But, then
again, so
is the Sales Clerk when you hand her a Phony Bill.
Christians Believe they Have
"The Real Thing":
i.e. Eternal Life, through and because of Jesus Christ and His Spirit -- who
(QUITE LITERALLY) comes to INDWELL them, and whose presence they can QUITE
LITERALLY "sense") -- and that
the Truth (of who He is, and what He
had done for them and given to them) is
Worth speaking out about, and Standing Up For --
simply because the lives of those whom we care about (and others whom we may
not even know, but still care about) are at stake.
Christians also believe that God is the One who
Created each one of us, and therefore the One who knows what is best
for us (Psalm
139:7-16). However, the fact is that a great MANY (Matt.
7:13-14) people don't want to
acknowledge their own Creator, or give Him any Credit for what He has given to
them (i.e. their very own life), nor give Him any of their TIME, and Talents,
and/or $$$ (not that He needs it mind you), and so they look around for some
sort of Fault in what they perceive He has done, or allowed to occur in their
lives, or the lives of their loved ones, or even something from past (perhaps
even ancient) History (that they very likely don't know all the details of),
and they use THAT as their EXCUSE, for why they refuse to allow God into their
lives, and even to RULE over them and their lives. And,
as a result, they MISS OUT on the MOST IMPORTANT relationship that they COULD
HAVE HAD, during their lifetime on Earth, and risk their own souls (and their
eternal destiny) in the process. But,
then again, some people don't even think about it at all: because they either
Don't Care (because they are selfish), or because they Take God for granted,
and Assume that He Won't Hold them accountable for their willful ignorance,
and/or apathy toward Him and all that He stands for.
Christians also believe what is written in
the Bible: in which also God has told us quite plainly what His standards are,
and that He wants us to be like Him (in our innermost character and our
behavior). That doesn't mean that we take every single thing that the Bible says
literally, or that we henceforth (after allowing Him to come into our lives) never make
mistakes, and always do
what is right, and never sin again (I John 1:8-10), but it DOES mean that, as
time goes on, and we Grow in our Relationship with the Lord (by walking daily
with Him and obeying what He tells us), that we will sin less
and less, and obey Him more and more.
Christians also believe that (in this day
and Age) Jesus is the Only Way that God has ordained for us to become (as in
"get") right with God: For it was He who said: "Unless
you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."
John 8:24
And: "I
am the way, and the truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me." John 14:6
And: "Unless
you repent, you will all, likewise perish...."
Luke 13:1-5
And: "Behold
I stand at the door (of your heart) and
knock, if anyone hears My voice, and opens the door (i.e.
invites Jesus into his/her life) I will
come into him (or her)
and sup with him (or her) and
he (or she) with
Me." Rev. 3:20
In other words, because God has standards
that He wants us to live by, so should we. However,
NONE of us are Good enough to earn God's favor, or His Salvation, by our own
"Good Works": for that is
a Gift that He bestows on those who realize their need, and who are willing to
humble themselves before Him, and call upon His Son ask for His forgiveness, and
henceforth put their trust in Him -- and in
what He did for them. Eph.
2:8-9, 1:7;
Rom.
10:13; 3:20-23.
And He, for His part, WILL SEND His very Spirit to Indwell your very being (Eph.
1:13-14; John
14:15-18; Romans
8:1-11).
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