Strive to be Followers of Christ



"And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; BUT WE AN INCORRUPTIBLE.” -I Corinthians 9:25 [KJV]


As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must strive to be followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. It does a person no good to claim to trust, know and love Christ only to ignore and even reject His Word of grace given to guide us in our thoughts, attitude, character and conduct. Now in striving to be followers of Christ our Lord and Savior, we are well aware that we do not strive in and of our own power. It is by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit that we endeavor to obey the Word of God. To be "temperate in all things" is not to be self-controlled but to be controlled by the Holy Spirit Who fills, guides and motivates us in the ways of Christ.

Paul wrote of his own striving in the ministry that it was all "according to HIS working, which worketh in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29). We also know that our striving does not save us or make us righteous before God. Christ alone, by His blood and righteousness imputed, is our only justification before a holy God. Our striving is the fruit of God's grace and the evidence of our faith in, love for, and gratitude to Him for all He has freely given us in salvation. We are to strive with much effort to be conformed to the image of Christ - to be Christ-like in every way, and as we do, we recognize that our life as believers is the life of Christ, Who lives graciously and powerfully with us, "and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).


-Gospel report by preacher Bill Parker

Audio Gospel Sermons and Contact Information here:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more