Listening is one of our most important
sense when we have conversations with people, who are around us. It helps us to
understand what they are trying to say, so that we may comfort or give right
responses to them. In addition, some of us, even, appreciate those who are just
there to listen. Furthermore, listening is also vital when it comes to obeying
because others might ask us whether we are able to do their favours or not. Otherwise,
we might do things in wrong time and may get ourselves into trouble. When a big
trouble happens to us, we joke around in saying that we are going to die, due
to the fact that we hate every kind of trouble that we are going to have.
As we feel like we are
dying emotionally when troubles happen, all of us are dying spiritually as well
unless we come to Jesus Christ and have been born again through the Spirit of
God (John 3:1-21), to be honest. The main reason
for this is probably that we have lost the dependence on God, due to the fact
that we have been trying to be smart and clever without Him. Losing dependence
on God is probably the biggest sin that we could ever make because He has
created us in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Since we lost the
relationship with Him, God sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, into the world
to crucify Himself for our sins and brought us into reunion with God through
faith in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:14-15), since Jesus Christ is the
perfect image and exact representation of God (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). Moreover, when Jesus Christ
was crucified and resurrected, God has poured His Spirit into us, in order to
guide us into all truth (John 16:7-15). However, we have to accept and
believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and be baptized in the name of
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in order to fully become the children
of God. Doesn’t John 1:12-13 say that as soon as we have
accepted Jesus Christ and believed in Him, we become the children of God? Yes, John 1:12-13 does say that but when we look
at Romans 6:1-14, it says that the baptism
into Jesus Christ signifies the baptism of His death. In addition to this, as
He was resurrected by God, God is going to resurrect us at the end of our
physical lives as well. In fact, those of us, who have been born again through
the Spirit of God and are the children of God, already has eternal life (Romans 6:15-23). Nevertheless, we have to
remind ourselves that the following Jesus Christ until the end of the age is
not that easy and we do not automatically become extremely holy and perfect people
when we become the children of God. I was definitely not perfect when I became
a child of God because I was having selfish-mind. I was trying to value myself
by inviting friends to my celebration events and parties. Thus, I thought to
myself that I should be baptised again because Colossians 1:15-23 says that everything is
through and for Jesus Christ but I also thought that the children of God are
becoming perfect in Him (Hebrews 10:14), so I talked to one of my
closest member of the church, whom I highly regard and admire as a devoted and
true follower of Jesus Christ. She told me that the baptism marks of the
spiritual journey and is just an outward declaration. She also told me that it
might take several years until full-realisation happens. Because of this and
she agrees that the children of God are becoming perfect in Jesus Christ, I
think that I do not have to be baptised again. Overall, the life of followers
of Jesus Christ means that they are becoming perfect in Him and they are living
their lives as citizens of the kingdom of heaven (Philippians 3:18-21). I am already beyond
satisfied that there would be no condemnation in me and that I have a
citizenship In the kingdom of heaven, where God, the Father and the Creator
dwells (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). Don’t you!?
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has
set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to
do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the
flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in
us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the
flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their
minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death,
but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the
flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those
who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of
the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in
you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit
gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also
give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to
the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you
will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you
will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The
Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again;
rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by
him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we
are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and
co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may
also share in his glory. (Romans 8:1-17)
Like listening is one
most important sense when it comes to obeying, we have to listen to the Spirit
of God, whom is inside of us, all the time (Galatians 5:24-25). Otherwise, the devil
and evil spirit is going to devour us to make us sin, which leads us to
spiritual death (1 Peter 5:8). However, God is the forgiving
God, who loves us so much and willing to forgive us all the time (1 John 1:8-2:2) if we repent to God
earnestly. If we sin purposely by craving our own desires, passions, pleasures,
and will, then we are basically crucifying Jesus Christ again (Hebrews 6:1-6), who has been inside of us
as the Spirit. Therefore, we have to transform our worldly mind-set into the
mindset of the Spirit (Romans 12:1-2). James 4:4-5 declares, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world
means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he
jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?”
I know that worship
and gospel music can change our mind-set intimately but the best method for
this probably is by meditating on the word of God all the time (Psalm 1:1-3). Because of this, I always do
audio-Bibling while I’m reading the Scriptures, since I believe hearing is much
better for me rather than reading. Devotionals help me a lot in meditating on
the word of God as well. I read online devotionals because they help me to
build up my faith and I can see how they are written so that I can learn how to
write devotionals effectively. In fact, because I read online devotionals
intimately, the Spirit of God has empowered me to become a devotional writer,
so that I can encourage and help others to build their faith in Jesus Christ by
writing devotionals. In order to function my mind properly in meditating on the
word of God, I often read eight daily devotionals, including daily
Bible-readings from Windsor Park Baptist Church, and three weekly devotionals
in mornings and afternoons. In addition to this, I do Bible plans from
Youversion in evenings, nights, or before I sleep.
Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for
everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will
show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down
deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck
that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who
hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a
house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that
house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. (Luke 6:46-49)
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