[CrimsonTide4]

Sandy Brunson
Jul 20, 2004


Are You....and Yet Not?

There is a verse in 2 Corinthians which always gets my attention as I read it. Verse 5 definitely pulls on my heart as it plainly urges each of us as Christians to "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves Jesus Christ is in you?....UNLESS indeed you are disqualified."

I do not want to be "disqualified" when I meet Jesus in Heaven, and I see that though my salvation has been paid for by the precious Blood of Jesus...and I can add NOTHING to that, I clearly have a "part to do" that only I can do before Him. And so part of my self examination is to ask myself the following questions.

Join me and examine your own heart and practices before our Righteous Lord
who comes to "set things in Divine order in our lives. This is part of our
preparation to be in His End-Time Army! Such questions reveal whether our
Christianity is of the "head" or of the "heart"!

Are you washed in the blood…and yet not a disciple committed to follow
Jesus?

Are you delivered from sin...and yet not disciplined to grow?

Are you justified by what He has done...and yet not sanctified by obedience
to the Holy Spirit?

Are you boasting in salvation...and yet not submitting to His authority?

Are you fond of Jesus...and yet not giving Him loving obedience?

Are you attached to Jesus...and yet not abiding in Him?

Are you gathering information...and yet not allowing transformation?

Are you running here and there...and yet not finding Him in the secret
place?

Are you seeking for encouraging "words" from other people...and yet not
listening to His still small voice?

Are you only interested in God's blessings...and yet not obeying His
commandments?

Are you wanting to find success through Jesus...and yet not willing to
surrender all at His feet?

Are you only listening to what others say He said...and yet not asking Him
to reveal Himself to you?

The answers to such questions reveal a major dividing line between those who
know "about" Jesus and those who "know" Him. A true disciple of the Lord is
a follower...one who makes every effort to live his or her life in the
manner of spirit which Jesus lived His.

Disciples study to show themselves approved unto God, as workmen who need
not to be ashamed. They rightly divide the Word of Truth and humbly and
obediently bow to the Authority who is God Almighty on a daily basis.
Disciples of Jesus Christ hunger and thirst after righteousness as a way of
life. This is THE WAY of Jesus, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE. Be holy as He is
holy. Uphold Him in the practice and conduct of your life as a living
sacrifice. It is our reasonable service!

2 Timothy 2:15 * Matthew 5:6 * John 14:6 * 1 Peter 1:15-16 * Romans 12:1

Looking unto Jesus,

Sandy

"Jesus Christ is the same...yesterday, today, and forever!" Hebrews 13:2