Luke 9:23: A Daily Decision
Your story as a Christian began before you were born. John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "The world" means every person who has or will ever live on this Earth. Therefore, Jesus died for your sins before you were born. Salvation is a free gift you do not have to earn. This is the beginning for all of us. However, from there it is up to you to decide what will happen next.
To be clear, I do not believe we are saved by our works, again, God's salvation is a free gift we could never earn. However, we must show the utmost respect for this gift and as it states in Romans 6:1-2, "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?" In other words, we are not to abuse the grace of God and use it as an excuse to sin.
We need to continue to grow in our walk with the Lord and make a daily decision to give up our sinful habits. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Daily means daily, not just denying your sinful nature when you feel like it or are asking God for a favor. This also means choosing to follow Jesus and His ways of righteousness. It requires daily self-examination and repentance. For Jesus also said in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." And 1 John 2:4 makes it abundantly clear, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
For the full article on this subject, feel free to read my writing titled: "
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