Surrendering to God is a spiritual process. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolish to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
World without the Spirit:
The early bird gets the worm
No pain, no gain
There is no such thing as a free lunch
Demand your rights
Get what you pay for
I want people to get what they deserve – nothing more, nothing less.
Spiritually immature Christians have a negative affect on the world. Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-14, You are salt! You are Light! A NO Salt life means: “ A Christian life with no flavor.” A flavorless Christian life is tasteless, not Spirit-controlled, and it suffers from the “ME” syndrome.
The world with the Spirit:
Forgiveness (Not keeping our sin in his memory bank)
Love (He loves us for who we are, not what we do!)
Grace (Not earning our way to heaven)
Mercy (Not getting what we deserved)
In order to make a lasting impact in the world, every aspect of the Christian life must be seasoned with the flavor of Jesus. A Salt life means: “a tasty flavored life” If something doesn’t taste good; it generally isn’t eaten and thrown away. Christians have the responsibility of ensuring our life is tasteful so that it will cause someone to want to come back for seconds and thirds and fourths!
Jesus also said that we are the light of the world. Light helps others see what Christian values are all about. In order to help others see the value in having a relationship with Jesus, we must be lit up with love, joy, peace, kindness, and goodness. We must demonstrate godly values of mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
When the world puts the spotlight on Christians, they will see an attractive Spirit-filled person whose true beauty is spiritual and real living is tasteful, enjoyable, and reproducible.
Remember, Be God Controlled!
Brian