Romans 10:18-21 talk about the fact that the whole world has heard about God. Everyone needs a Savior, whether or not they confess that. My wife and I started talking about these passages and it caused me to re-read verse 9. "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD..." He has to be Lord. You confess it, but the words are just words unless you believe it, allow it, and are conformed by it. "Even the demons believe - and shudder!" (James 2:19)
The word confess must mean something more than just "saying words". By confessing, you are admitting truth; you are admitting that Jesus IS Lord of your life. The passage does not say, "if you say Jesus is Lord," it says, "if you confess..." It is so important to make Jesus Lord.
There are a lot of excuses we make that lead us to lazy lives. And laziness can be a sign of being a lukewarm Christian. And a lukewarm Christian is spit out of the mouth of God, this means you are not saved. And, THAT IS SCARY to me. I've been so lukewarm (closer to cold) for to long. I need my butt kicked. I've even allowed myself to become depressed and miserable. These are not characteristics of a Christian. We have the grace of God in our lives. We have the hope of the free gift of God. And if Jesus is the Lord of our lives, all we do will be for His glory and therefore good. Sure, life will probably be harder; sin is so easy. But it will be worth it because it will feel good, bring joy, satisfy beyond understanding. If Jesus is Lord, you can take comfort in knowing all that comes your way is for His glory. And you can face down any challenge because Jesus is Lord, God is God, and they are on your side.
It is time for me to turn my life around. I need to do only things that are for the glory of God. Although it was easier when I was involved in church with music and youth ministries, there is an unsaved world that I work in and with; and there is an opportunity to be an example to these people. Forget the stresses of life. Work to please God and everything else will not matter. Don't work to please man. Don't live to bring glory to yourself. Live and breath for the purpose of glorifying God. John Piper says, "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever." I would say, by glorifying God, we will enjoy life better. Our lives will have meaning. Without a commitment to the glorification of God, there is no meaning for our existence. My wife said as an example, "Angelina Jolie is an atheist and probably thinks of herself as a good person because she donates millions of dollars to charities and is taking care of underprivileged kids." If it was for the glory of God it would mean something. Unfortunately, it's for the glory of Angie.
Praise God and Glorify Him Today. Make Jesus Lord.
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