Love the things that God loves

Scriptures say in Matthew 7:15-23 that we as believers will know them by their fruit. This verse is talking about when we are truly been born from above and have repented of our sins for the eternal forgiveness only given from Jesus, we will have good fruit. It will show up in our lives. Its the difference of just going through the religious motions of christianity and truly living to serve the one you love and to always have your mind set on Him and His character.

I am always running into people who profess to be born again believers. When I approach such people with talk about the character of God and what the Word of God says, they tell me things like "that's boring". But when you look at their life, their interests involve things of this world like the choice of books that they read, things that they write on Facebook, music that they listen to or movies that they watch.

I have to wonder what are their thoughts set on? What is at the forefront of their mind? You think your a christian because you wear christian t-shirts or that you carry a bible? Thats not the fruit that Jesus is talking about. Jesus is talking about holiness! He is talking about true christianity! I have to tell you, people who are still living the lifestyle of not having thoughts of God and a desire to please Him.... Well, I question their salvation. I question if they have been truly cleansed of their sins.

I can be pretty sensitive at times when it comes to seeing or hearing about people being in trapped by the love of this world and to what satan has to offer. Times like when I'm in the check-out line at the store seeing the magazines full of gossip and scantily dressed women or to hear about people who confess to be christians run off to the casinos, or to hear about people in church talk that they don't have time for bible study or to do missionary work or volunteer to fill needs with in the church because they are too busy on the golf course!

I thank my Lord for giving me this sensitivity. I take it as a gift, even though depending on how I handle the sensitive emotions and zeal, it can also feel like a curse. I have made a choice over 5 years ago to not let the things of this world crowd God out of my life. He is everything to me and all I want to do is to please Him. But to do that means I had to take a real deep hard and HONEST look at my temptations, fleshly desires, my character and make some serious decisions on how I will live my life and what kind of lifestyle I will have. I decided I needed to cut out TV, news media, newspaper, books not about God and so on. Now don't get me wrong I enjoy to watch some very carefully selected secular movies but I don't want things like that to become too much in my life. I can't trust myself. I need to be emerged in thee things that God loves and to push away the things that God hates!

Some may read this and think, how critical or that I'm being legalistic. Really?? It can be legalism if you white knuckle it thinking that you have to do these things because that is what religion tells you what you should do. However, I choose these things because its my own desire and I want to please my Jesus after what He has done for me.

Please ask God to search your heart and have Him reveal things in your life that you may need to cut out that might be squeezing Him out.