How we live our lives here on earth ultimately sets us up for how we live our lives in the afterlife. There are those who suggest that it doesn’t matter and that when we hit the ground its over. Still, others that are looking forward to partying with friends in hell upon their demise. I feel sorry for those people as hell is no party, not hanging with friends, it is a place void of love and relationships. Complete separation from God, I imagine living alone in a constant depression dwelling on the poor life choices that brought you to where you are. But there is hope here on earth now, today, for us to make a choice to live in freedom now and for eternity.
“Mark well that GOD doesn’t miss a move you make; he’s aware of every step you take. The shadow of your sin will overtake you; you’ll find yourself stumbling all over yourself in the dark. Death is the reward of an undisciplined life; your foolish decisions trap you in a dead end.”
Proverbs 5:21-23 MSG
Sin is this world’s biggest stumbling block. Sin by definition separates us from the love of the Father. It binds us in a prison that we can never free ourselves from. The heaviness that a life of sin brings casts a hugh shadow on us and can bring even the best Christian down if they are not disciplined in their walk with Christ. Today it is so easy to just go with the flow and join the crowd in doing what seems right, accepting all, agreeing to things that contradict the Christian faith.
We as believers need to be more disciplined in our faith. Praying and reading the word of God daily. Communing with fellow believers sharing our issues and growing one another. The saying goes ” you can’t soar with eagles if your hanging with turkeys”. We are called to soar. If you don’t feel like your Christian faith is very strong, or strong enough to avoid temptations then it’s time to walk away from the turkeys that are holding you back. To walk in freedom is hard when you are spending all your time in the prison yard.
Hanging with non-believers is okay, Jesus spent time with those who need him most. But he was living in a freedom where he was able to influence them not the other way around. We have to have a desire to fulfil the mission of reaching the lost. Your friends need to know Jesus like you do, but they will just as easily pull you away for what you believe if you let them.
Does your life reflect that of freedom? Or is it one where you are influenced by the sin that wants to bind you? Our strength comes from our relationship with God. The more time we spend getting to know Him and talking with Him, the more His love flows out of us. Do you really know Jesus or do you just know about Jesus? I pray today that you will experience the freedom that only comes from knowing him personally. He made the ultimate sacrifice on the cross so you wouldn’t have to. All you need to do is accept his gift to you by admitting that you need help and inviting him to be your friend. Only then can you truly be freed from sin.
Father, we love our friends who don’t know you. We ask the that you give us opportunities to share your love with them. Show me ways to tell them about the freedom they can find in you. Keep me strong it you, help me avoid temptation. I want to be examples of your love to everyone we meet. They matter to you, they matter to me. Amen
