It seems as if many professing Christians think that God has changed. Sins that are spelled out in the Bible have somehow become acceptable, and living for Jesus is not desirable.

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16).

As Christians, we represent Christ and therefore need to strive to be like Him. That means we need to study our Bibles and apply God’s timeless truth to our lives. Our words and actions identify us with who we serve…God or the world.

If we aren’t diligent in guarding our actions we will fall into the ways of the world and accept sin as normal; Christ will be compromised. If you confess Him as your Lord and Savior, then you need to honor Him with your life; you need to live for Him.

Do you confess your faith in Jesus Christ before men? We are told to take the gospel to the entire world, and that includes your neighborhood. The mission field is local as well as global. Worldly people around you will watch you very closely, mostly hoping for you to fail so they can mock you…and thus mock Christ.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

We represent Christ and it is important to represent Him faithfully. When your neighbors look at you, do they see someone who wears t-shirts with Christian messages on them or puts a Christian bumper sticker on your car, but who lives as the non-Christians do?

Your actions speak louder than words. If the people around you see you cussing out a neighbor child for tossing a basketball in your yard, they won’t see Christ living in you.

What movies do they see you standing in line for and what music do they hear booming on your radio? If your boyfriend or girlfriend sleeps over at your house you are committing fornication and you are not living for Christ. The neighbors will notice and your choices will compromise your witness for Christ.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Glorifying God is the goal for every Christian. Living for Him means that you make choices based upon Scripture.

Too often a Christian will profess Christ with words, but deny Him with his or her way of life.
“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33).

The word confess is translated from the Greek word “homologeō” and according to Vines Expository Dictionary; it means “to declare openly by way of speaking out freely, such confession being the effect of deep conviction of facts.” Does this describe you? In America we have the right to speak openly about Christ, but Christians are silently giving up that right. Our silence is deafening.

Now let’s look at the word deny, which comes from the Greek word “arneomai.” Again, according to Vines Expository Dictionary it means “to deny by way of disowning a person, as, e.g. the Lord Jesus as Master.”

Have you disowned the Lord Jesus as Master? If you’re a Christian who confesses Him with your mouth but denies Him with your life, you’d better take a closer look at Matthew 10:33.You may not truly know Him. Don’t try to use the argument that times have changed since Scripture was written, or that people have progressed and are able to know what God “meant” rather than what He “said.”

The same devil who tempts us today has tempted mankind throughout history. God has never changed nor has His truth. Your life should represent Christ and not Satan.

According to the Scriptures, our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and should be treated as such. After you accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation, did you turn your life over to Him? The justification process takes a lifetime. Study your Bible and apply it to your life in order to honor Him.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

That fact should stop you in your tracks. The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, lives in you. When you accepted Christ, the Holy Spirit was sealed within you and you became God’s possession. Your life should begin to reflect godly changes and show the lost world that you follow Christ. We are saved by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ and can do nothing to add to our salvation; but that doesn’t mean it’s all right to continue in sin.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1-2).

You are not doing God a favor by sinning so He can show you more grace. As long as we live in these mortal bodies we will continue to sin, but Christians should be very uncomfortable with the sin in our lives. Justification is the process of becoming more like Jesus, and that process will continue until death.
In order to move forward in the justification process, study God’s Word daily and know what constitutes sin, then change your way of life accordingly. Is this always easy? No, but each time you fail, go to Him and ask forgiveness, then start again trying to live for Him.

There is a trend today for professing Christians to live in the sin that the world accepts. More and more professing Christians see nothing wrong with living with a boyfriend/girlfriend or using vulgar language or watching movies that glorify sin.

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25).

The way of the world will seem right to human eyes blinded by Satan’s lies, but sin is still sin. If you live your life as a testimony for Christ without compromise, perhaps you will be the example needed for those around you to come to know Christ.

Brethren, by not speaking out against sin, our silence seems to condone sin. It has been said that you can preach a better sermon with your life than with your mouth. Live for Jesus and you will speak loudly. Living for Jesus means making choices based on biblical truth instead of following the ways of the world.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

We can’t “update” God’s Word to make it conform to the world, but we must allow the Holy Spirit to transform us to honor Christ. How many times does a Christian say, “I think God would approve of ______.” (Fill in the blank with your favorite sin.) The plain truth is that if the blank is filled with anything that contradicts God’s Word, He doesn’t approve.

We’re saved by the grace of God and not by works, but if you don’t allow yourself to be changed then how can you live for Him? The Greek word translated conform is “syschēmatizō” and it means: “to conform one’s self (i.e. one’s mind and character) to another’s pattern, to fashion one’s self according to another’s pattern.”

To live for Christ means we change to conform to Him, rather than try to force Him to conform to us. We all occasionally make bad decisions that don’t glorify God, but He forgives us if we ask. When a professing Christian consistently makes the same bad decisions, then there’s a problem.

Now, before you send emails telling me about the freedom we have in Christ and that works won’t save us, I know about all of that. I’m also aware that when you accept Christ a transformation needs to begin. You need to walk closer to Him and move away from the world and its temptations. Your life should reflect His love.

Brethren, our Lord is being attacked.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18).

The people of the world are under the influence of Satan and have always hated Christ. If you do not live for Him then no matter what your words say, you have surrendered to the enemy and fall into line with those who hate Him. Moment by moment we have to choose to live for Him. The world may dictate certain ideas and practices as acceptable, but unless those ideas and practices agree with Scripture, Christians must stand against the world.

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19).

Jesus Christ entered His creation to give us the only way of salvation. God does not want anyone to perish but to live with Him eternally. He has chosen you out of the world, so how can you claim to follow Him yet deny Him with how you live?

God’s Word is awesome, and like God Himself, it never changes. Read it, study it, and digest it. Apply it to your life. Study your Bible and learn more of God’s unchanging ways and His unchanging love. Be a good ambassador for Christ and live your life so others see Him in you. Learn to love what God loves and hate what God hates.

Remember, God loves the sinner, but God hates the sin. Live your life to honor Christ, not the world.

God bless you all,
Ron and Nathele Graham

Life can get hectic. People work full time and still manage to attend their son’s Little League games, their daughter’s piano recitals, doctor appointments, shopping, and then there’s that pesky trip to worship services on Sunday mornings. The stress of daily living is more than people were ever meant to bear.

Automobiles, microwaves, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and automatic clothes washers should make our living easier and give us more free time, but somehow we just cram more activity into life. Stress increases and finally something has to give. Something has to be pushed onto the backburner because there just aren’t enough hours in a day to do everything.

Usually it is God who gets pushed aside. The weekend comes and on Saturday household chores must be done, the kids have to be shuttled from one activity to another, and there’s a backyard barbecue with the neighbors. Then comes Sunday and you just sleep in. Monday morning comes around and it starts all over again.

Although God should be first before anything in our lives, somehow it’s easy to put off prayer time, worship time, and Bible reading time.

“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 20:7).

Modern life is upside down. Everything comes before God and there is little holiness in a Christian’s life. That’s just opposite of the way it should be. God needs to be first and other things will fall into place.

If Christ isn’t first in your life then He is in the wrong place and your priorities need to be rearranged. Your children will follow your example and if you place everything else before Jesus, they will too.

Years ago I knew a teenage girl who I thought a lot of. Her family had been true to Christ for generations; they put Him first in their lives. Although she hadn’t started her senior year in high school, this young lady had a wonderful opportunity to attend a college program in another state.

She would be gone through the summer and most young people her age would have regretted missing the county fair, but not my young friend. Her regret was that she would miss Vacation Bible School. She loved Jesus and had learned the right priorities at a very young age through the example of her parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

As a Christian parent or grandparent, you need to make choices that separate you from the world because your choices will affect generations to come.

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

There are two words in these verses we need to understand. The first is “conversation.” It is translated from the Greek word anastrophē which means: manner of life, conduct, behavior, deportment. The next word is “holy.” The Greek word is hagios and it is defined as “most holy thing, a saint.” You, dear brethren, are holy.

Contrary to what some people believe, a pope cannot declare anyone a saint, because if you have accepted Christ as your only way of salvation then God has already declared you to be a saint. In the above verses Peter is encouraging believers to conduct their life in a way that is holy and saintly, because Christ is holy. Every choice we make should reflect Christ.

In Scripture, the apostle Peter is often seen as brash and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. He had a habit of saying whatever came into his mind and sometimes we cringe at his statements. He swore to defend Christ no matter what the danger, yet a few hours later Peter denied knowing Him. Peter was nowhere to be found when Christ was crucified.

In spite of his failures, Peter chose to allow Christ to change him. He became a leader among the Apostles and the Christians in Jerusalem, and his sermon on the day of Pentecost was truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. Today we are blessed by the letters he wrote and encouraged that even a man such as Peter can be used of God if he is willing.

Peter wasn’t a pope (which isn’t a biblical office), but he was someone we can look to for an example of holiness that can only come through Jesus Christ. When encouraging us to be holy, he reminds us of where our redemption comes from.

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-1).

The word “conversation” is the same word, anastrophē, used in verse 15 above. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ not by corruptible things, so how can you let corruptible things get in your way of living a holy, set apart life? Redemption is only through Christ’s shed blood.

How do we obtain holiness? When we first accept Christ as our Savior we are justified and set apart in His eyes. To the world around us we may still look like a lost sinner, but Christ sees us as redeemed and saved by His grace.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Works won’t save you. Christ did it all and salvation is a free gift. Once you have accepted this free gift, works done in the name of Jesus should begin. This is the outward evidence of the faith you profess with your mouth. Works won’t make you “more saved” but should always glorify Christ.

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:17-18).

Because you have been saved by your faith in Christ, godly works should follow. For some Christians it might be as simple as giving up television in order to study God’s Word. For others it might mean starting a Bible study in your home. Still others may need to sweep the sin of addiction from their life or choose Christian friends rather than the unsaved who will cause them to stumble.

Whatever you do, start with prayer. Thank Him for His shed blood on the cross and for your salvation. Talk to Jesus about what He wants you to do with your life and He will guide you. Ask His forgiveness when you fail and for help in overcoming sin. Whatever you do, do it for Jesus and not for selfish reasons.

There is a hymn that I have always loved called TAKE TIME TO BE HOLY, written by William Longstaff. It carries a message of encouragement in drawing closer to Jesus as you go through life.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His word,
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak
forgetting in nothing, His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be;
thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let him be thy guide,
and run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
and, looking to Jesus, still trust in His word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
each thought and each motive beneath his control.
Thus led by his spirit to fountains of love,
thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

As Christians we need to please our Lord, and taking time to draw near to Him pleases Him.

“Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).

The phrase “accepted of him” is better translated “pleasing to him” and most Bible translations state it that way. As long as we live on this side of heaven we will continue in the struggle to live our lives to please God instead of following the distractions of this world. There always seems to be plenty of time to participate in secular activities that do nothing to honor Christ, but a fifteen minute Bible study or prayer time is asking too much. Make the choice to put God first and to draw near to Him and take time to be holy.

Brothers and sisters, one day you will leave this life. The distractions that come between you and Christ will suddenly be put aside. You will stand before Him at His judgment seat and your actions will be judged

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

For the Christian, this judgment is not one to decide if you have been good enough to enter heaven. Nobody is good enough without Christ, but your salvation was secured when you accepted His death, burial, and resurrection as the atonement for your sin.

The judgment you will face when you stand before Jesus is the judgment of what you did with that free gift. Did you hide it so nobody around you knew you were a Christian? Did you do good things for selfish-gain instead of doing all for Christ?

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stone, wood, hay, stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

It’s better to live your life today to please Him with works of gold, silver, and precious stones which will last, rather than feel shame and regret when you stand before Him and watch your selfish works be burned up in the fire of judgment. Take time to pray and study His Word. Develop friendships with fellow Christians and allow Christ to guide all of your decisions.

Whatever you do, be sure that it honors the One who gave His life for you.

Take time to pray, study His Word, and learn to be more pleasing to Him. That time is time well spent and it will affect the way you conduct your life and the choices you make.

Brothers and sisters, take time to be holy.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham