Happy New Year!
by Jim HughesÂ
Ps. 101:2-3 I will be careful to live a blameless life–when will you come to my aid? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all crooked dealings; I will have nothing to do with them.
Are you willing to make this commitment to the Lord today? Are you willing to strive to live a blameless life, including in your home? We know that it is the right thing to do. God wants us to live righteously so we don’t suffer the consequences of sin. Jesus is the one who makes us righteous, so in order for us to become righteous and blameless, we must live in close relationship with him. We must make the commitment. We must determine in our hearts and minds that we are going to do it, that we are going to live under the lordship of Christ and let him make us right with God.
Living in Christ means we will lead a life of integrity. That is, that in all things we will be honest and dependable. It also means that we will take responsibility for what we allow into our hearts and minds, refusing to look at anything that is vile and vulgar. Do you turn away from those things which fall underneath this category? Do you avoid those things which influence you and stir up within you a desire to sin? It’s a real battle sometimes and it’s not an easy battle to win. Satan knows our weaknesses and never gives up trying to exploit them. We must always be aware of his tactics and be willing to resist him through the power of Christ within us. When we are being tempted, we turn to the Lord and ask him to help us be strong and resist.
Living in Christ also means that we despise dishonest dealings. We strive to treat others with respect and honor. We refuse to take advantage of others for personal gain. We refuse to compromise godliness for the sake of our comfort.
We must choose daily whom we will serve. Sometimes our choices put us into difficult or uncomfortable circumstances, but we must determine whom we will serve. Are you willing to commit yourself to serving the Lord completely? You cannot have it both ways and expect to remain right with God. He will not accept a half-hearted attempt to live a godly life. We must work hard at doing what is right before God. If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.
Are you willing to be amongst the few who really please the Lord? Are you willing to give of your best to the Lord, the best of your heart and mind?
About the Author:
Spending his formative years in Ft. Wayne, IN, Jim followed the love of his life to southeast Iowa where they married and have spent the majority of their lives. Jim has pastored several churches throughout his life and has worked many years in local factories to help support his family. The father of two married adult children and one son still at home, Jim is a first-time author.
C Through Marriage came into being through many years of pastoral and life experiences. The book first took on a life of its own over 20 years ago when I sought to address the much publicized moral failures of prominent leaders in the church. In the chapter on Chasity, I include the guideliness that I developed then to protect one’s self from such failures.
I am a firm believer in order to make sense out of life you have to use much common sense. We need to get back to the basics of what has worked for many, many generations. If is isn’t broke, why try to fix it? I strive to return to the basics of what really works in all my writings.