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“Seeing
then that all these things [heavens and earth] shall be
dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all
holy conversation [lifestyle] and godliness” (2 Peter
3:11).
At a time when the world in general
lives by its own rules and wits and adheres to
‘situational ethics,’ how does a follower of Jesus
Christ conduct his/her life? Do we adjust our personal
lifestyle to fit the “times” or do we steadfastly pursue
the mind of Christ as a guide?
Hebrews states that the “just shall
live by faith” (Hebrews 10:38). Some just have faith in
“faith” with no basis of what faith is. We don’t
blindly follow faith. The Lord does not leave us
dangling on unknown principles, but He explicitly gives
us the foundation of our trust. His Word makes clear
how we shall live. “For therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith…” (Romans 1:17). Here
faith is defined by Strong as persuasion or credence as
in moral conviction of religious truth.
When we are convinced of the truth
of the righteousness of God and know it is faithful and
true, “How then shall we live” in this world surrounded
by “politically-correct error”?
We base our very eternal soul’s
safety on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only
secure foundation that will stand the test of time and
eternity.
How then shall we live?
We have been freely forgiven, so we
forgive others with that freedom.
We are loved by One who gave His
life that we can live, so we love others to bring them
into His life.
We received undeserved mercy that
grace may fill our lives, so we extend mercy to those
who also are outside the boundary of deserving it so they
can experience grace.
Though we did nothing to merit
compassion, Jesus looked lovingly from the cross toward our day; so we use that compassion to see past the
harshness of those who haven’t learned it yet.
When we didn’t have strength to save
ourselves, God for Jesus’ sake rescued us; so we keep
our lifeline ready to toss to those who will drown in
discouragement and sin without our help.
How then shall we live?
We shall live as those who have the
promise of seeing our Lord personally and basking in His
presence for all of eternity. No effort we make is
excessive when we consider the benefits now and the
blessings throughout eternal ages.
How then shall we live?
We shall live as if our eternity
depends on how we live today, because it does!
“But without faith it is impossible
to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
~~Delores Adams~~
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