Hope in Christ
Is Christianity a religion or just an organization? Is it a place where you merely mingle with people, eat, and share stories?
Christianity is a religion but that is not all it is. It is a relationship with Jesus Christ. The basic thing about Christianity is believing in Christ as our Lord and personal Savior. Now let us consider three common misconceptions regarding what Christianity is about.
1. We will be blessed!
God gives His sufficient grace to those who believe and trust in Him, but being a Christian is more than being blessed. We should not put our faith in God only because we want to get something in return.
We should desire from our heart of hearts to know Him more and making Him known to other people (Matthew 28:18-20). Blessings big and small often do follow, but in our Lord’s perfect way and timing.
2. Life will be easier!
The truth of the matter is that following Jesus doesn't necessarily make life easier. Rather, with Christ in us, life becomes more meaningful and ultimately victorious The reason is that as we put our faith in Him, we will realize that we are not alone in our daily battles. We are assured by God that He is by our side to help us through, just as He promised Joshua and the Israelites, "He will never leave us nor forsake us" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Recently, a famous Christian rapper, Toby Mac, lost his son named Truett. Losing a child is one of the most difficult things to bear in life. However, Toby still chose to honor God in spite of his deep grief, saying, "We don’t follow God because we have some sort of under-the-table deal with Him, like, we’ll follow you if you bless us. We follow God because we love Him. It’s our honor." It is truly inspiring to see people follow Jesus despite the challenges they face. May we continually put our faith in God regardless of the trials and challenges we face. (James 1:2-4)
3. We will go to heaven!
God promises eternal life to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
However, it doesn’t end there. Being a Christian also means repentance of sins and turning away from them. The Bible says in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
As a disciple of Christ, we must think beyond the one-time event of surrender to Christ and live out of our daily commitment of following Him and His ways. Life is not without a struggle over sin, but Christ has promised us the Holy Spirit to aid us in living a holy life.
The promises of God give us hope and strengthen our faith amid our struggles and stresses in our day to day living. What a marvelous gift it is to be a child of God.
Christianity is a religion but that is not all it is. It is a relationship with Jesus Christ. The basic thing about Christianity is believing in Christ as our Lord and personal Savior. Now let us consider three common misconceptions regarding what Christianity is about.
1. We will be blessed!
God gives His sufficient grace to those who believe and trust in Him, but being a Christian is more than being blessed. We should not put our faith in God only because we want to get something in return.
We should desire from our heart of hearts to know Him more and making Him known to other people (Matthew 28:18-20). Blessings big and small often do follow, but in our Lord’s perfect way and timing.
2. Life will be easier!
The truth of the matter is that following Jesus doesn't necessarily make life easier. Rather, with Christ in us, life becomes more meaningful and ultimately victorious The reason is that as we put our faith in Him, we will realize that we are not alone in our daily battles. We are assured by God that He is by our side to help us through, just as He promised Joshua and the Israelites, "He will never leave us nor forsake us" (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Recently, a famous Christian rapper, Toby Mac, lost his son named Truett. Losing a child is one of the most difficult things to bear in life. However, Toby still chose to honor God in spite of his deep grief, saying, "We don’t follow God because we have some sort of under-the-table deal with Him, like, we’ll follow you if you bless us. We follow God because we love Him. It’s our honor." It is truly inspiring to see people follow Jesus despite the challenges they face. May we continually put our faith in God regardless of the trials and challenges we face. (James 1:2-4)
3. We will go to heaven!
God promises eternal life to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
However, it doesn’t end there. Being a Christian also means repentance of sins and turning away from them. The Bible says in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
As a disciple of Christ, we must think beyond the one-time event of surrender to Christ and live out of our daily commitment of following Him and His ways. Life is not without a struggle over sin, but Christ has promised us the Holy Spirit to aid us in living a holy life.
The promises of God give us hope and strengthen our faith amid our struggles and stresses in our day to day living. What a marvelous gift it is to be a child of God.