As a Christian I thrive as I look to Jesus Christ. Calling myself Christian shows that I am His follower. Thriving is in direct proportion to my belief in Him as King of Kings and above all.
Talkng with some different folks this week I am sensing a careless attitude to the discipline of Bible study and private prayer. As I've heard them I can relate to the depressed one who doesn't have the energy to pick up any books. I know what it is to have a schedule packed with so much you don't feel you have any spare moments.
But I also heard how life is coming apart for these same folks. Is there legal ground for satan to torment a believer who makes no time for communing with God? I have my opinion, but I honestly want to hear from some of you.
What does a thriving Christian life look like privately and publicly?
Does it matter what we choose to do since Jesus came with mercy and grace to all of us who believe in Him?
5 comments:
Ouch! I do pretty well on "boundaries" I think....I have some things that I know I won't do. But now when it comes to "discipline" things get a little sticky for me! I do discipline myself to get done what needs to be done for my Bible study class and my Sunday school class. But I know that I COULD read my Bible more and pray more. I need to work on that! Thanks for the admonition.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Marilyn
Thriving not just surviving!
My marriage went to surviving mode and them demised into non-existant and a slow death! But I struggled to thrive and be alive in Christ!
It is HE & my private as well as my public Christian life that kept me going! I sought to grow in my intimacy with God & return frequently to that seeking!
I was hurting but Jesus was healing! I could not really share any of this dying marital relationship with my public Christian life but those closest to me shared in prayer, Bible study and leading me to my safe place
in my private walk as a Christian.
It is such a dichotomy!
I believe from my endeavors in the Church publicly brought me into a self discipline of staying & reading God's Word, prayer & worship, and intercession in my private life. I no longer have Bible studies, Sunday School classes, etc. to prepare for yet I am constantly reading & seeking more from Him & His Word! I want to grow, for I hunger & thirst to be alive!
I read this acronym just this week in a Proverb's 31 Devotional with Renee Swope; acronym for BUSY: burdened under satan's yoke
I never want to be burdened with this yoke, but I think as we get to "busy" that is what we do and clearly that gives this enemy
open ground to torment us when we are not daily communing. Yet I think, that I have been (and JOB was also)tormented even when we
are in the Word...it's just that we are better armed with the sword of the Spirit at such a time as this when we are ONE with GOD: at one with Jesus, Our King & Lord - He is there to battle. Your thoughts this week are highly inspirational and convicting to seek Him first! I must look to Jesus Christ and keep my focus there so I'm not taken by surprise.
Bless you, Kay & thank you!
I have personally found that, when I am focused on Jesus and have that tunnel vision toward Him, then everything else in my life falls into place. My heart just goes out to those who are endlessly searching for their purpose(Christians) But, if they only searched out the King, their purpose would be crystal clear. Great thoughts.
Great question Kay! As always it is a matter of the heart! What is our motivation and what does our heart seek. If our heart desires God alone then the disciplines will fall into place. However, it is neccessary in the drier times of life that we be disciplined in our seeking because it is in those very times we do not feel like it that we need God the most.
BLessings,
Angela
Legal? It's Satan and it doesn't really matter if it's legal or not. If we don't keep working on our relationship with God, Satan is going to be all up in our face.
I think a thriving Christians life would look quite like someone walking in THE footsteps of Jesus. Trying their hardest to do the things he is/has doing/done.
Yes it matters. To walk in those footsteps, we have to have Jesus in our hearts. For one to say he is a Christian means he is "Christ Like". I prefer "Striving to be Christ like." If he is striving to be Christ like, there are a lot of things that he is not going to do and that the Spirit with-in is going to tell him not to do. If he does them anyway, over and over and over, I question that. I try not to judge, I just question that.
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