"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation," (1 Peter 2:2 NIV).
When you become a Christian by giving your heart and life to Jesus Christ and, thus, being born again, it doesn't stop there, God wants and expects you to grow. You don't become a Christian and continue the way you used to be and live; at least you shouldn't. The Bible says, "...anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). When it says that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person, he's referring to the person's spirit; he's telling us that, that person's spirit is reborn; he or she now becomes a real child of God with a new life and nature, and that new life and nature are the life and nature of God, not the sinful life and nature that every person who hasn't received Jesus Christ has.
God doesn't want the Christian to live like the rest of the world lives. They live the way they do because they don't know Him and are separated from Him. But as a Christian, you're no longer separated from Him. God lives in you now, and you've been given a new life. There's a way of living in Christianity that's totally different to this world's way of living. This new life is a supernatural life with God. It's a life of true love, of righteousness, of peace, of true joy, of ever-increasing success, growth and development, and so much more! God doesn't want you living like this world does. Jesus said, to and about the Christian, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:19).
"What's wrong with living like the rest of the world?" someone asks. Well, first of all, you have to realise that the world is living in sin; they're living against God, His truth and His instructions. God's not pleased with the people of the world's ways of living, thinking and doing things. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said to a group of people, "...You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God." (Luke 16:15 NLT). This shows us that the things the people (of this world) think and do are displeasing to God. The problem with living like the rest of the world is that you will fall into the group of people who displease God; and if you fall into that group, you can't expect to make Heaven, and God will judge you negatively with the rest of the world. But there's hope for the Christian who believes in Jesus Christ and keeps His Word. Against that person, the Bible says, "there is no condemnation..." (Romans 8:1); meaning that there's no negative judgment for that person.
As a Christian, you must grow and produce results for God, and in God. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples:“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned." (John 15:1-6 NKJV).
In this portions of Scripture, He shows us why it's so important to grow and produce fruit (results). He shows that He is the Vine (or stem of a tree), and the Christian is the branch. He shows that the unfruitful branch will be taken away and thrown into the fire with the rest of those who are not part of the tree (Christ). But He shows us that the one who grows and produces fruit, God prunes him, develops him and gives him the ability to grow much more and produce more fruit! That's what life ought to be like for the Christian.
You may be wondering what this fruit is, or what kind of growth God is talking about, I'll show you that in the next post. Right now, however, I'd like to talk to the one who may be reading this but isn't a Christian. You may be wondering, "How do I become a Christian? How do I get saved from Hell and from the judgement of God? What do I do? I don't want to go to Hell." Well, your answer is what God says to you in the Bible, He says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9). All you need to do to be saved is to believe in Jesus Christ; that He died for your sins and went to Hell in your place because He took your sins upon Himself and paid for everyone of them so that you wouldn't have to. You also have to believe that God raised Him from the dead, accept Jesus as the Lord and God of your life, and pray this prayer out loud, "O Lord God, I come to you in the Name of Jesus Christ. Your Word says, '...whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Acts 2:21). I ask Jesus to come into my heart to be the Lord of my life. I receive eternal life (the life of God) into my spirit according to Romans 10:9, 'If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,' I declare that I am saved; I am born-again; I am a child of God! I now have Christ dwelling in me, Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4). I now walk in the consciousness of my new life in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!"
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and has answered you. Now He wants you to grow from here and He will help you if you will ask Him and talk to Him in prayer. Remember, everything He did through Jesus Christ for human beings was because He loved us all so deeply and valued us so highly. You are important and special to Him. That's why He came and suffered for you. All He wants you to do is to believe this message and in Him.
Share this Divine Update with someone else today and help them to live in the liberty and beauty of God's love, blessings and provisions.
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