Two Different Christian Lives — Which One Did You Choose? (Click the Photo to find out)
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Does your story of coming to Christ rival Louis Zamperini’s from the bestselling book and movie Unbroken, or is it more like mine — it could be bottled as an effective sleeping pill?
Regardless of wow-factor, each of our testimonies shares one thing in common.
Each led us to the cross of Christ.
Whether we came to God with a boring testimony or a bizarre one, we didn’t come any other way except through Christ’s finished work on the cross. It’s the same for everyone.
But, what about our life after we receive salvation? What kind of Christian life will we live then?
During our Ladies’ Bible study the other day, my friend Kristi shared the following thought with us:
That really struck me.
Some of us will live our lives content in the knowledge that our salvation is sealed forever. Nothing can ever change it – not even our apathy.
Our Christian life ended at the cross.
It’s not that we’re ungrateful or feel that salvation from sin is no big deal. We know it’s a huge deal, and we’re eternally grateful.
It’s just that we’re not Billy Graham or Mother Teresa. We don’t feel a call on our life that demands drastic measures, thus we’re content to live out the remainder of our life as a Christian, satisfied with salvation alone.
Others of us feel an unsettling in ourselves after salvation.
We, too, are eternally grateful that our salvation is secure in Christ, but salvation alone doesn’t feel enough for us. There must be more to the Christian life.
We’re not necessarily looking to be the next Mother Teresa or Billy Graham, but we know we want more.
In fact, we must have more.
We refuse to believe we’re supposed to be content with salvation alone.
Our Christian life is just beginning at the cross.
Two different Christian lives.
What message we take from the following verse may indicate which Christian life we’re living:
You will seek Me and find Me
when you seek Me with all your heart.
~ Jeremiah 29:13
The Christian whose life ended at the cross will smile and say, “Ah, yes. I sought the Lord, and I found Him. My salvation is secure. There is nothing more.”
The Christian whose life began at the cross will smile and say, “Ah, finally! That’s the answer to my unsettled soul. I can never be content to know Christ only as my Savior. I’ll seek Him with everything I have, and I won’t stop until I see His glory. I long to know God in every way He can be known — Savior, Lord, and God of all glory, wisdom and power.”
This reminds me of a story I once heard told of Socrates. (Who knows if the story is true, but let’s pretend it is. The message is powerful.)
A man came to Socrates and asked him, “What is truth?”
Socrates led the man into a nearby river. Once they were waist deep, Socrates held the man under. Confused and shocked, the man nevertheless complied.
His compliance evaporated, however, the more his lungs exhausted themselves of air and began to burn. He fought with all his strength, but he couldn’t free himself from Socrates’ grip.
Suddenly, Socrates released the man.
Sputtering to the surface, the man sucked in desperate gulps of air.
Socrates then said, “When you want truth as much as you wanted that breath of air, you’ll find it.”
When Christ met us at the cross with His free gift of salvation, He never intended for us to take our gift and go home.
This was to be just the first step of an amazing journey that could only become everything He intended it to be as we’d continue to seek Him with all our heart.
When we want to know Christ as more than just our Savior and seek to know Him as intensely as we’d seek air at the bottom of the sea, we’ll find Him.
And then we’ll live — we’ll truly LIVE!
Two different Christian lives — which one did you choose?
Two Different Christian Lives ~ Which One Did You Choose?
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