The way to live as part of His flock: My sheep know my voice.
“My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” – John 10:27
“The way to live” once you become a newbie Christian is described well in Philippians 2:1-18. This is the “New Leaf” passage. You have become a true child of the King, and it’s time to “turn over a new leaf” by the power of God in you. 1
He has made you a brand new creature – and the Holy Spirit lives in you now. We are no longer goats due for justice. We are His sheep (Matthew 25:31-46). Leave the past behind and follow Him.
No longer goats,
we are the sheep
of His pasture.
He is our Shepherd
(Psalm 23)
See: Forget about it.
Got it all down pat. Right? No. Not quite.
When you start your “new life in Christ”, you don’t become perfect overnight, unfortunately. You noticed that? Usually (as in “always”?) we must pass on through to The Other Side to achieve perfection!
God keeps on forgiving us as we keep on consulting with Him (“prayer“). On earth we are “working-out our salvation”, so to speak (Philippians 2:12). This phase is called “sanctification”. Every day, this is our life after salvation.
We are “learners”. We are still sinners – but not living in sin. We are “repenters”, turning from our sins. We are “sinners saved by grace”. We are learning more and more how to live for Christ in all we do.
His Holy Spirit
is now
continually working in me
non-stop
to bring me more and more,
little by little —
into conformity with His will.
– Source: What God does to prepare you for Heaven
The Spirit of God is the One in me that is powerful. He will never leave me. He is always at work in me, non-stop.
“…walk continually in love…
value one another
—practice empathy and
compassion,
unselfishly seeking the best for others”
– Verse 2 of Ephesians 5:1-3
What drives you, day by day, to do the things you do, to act the way you choose to act? Those who are faithful to Christ – are not faithful all-at-once, and faultless thereafter. Those who are faithful to the end – are faithful over time, little-by-little.
Faithfulness is a process. We live, we try, we fail, we sin – but the faithful then repent, turn to God again, and move on in faith, believing God that we will be stronger next time.
The faithful develop a pattern of an overcoming faith. The pattern we strive towards, each day, is: we live, we conquer, we act by the power of the Holy Spirit. Believers do not accept sin in their life as normal and acceptable before God.
– Source: Being faithful, little by little
No longer goats
Believers do not accept sin
in their life
as normal and acceptable
before God.
FOR MORE:
How does one live once you’ve become a newbie Christian? What drives you, day by day, to do the things you do, to act the way you choose to act?
____________
What God does to prepare you for Heaven
Being faithful, little by little
What is proper among saints …Ephesians 5:1-3
Rely on the Spirit of God in you
What a privilege God gives us…To speak to God in prayer! What a privilege.
“All the privileges and rewards of a new life with Him”
Teachings about the Holy Spirit
Being a Temp in our temporary tent
Growing into our natural new life in Christ
Got social justice flowing from your insides?
Switchfoot … song: Mess of me
I made a mess of me I wanna get back the rest of me
I’ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my life alive
I’ve made a mess of me I wanna reverse this tragedy
I’ve made a mess of me I wanna spend the rest of my live alive
The rest of my life alive!
Footnotes
- Per Google search: Why do people say “turn over a new leaf”?
Way back in the 16th century, pages in books were referred to as leaves. So tuning over a new leaf meant that one was turning to a blank page. This idiom was used to signify a major change in behavior, or a new stage in life.
Leave a Reply