What Side of the Fence are You on?

All of us are faced with making decisions each and every day. Everything that we do requires a decision; what we do, what we eat, where we go, who we associate with, what we watch on TV, how we react, where we work, how we operate our businesses or ministries, etc. Our decisions will determine that outcome of our days, our weeks or even our lives! The decisions we make also affect more than just us, they affect others too. Our decisions can have a positive or a negative impact on all concerned. So let me ask you this… Are you being tossed to and fro? Are you being double minded in your thinking? Are you just going about your days aimlessly or are you consciously creating a life that will put you on a path of God’s purpose and best for you? And, I think the most important question I can ask is this… Are you serving God or are you serving the World?

The bible is very clear that you can’t do both. It is very clear that you cannot have two masters. It is very clear you can’t serve them at the same time. You can’t walk on both sides of the fence! Jesus says that He’d rather you be hot (serving Him) or cold (serving the world) than have you lukewarm, trying to serve both (Revelation 3:15-16). Why? Because it’s an oxymoron and He, the Lord, says when He returns and finds you this way, He will spit you from His mouth!

You may be asking, what does it mean to serve God? To love Him above all else, to love people, to do as He commands, to live a sanctified and holy life. What is it to LOVE God above all else… to put Him before the sin or the “thing” that would be displeasing to Him. Let me give you a couple examples. 1) The Lord says we should not use His name is vain; so before you do, stop and think, would this please the Lord. 2) You are living with your boyfriend or girlfriend or having an affair; what does His Word say about it… again, think and act accordingly. Choosing Him and His Word is putting Him first! And, what does it mean to live a sanctified and holy life... it means as Christians we are to set ourselves apart from the world. Does this mean we can’t hang with non-Christians? Absolutely not! We are among them doing life. It means when you are hanging with them or working with them are you acting different then they are or are you acting like them. Remember, we are in this world but not of this world once you give your heart to the Lord! We are to be salt and light. If we aren’t acting any different how are they to know we are His!?!

OK, so what does it mean to serve the World? To see sin or live in it and call it freedom, when it is anything but that… sin is against God and separates us from Him! 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (NKJV) says… “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”

If you are having trouble knowing what would please God, ask Him! James 1:5 (NIV) says. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

We, as Christians, have a life to live that pleases the one who created us, to remember that we are not our own and that we were bought for a high price and that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). When we give our lives to the Lord we need to remember that the old person has died and that we became new in Him! He gives us the grace and the strength to live out our days in a manner that is pleasing to Him. A life that will glorify Him, a life that will separate us so He can work through us for a purpose in this earth! Just as Christ, we are to lay our lives down for the sake of the Lord so others will come to know Him. Our lives should be so overflowing with the ways of Jesus that it is intertwined in EVERY THING that we do and say. So lets quit trying to walk in the ways of the world and the ways of the Lord. We can’t walk on both side of the fence. It is displeasing to Him and it will turn people away. Don’t act like the world and excitingly say “I’m a Christian”. NO, don’t say I thing and let your life reflect that you are!

Until Next Time,

Kim