Once a person has accepted Jesus they should follow Him in their daily lives. All too often we find that hard to do because we have only been following what we want to do and are not used to letting anyone else lead us. We want to have things our way, do things our way, in our time, using our methods. Do you see a pattern here? It is easy enough to see when we stand back and look, but when we are in the middle of the process we can’t or won’t see how self-centered it is.
Once we become Christians, we should no longer be the ones in control of our lives. We have ask the Messiah, Anointed One, Savior, Son of God (all names for Jesus) to forgive us of our sins and thereby saving us. Now what? We flounder like a fish out of water, like a person who wanders into an area of town strange to them. We are virtually lost as what to do with the temptations that come our way. Once we would have welcomed them in with open arms, now we don’t feel right about them but just do not know what to do. And to make matters worse, no one has told us what to do with or about these things. Our churches are not much better it seems. All meaning to do well, one says, “all things in moderation”, another says, "You are not bound by the law" (rules), another says, “Christians don’t do that”. You fill in the “that”. Where do we turn!?!?
The answer is in God’s word. You see there is a second work of grace. Some think it was received at the time of salvation. Some think it is not necessary. Some have never heard of it and have no idea that it exists. In the city of Ephesus, Paul ask the believers he found, “’Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’" Ac 19:2 As you read the whole story you will find out that the people were baptized again and then received the Holy Spirit.
Think of a glass of milk, old, souring, curdled milk. Would you drink it or even drink out of the glass after dumping the nasty out and refilling it with fresh milk? NO! You wouldn’t think of it. You would take time to wash out the glass and clean it up before ever even thinking of refilling it with some fresh milk. This is a word picture of what God does for us when He saves us. Forgiveness is the dumping out and the cleansing of our lives. The second work of grace is the refilling of our lives with pure clean stuff, a fresh start as it were. When we ask God to forgive us he does. What we do with our lives after that is still up to us. We may choose to go back and fill our glasses with more curdled milk. Check out 2Peter 2:22. That choice is ours. It is a choice that we make daily. Depending on our life before Christ, it may be easy to change our lifestyles to glorify Him or it may be hard. Whether it is easy or hard it is still our choice and we all need to depend upon Him for daily guidance. I have been reading a book by Max Lucado and in it he gives the illustration of an owner of a greenhouse cleaning out the greenhouse and wanting to put in new fruits and flowers but going out and getting weed seeds to plant. When questioned as to why he would go to the trouble to clean out the greenhouse and then not go purchase flower and fruit seeds the owner replies, “Do you have any idea how much those seeds cost? Besides, you have to drive all the way to the garden center to get them. No thanks, I’m taking the cheap and easy route.” Everybody know you harvest what you sow. We know that about our flower gardens and our vegetable gardens and even our lawns, yet we tend to forget this principle when we cultivate our hearts. Our thoughts are the seeds which are brought to the garden of our hearts and minds and lives. We choose to allow them to be planted or not. Sure, the salesmen keep bringing them to us but it is still up to us to accept them or not. With Jesus in our lives He will now meet the salesmen and help us select only the right seeds.
Jesus was like us in the fact that He “ was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb 4:15 We are not Jesus, perfect in every way, never yielding but God’s word tells us “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1Co 10:13(RSV)
God loves and understands us. He will protect us from the evils of the world if we will seek Him and His guidance. Will life be without problems or incidents? No, we will go through circumstances that we do not understand and may never understand this side of eternity, but in allowing God to pick out what is planted in the greenhouses of our lives, we will be better prepared to face the world and with His strength live for Him, glorifying God through living a life pleasing to Him.
Salvation is free to us but it wasn't cheap.
