Paul talks about the spiritual condition of the unbeliever as "having no hope and without God in the world." (Eph. 2:12). People may consider themselves religious, but if Jesus Christ is not their Lord and Savior, the Bible still considers them lost.
Speaking of being lost, new believers may fall into being misled. Believing that as a Christian, they will enjoy socio-political privileges due to their commitment to Christ. However, this is not part of the relational journey. It is imperative to understand that your relationship with Jesus will not make you popular in the world.
When you follow Christ, he never promises you earthly wealth, power, and influence, but living with him for eternity.
At the same time, the world sometimes sees our faith as a hurdle, obstruction, or hindrance. Over 100 million Bibles are sold or given away for free every year. But, the Bible is not a popular book in the world as life's instruction book or value system. Therefore many don't want to read it, study, or meditate on God's breathed word.
Sometimes when people are misled by the world, they are told that the teachings of the Bible will make them weak and weird. Of course, this perspective and attitude are because of unbelief.
So, where does that leave me? To a Christian who embraces the truth of the Gospel, we believe that the presence of Christ in the heart is "the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27). Scripture tells us that true and lasting advantage is the eternal security of the soul.
Moreover, when we read the Bible, we also see the surety of the spiritual blessings that the Lord has stored for us in glory (Eph. 1:3).
Paul said, "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled." Romans 15:4—NLT
Bible reading and meditation open our eyes to future reality. Its testimony of God's power and goodness in the history and experience of God's people throughout generations gives us assurance that God will never fail us.
For this reason, as we read the Scriptures, we need to pray like Paul. We need to ask God to cast light upon the eyes of our hearts.
"I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance." Ephesians 1:18—NLT
When our affection is firmly attached to our glorious hope, materialism and worldliness cannot set their foothold on our lives. Therefore, Bible study is crucial to maintain our focus to our glorious future.
When we study Scripture, we learn who God IS, not who the world says he ISNT.
Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash
It is so important to understand that if we are not following Christ no religion will save us. He called for us to love one another. Indeed, we need to ask God to cast light upon the hearts of our eyes.
ReplyDeleteThe more I study God's Word, the more intimate my relationship with Him becomes! I start to understand His ways better.
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