he got up and went to his father.
(Jesus
waiting for us to come back to him)
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was
filled with compassion for him he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and
kissed him.
(Telling
God you know what you did was wrong)
The son said to him ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and
against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
(Jesus
listened and will take us back)
But the father said to his servants ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on
him. Put a ring on his finger
and sandals on his feet.
(The
robe, ring and sandals are showing that God restores the Christian back to
their present state before they backslid on him)
Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and
celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again: he was lost and is
found. So they began to celebrate.
(This
is kindly a whole other great teaching, but the older son is considered “The
Church Members that are not easy to forgive Christians when they backsid on God
and then want to come back to church. Let us not be like this older son. We are
to welcome the Christian back as the father did his son, "With open arms”.
)
Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the
house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked
him what was going on. Your brother has come.” he replied, “and your father has
killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.
The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father
went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, “Look! All these
years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet for you
never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when
this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home,
you kill the fattened calf for him!”
My son, “the father said, “ You are always with me, and everything I
have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of
yours was dead and is alive again, e was lost and is found.”
Remember!! God didn’t call us to be prefect, he called
us to obey. We must all do our part as
the body of Christ so that we can stand in front of Jesus at the Judgment Seat
of Christ and need not to be ashamed.
Forgive other Christians when they backside, and welcome them back with
open arms. :0) Remember without the grace of God any one of us could fall into
sin.
-Faith+++
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