The other day gave me opportunity to really see the importance of being strong in the Lord. All around we can see many who live whatever way they want. We also see those who claim to have salvation of the one true God and who also seem to have a disregard for His Word and His standards. True, we don't want to be judgemental or legalistic but there is a responsibility as His children to help those who claim to be His - to sharpen iron with iron.
Knowing that it is so easy to fall into my own wants and desires, I speak to myself just as much. I have the assurance of salvation but I still need to be aware of the importance of being in His Word that I will be able to grow in my walk with Him. Sin is always there, trying to draw us away from our Savior, trying to get us to disobey and feel okay with it. Yet, the more we are in His Word, in prayer with Him, in a relationship with Him, the more we will see they way He wants us to live as believers, the commandments we should follow, the Word we should spread to others. Therefore, when we are in communion with Him, our desires begin to mirror His. There will always be times when we follow our whims of the moment but we are to be aware of that and come back to His open arms.
Let us not live a comfortable life that is unchallenged. The sweetest times can sometimes be the hardest. May our lives reflect His truth and may we be set apart, lights in a very dark world.
"How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."
Psalm 119:9-11
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I am so glad that you wrote this. Many of our peers are merely content to just say we are Christians, say a daily prayer, and try to do the right thing most of the time so long as it isn't too inconvenient. If it is too bothersome, I hear many make excuses that God understands, I prayed about it, it's not a sin, or compare ourselves to others to show that we aren't so bad.
The fact is that none of us are perfect, but it doesn't mean that we should not strive for it or that something is a good idea so long as we can come up with a justification. "Foul language is fine because everyone else does it and it's only words anyway".
Bottom line, if you have to justify your actions, you probably need to take a look at them again. Most of all, stubbornness is strongly related to the sin of pride. Being stubborn is a huge reason why many of us cling to certain actions and lifestyles. Not that there is anything sinful about these, but as Paul says in 1st Corinthians 10:23, "All things are lawful but all things are not profitable; all things are lawful, yet all things do not edify."
Christians need to take charge of their lives instead of following ideas and concepts that are popular or opting for things that are not so good simply because they cannot be described as evil.
Such dedication means staying true to the Word. Not just looking at it for educational purposes, but to "thy Word have I hid in my heart".
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