Catechism--2nd Commandment--You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, use satanic arts, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
Matthew 7:21--“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Devotion--The words of Jesus in the verse above should bring a bit of a shock to all of us who wear Christ's name upon us. It points out that there may be those who truly think that they are Christians, and yet who are not part of the kingdom of heaven. The quick thing that I'll point out in that regard is that Jesus shows us here that our hope is really is more about what God has done for us, and that our faith clings to Jesus' action, than it does to anything that we would do.
As we look out our lives, it is inevitable that we will discover some ways that our lives do not accurately reflect that we wear Christ's name. When we engage in sinful behaviors, or even when we find ourselves doing things that bring offense to our fellow Christians, our lives do not reflect that we wear Christ's name. In that circumstance, we essentially are "deceiving" by God's name.
What does this look like in your life? Are there any actions or behaviors that you find yourself making excuses about when it comes to explaining why you should be able to do them? Or do you even find that your Christian life is more about a certain type of morality than it is about a living relationship with God through Jesus? As you look through your life, you will undoubtedly be able to find numerous examples of these.
I want to give you some reassurance first. Your life with God is more about God's faithfulness to you than it is your faithfulness to Him. We can never be so faithful as to have no worries about our standing with God. However, God's faithfulness toward us is undying. That's the meaning behind the cross and resurrection.
Part of our lives as Christians is to accurately reflect God in our lives. That's why we look for these areas that may be deceiving by God's name. It's not for God, but it can prove helpful to our faith walk, and can be a means of giving glory to God on the part of others in our life.
Matthew 7:21--“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Devotion--The words of Jesus in the verse above should bring a bit of a shock to all of us who wear Christ's name upon us. It points out that there may be those who truly think that they are Christians, and yet who are not part of the kingdom of heaven. The quick thing that I'll point out in that regard is that Jesus shows us here that our hope is really is more about what God has done for us, and that our faith clings to Jesus' action, than it does to anything that we would do.
As we look out our lives, it is inevitable that we will discover some ways that our lives do not accurately reflect that we wear Christ's name. When we engage in sinful behaviors, or even when we find ourselves doing things that bring offense to our fellow Christians, our lives do not reflect that we wear Christ's name. In that circumstance, we essentially are "deceiving" by God's name.
What does this look like in your life? Are there any actions or behaviors that you find yourself making excuses about when it comes to explaining why you should be able to do them? Or do you even find that your Christian life is more about a certain type of morality than it is about a living relationship with God through Jesus? As you look through your life, you will undoubtedly be able to find numerous examples of these.
I want to give you some reassurance first. Your life with God is more about God's faithfulness to you than it is your faithfulness to Him. We can never be so faithful as to have no worries about our standing with God. However, God's faithfulness toward us is undying. That's the meaning behind the cross and resurrection.
Part of our lives as Christians is to accurately reflect God in our lives. That's why we look for these areas that may be deceiving by God's name. It's not for God, but it can prove helpful to our faith walk, and can be a means of giving glory to God on the part of others in our life.
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