Many servants of God desire to grow the churches they lead—making them bigger, increasing the number of congregants, and holding various attractive events. All this is considered prestige and can even become a source of livelihood. Yet after God has revealed so much of the truth of His Word, we understand that what matters most is how each experiences a transformed life. Our God is great, our God is mighty, our God is extraordinary. Therefore, our lives as children of the Father cannot simply be placed on par with the lives of other “good religious people,” but must be lived in such a way that pleases the Father. And the standard is none other than Jesus Christ.
Because of this, we must exchange our human nature for a divine nature, which is not easy, and there is no shortcut—it depends on how we fill our lives. If our days are filled only with living as others live, we will surely regret it, for we will return to the eternal home poor, no robe, no money, no honor at all. But if we learn to put on the life of a child of God, then we leave the footprints of God’s children in our lives. Just as the Lord Jesus left His footprints in the Bible, so too we leave the footprints of God’s children in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Do not mess with life. In Galatians 2:20, the Word of God says: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…” If the Lord Jesus has redeemed us, then our lives no longer belong to us. If we still consider our lives our own, then we are rejecting that redemption. Do not harden your heart. Do not be stubborn. Do not be proud. What does this mean? The Lord must take over our lives, and this is not about money, not about being a full-time minister or a pastor. It is about living our lives fully in obedience to His will. What we put on is not Jesus’ literal person—for we cannot have two persons—but His Spirit, His passion. Therefore, do not put on the passion of Israel or anyone else, but carefully examine how Jesus lived. What he taught is what we must put into our lives. And each of us who is sincere will be led by the Holy Spirit into this.
Paul continues: “…The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God …” Faith here means obedience to the Son of God, not merely rational belief. Do not think that by confessing Jesus as Savior, we automatically already have faith. Not yet. There must be substance to our confession of faith, and that substance is obedience to His will. James 2 makes it clear that faith without works is dead, just as the body without the spirit is dead. Look at Abraham. He said he believed in Elohim Yahweh, but the proof was that his life was completely seized by obedience to do God’s will. That is true faith: submission to His will.
Then, “…who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Jesus gave Himself to redeem us, so that we no longer belong to ourselves. Yet our ego—our “self”—is so strong. The monster within us wants to live, to reign. Therefore, we must bow down at the Lord’s feet, submit to His will, and live in obedience, which means we live life as Jesus lived it. It is more than simply being a good person who does not break the law. In everything we do, we must please the Father’s heart. And if we can please the Father’s heart every minute, every step, that is something extraordinary.
Do not run from this calling. In this short and once-in-a-lifetime span of years, let us strive so that every step of life truly pleases the Father—just as His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has done.