Is Christ In Your Box?

By Anonymous Author

July 1, 2012

After a while, those who disagreed, shared their beliefs-how a person gets more and more born again over time, and by death they have hopes of getting to heaven. They based their belief on how well they lived their life-trusting in their rules, not making too many mistakes, and not forsaking that which is good. They strive to live a good life, which is honorable in it's right place. (Do we do good works as evidence of our faith or do we do good works to gain favor and salvation with God) .

One even said, "We believe that the old Amish way is The Way." On my way home, and throughout the next couple of weeks, his sentence haunted me. I wish I would've replied: Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

To me it's simple - Jesus is the only way; not the Amish way, the Methodist way, the Baptist way, the Catholic way, the Mennonite way. Those are different theologies and standards of living; a box with a label. Some boxes are bigger and some smaller.

It's not wrong to be in a church box, but you must have Jesus as the core of your box. Without Him, your box is empty. It's about Him-not our box.

The Lord put an interesting thought in my mind; the difference between a saved person who is working for the Lord, and an unsaved person who is working for the Lord. (Read Matthew 20:1-14.) In this story, you see that Jesus used a workday as an example of life on earth. The people who were hired the third hour did not clock in; they went from their home to the fields. What do you think their wages would be after work?---the master had no knowledge of their work hours. He might've said, "How do I know you're not some stranger off the street wanting payment?"

Many of us know the value of clocking in if we want our wages. It's similar in spiritual labor; you come to Jesus and give our life up to Him, saying, "I'm your servant, Lord. Use me anywhere you need me."

In that parable, it didn't matter what time they were hired (or clocked in); their wages were the same. In the same way, it doesn't matter the time (phase of life) you clock in (become a born again believer) but that you do clock in. Some might argue, "I'll wait till the eleventh hour." How much work would get done if all of us waited until the eleventh hour to clock in? Remember, we're not promised tomorrow.

Matthew 7:21-23 warns of people who work for the Lord all their life, but never give their heart to Him. It doesn't matter what box (church name) you live in; make Him the core by giving your heart and mind to Him.

Don't be one who says, God looks at the good things I've done, as a way to earn your salvation. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9).

 

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