"The Word of the Lord endures forever." That phrase declares how vital God's Word should be to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.
God's Word is a precious gift left unread or read very little by many who claim to follow Jesus. My question is, how can we genuinely follow someone we don't value enough to take the time to know?
How much do we really love God if we don't invest time in our relationship with Him through communication (prayer), worship, and the study of God's Words found in the Bible?
Let's be real, if we don't value God's Word, including His admonitions and commands, are we really a Christian by God's Biblical definition and standard? Perhaps we are a good religious person, but not a Christian by biblical definition. A Christian is someone who relies wholeheartedly on Jesus Christ for Salvation and then seeks to obey His commands. These followers of Jesus are not perfect people, but they do seek to put God first in everything.
The following verses help clarify what it means to be a Christian after an initial belief in Jesus Christ.
- "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33
- "Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'" Matthew 22:37
- "Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23
- "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15
Sometimes people focus so much on the "salvation" passages that we forget what comes after we embrace the Good News of the gospel found in John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
The Apostle Paul wrote this:
- "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-30
Yes, Salvation is a free gift given to those who "believe" in the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many have a misunderstanding of what it means to believe! The Word believes in the original New Testament context means to adhere to, rely upon, and cling to Jesus Christ. Meaning we put our total reliance on Jesus Christ and then work on sticking to His commands in humility and simple faith.
He loves us all and wants us to discover who He really is! Not the world's definition of God, but God's description found in the Bible. One way to do that is to read His Word to discover who He truly is and what God expects from us.
If you have not been reading it much, I recommend you start in the book of John. Pay very close attention to the words of Jesus Christ that are found in red in many Bibles. God bless you today as you seek to know him and serve Him!