Living For Jesus... On Purpose Every Day!

Colossians 1:9-11  "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;"

In recent days I have been teaching a series on "Intentional Christian Living" in the Adult Sunday School Class at my home church. As we have been going through this study, I have been surprised at how deep this thought has taken me personally in my studies and also in the picking apart the various details in my day to day life. I have been very pleased to be challenged by The Lord to live for Him in a much more Intentional way than I have ever done.

I know that in my own Christian life and walk I have at times become somewhat "Satisfied" with my personal progress. I have enjoyed periods of growth, some longer strides than others, and some longer periods of time than at other times. Not just growth, I have also seen the same kind of results in "Witnessing" and in "Fruitfulness". There have been times where I would see souls saved every week for months at a time, then there were times where I would catch myself going one or two weeks and not really caring, or thinking much about it. I would eventually realize that I had gotten so cold that I had stopped all together. The same could be said of my Prayer life, my time in The Bible in both studying and personal reading.

If all of Christianity would just be completely honest with themselves and tell the truth about the real condition of our "Lack" of Living for Him. Seeing how we claim we are doing so well, but the condition of our own lives as well as or churches and our nation also tel a whole different story. Oh for us to truly desire to do what it takes to draw closer to Jesus and Live Daily for Him! If we would do this then maybe we could finally "...walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

What we "Lack" is the "Honesty" needed to come clean to The Lord Jesus Christ. Which is rediculous, when you realize that He already knows the Truth of it. In order to live for Jesus every day, on purpose the first step is admitting that we have not been doing it, then confessing it as Sin, and asking or forgiveness of it. It is only after this has happened that we can ask Him to help us to Live every day honestly for Him. I don't know about you, but I want "To Walk Worthy of The Lord"... Every Day!

May God help us to do it.

Evangelist David Dunn

"The Light of Life"

John 8:12  "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

In this verse we see a simple truth that can bring peace to our crazy, mixed up, rediculous lives... We can have the "Light of Life". This is ONLY made possible when we do as Jesus told us to do. We must follow Him. He is the "Light of the World".

I have spoken far too many times to both men and women who have decided to live their lives in the shadows. By this I mean that they have been saved, but they have believed the lie of the wicked one, that says to them: "Even though we have been saved, redeemed, set free, delivered but we are still going to "Choose" to live defeated, hopeless, pointless lives." Whatever salvation was for you, I know and can tell you exactly what it was for me! "He", (My Jesus) gave me a freedom that I could never get by myself. Without Jesus doing all the work I know that I would be headed straight for a Christ-less Eternity in Hell. Thank God I have a Wonderful, Blessed Savior who came and took on Himself, ALL of my sin, and Paid the complete bill that I owed for them.

Why do Christians make this choice?

Recently I was talking with someone who I would say is a Godly Christian man and we were discussing this very subject. He and I had been talking for a good while when he stopped in mid sentence and made the comparrison of people who choose to live as if they do not possess the "Light of Life" through Jesus Christ, to several Christian people whom he had known over his many years in the ministry.

He compared this type of person to a large number of people whom he had watched for a long time. He had watched some of these folks for over 30 years. He said that A Christian who chooses to live a Life that is void of Christ's Light has the following Characteristics in his or her life.

1. Prayerlessness - These type of people Do Not Pray! Most of them do not see a point in "Waisting" the time it takes to even bow their head and close their eyes to begin to ask God anything. They have NO prayer life apart from remembering to say a prayer over a meal that they can "Spew Out" quickly because it is the same "little diddy" they have said before eating for years. Why don't they Pray?

2. Faithlessness - They have a Life filled with Unbelief. These type of people do not pray because they Truly Don't Believe that God will EVER listen to them. They do not have any real Faith that God will hear and answer them. Many of these folks even find themselves being constantly filled with deep, unsettling doubt as to the reality of their own salvation. this Doubt will bleed into every area of their Christian life. Why Do they Doubt? 

3. Biblelessness -  Romans 10:17 says: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." They don't Pray, they don't have Faith, they are filled with Unbelief and Doubt because they do not read their Bible.

4. Wittnesslessness - Anyone who has the first three characteristics in their life will definitely have this one. What Christian who lives as if they do not have the Hope of Heaven and the Light of Christ Jesus in them will go out and tell anyone about this Great Salvation that is available through Jesus? NOT A CHANCE!

Here are some other verses from the Bible that point out the need of us all knowing that His Light if indeed in us and shining through and out of us... Daily, moment by moment.

John 1:4 "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

Psalm 36:9 "For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light."

Job 33:28 "He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light."

Luke 11:36 "If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light."

John 3:19 & 20 "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."

Ephesians 5:8 "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"

I want to encourage Christians everywhere to take heart and live the life that God has planned for us. We can only live this way through Him, Through reading His Word and with the help of the precious Holy Spirit. It is time that Christians come out of the darkness and show the Light that God has placed in us.

May God help us all to do it!

Because of Christ,

Evangelist David J. Dunn

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