I have a few friends who profess to be Christians but do not live their lives with any urgency or passion for Him. Being candid, this scares me to death. I’m scared because I don’t want them to deceive themselves thinking because they once said a prayer, and maybe still pray to God for help and even sometimes thanks, that they have a relationship with Him. Salvation is not an event. It’s a process.
It is a lifelong commitment to a relationship with Jesus Christ. You cannot put our salvation up on a shelf. It is a living, breathing, vibrant thing. If it is not, I am scared it may not be there at all. No one lives the life of a Christ-follower perfectly. We will all mess up and some days are better than others. But those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus will always be motivated to love and serve Him.
My heart aches for those who think they know Christ, but in truth do not. Jesus warned that many would come to Him calling Him Lord, but He will send them away because He never knew them (Matthew 7:21-23). He knew there would come a time when many believed in Him but refused to surrender to Him. Surrendered people obsess over Jesus because there is nothing else for them in life. There is only Jesus.
The lives of those who know Jesus look different from others. Their habits and speech will seem peculiar when compared to social norms. Followers of Jesus serve Him and not the whims of the culture. Knowing Jesus means living with an acute awareness of His presence. It always thrills us He is with us, that He never leaves us alone. Like any good relationship, we will love spending time with Jesus as He loves spending time with us. Knowing Christ will find us always in the honeymoon stage with Him. We want to be with Him more than anyone else. Our thoughts will be preoccupied with Him.
Followers of Jesus will spend their days pursuing Him. They will not waste their precious breaths on the worthless distractions of this world. John, Jesus’s best friend, wrote if we love the things of the world, then love for God is not in us (I John 2:15). That leaves no wiggle room. We love this world and the things it offers, or we love God.
Do you know Jesus? I pray that you do. I find myself in great turmoil over those I know who think they know Jesus but have never engaged in a genuine relationship with Him. My heart aches for them to know the incredible love of Jesus. I want everyone to experience His love and redemption. Jesus is everything you will ever need. He is an amazing Lord and Savior. Please don’t come to the end of your life only thinking you know Jesus. Be sure. Devote yourself to Him today.