This a great article by Tullian Tchividjian......How to Get Everything You Need from the Gospel Jesus intends the Gospel message to do much more than just ignite your faith. The Gospel contains the power to meet all your needs every day if you rely on it regularly instead of trying to live the Christian life through your own efforts. When you draw your strength from the Gospel, you can have everything that really matters – even if you have nothing that the world offers. Here’s how you can get everything you need from the Gospel: Pay attention to your restless feelings. * Notice the different ways you feel restless. What changes do you want to make in your life? What are you hungering for that you don’t have? What are you pursuing that isn’t satisfying you? Every time you identify the source of a restless feeling in your life, keep in mind that it’s a signal meant to direct you to your ultimate need: a relationship with God. * Identify where you’re really placing your trust. Reflect on the daily decisions you make in various situations to figure out whether you’re placing your trust in Jesus or in lesser things like your work, your money, your health, your reputation, your goals, your achievements, your hobby, a relationship with a person you love, etc. Realize that anything that your heart is drawn to more than Jesus Himself is an idol in your life that is dangerous to you spiritually. Remind yourself of the truth that only Jesus can ultimately fulfill you. * Break free of the enslaving pressure of do-it-yourself morality. Stop wasting time and effort trying to follow religious rules in your own strength and face the fact that, no matter how hard you work at changing your external behavior, you’re powerless to achieve any real and lasting change in your soul on your own. Focusing on your own spiritual performance will only make you self-absorbed, which will ironically draw you farther away from God – the opposite of your goal to get closer to God. But if you decide instead to place your trust entirely in the Gospel message (that Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for you is what makes you righteous before God), then Jesus’ power will be at work in your soul, drawing you closer to God every day. * Trust in daily grace to deal with your daily sin. When you’re confronted by the sin in your life each day, you don’t have to despair because you’re failing to measure up to perfection. Remember that you don’t have to be good for God to love you; God loves you unconditionally and He will make you good because He loves you. So whenever you become aware of sin in your life, confess it to God, repent, and rely on the grace that He will give you to grow beyond it. * Root your identity in your relationship with Jesus. Resist the world’s pressures to derive your identity from anything less than your relationship with Jesus. Remind yourself often that your connection with Jesus is the truest definition of who you are, and make that the basis for your confidence and all of your decisions. *Let God’s love for you inspire you to obey Him. Reflect on God’s love for you often, very often, to remind yourself that He wants the very best for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your mind so that you come to love what God loves and hate what God hates. Rely on the Gospel’s power to be obedient to God’s will so you can experience the full amount of blessings that He wants to give you. Tullian Tchividjian is the senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 20:36:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015