"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to be on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' "
- Matthew 7:21-23
As I tried to sleep tonight, I realized something. And this kept me up all night because I was greatly saddened by the reality. I was saddened in the fact that although many people call themselves CHRISTians, few have actually met the Creator of the Universe, the Lord God Almighty, Alpha Omega, Jesus Christ my LORD and my Saviour.
This realization led me to understand why so-called Christians are lazy and don't seem to have God first in their lives. And that is because THEY DON'T. They think that they got the whole eternity thing figured out, that they're going to heaven because they prayed a prayer one time, or that they go to church and fellowship and read the Bible everyday. They feel as if they've already earned salvation so they move on with the rest of their lives.
If you are Christian, you will realize that you must continue to work out salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12) That is to say: on your own, you can never be good enough in the eyes of the LORD. (Romans 3)You cannot call yourself a Christ Follower if you do not devote yourself 100% to Christ. You are not a Christian if you think you can let Jesus control a part of your life but not ALL of it. (Note: it's not to say that a new believer or a immature Christian is not saved. I am not trying to question salvation, but rather your willingness to be sold out for Christ)
No. If Christ is not EVERYTHING in your life, then He is nothing in your life. If you call yourself a Christian, live up to it. Do not blaspheme the name of the LORD my God. If you don't plan on surrendering your sinful desires, or your plans, your dreams, or your hopes to God, then please don't try. God doesn't accept half-hearted sacrifices. (Malachi 1) And besides, it's no sacrifice anyways.
So why do you continue to call yourself a Christian, when you revel in SIN, and when you enjoy the same entertainment of the world around us? What makes you different except that you're busy on Friday nights and Sunday mornings? You say you have to be a part of this world, but I say that we find our citizenship in Heaven (Philippians 3:20) You say that you have become all these things in order to 'minister' to all these people (1 Corinthians 9:19), but all you do is give an excuse to sin freely. You say 'everything is permissible', but 'nobody should seek hos own good, but the good of others'. (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)
So please. Do not use the LORD's name in vain. If you claim to be a Christ follower, then be prepared to lose everything to gain Everything. If not, then do not use my God's Holy Name in vain. Do not use His Righteous Name to bring glory to yourself. If you seek the praise of man, then go for it. But if you want to seek the praise of God, then stop indulging in this worldliness. Wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed! (Romans 13:11) Live a life of Christ that is worthy of a life of Christ. Take up the cross. Suffer for it. Let all men hate you because of what you believe and trust. (Matthew 10:22) Stand up, men and women of God, and forsake everything for the sake of knowing the LORD Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:8)
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
- Matthew 10:37-39
