Christian Behavior

Verse of the Week:

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me [Christ] and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Christian Behavior

"Lord, I am rededicating my life to you!  I love you and want to serve you so much. Help me to do things that are pleasing to you, for that is my desire.  In Jesus' Name we pray, AMEN!"

Does that prayer sound familiar?  I have prayed countless prayers in the past rededicating my life to Christ.  I would mess up.  I started to slack off on praying; my Bible got stuck in the bookshelf for several weeks; I didn't do anything to help out people; or maybe I started doing things that were wrong and would get stuck in a rut.  Then I would have that ah ha moment   somewhere whether it was at church, from reading the Bible, or talking to someone. The ah ha moment would lead me to wanting so bad to please God, that I would  once again start over.  "Please Lord, I want to serve you with all my heart and love you the way you want me to love you."

I would keep trying, trying, trying, trying, trying....doing, doing, doing, and then messing up, messing up, messing up.   Failure seems to occur left and right.  I remember people saying, it is ok if you mess up, just try again.  So I would try again, mess up again.  The cycle seemed endless.

Notice the word I kept putting down, I, I, I, I.....I try, I started, I didn't, I would, I want, I do.....I by myself kept doing it all.  Sure, I would say, I am doing things with Christ's help, but even though I said that, I didn't grasp the concept that apart from Christ, I can do NOTHING!  Christ himself even admitted that apart from his Father (God), he can do nothing.

"I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me." (John 8:28b)

Our Family pastor at church put it this way.  He was holding a water bottle in his hand, and said, "Pretend this bottle represents Christ, His new spirit inside of you, grace, love, forgiveness, etc.   When we become Christians, we get so excited about that water bottle.  We are pumped and ready to serve Christ!"  Then the pastor started to get ready to go and walk forward as if he was about to start his new walk with Christ.  He starts walking, and does something strange, he drops the water bottle and continues to walk forward.  He left the water bottle behind!  He said, that is what we do so much in our own Christian lives.  We start trying to go out and do things for Christ, but we leave Christ behind!

We leave Christ (the water bottle), behind when we try to continue our Christian walk!

Christ says that apart from Him we can do nothing.

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

We work so hard to bear fruit for God all by ourselves and can never do it, but if we remain in Christ, we bear much fruit.

Behavior in the Christian life does matter!  I know in past blogs I have said we are free from the law of the Old  Covenant and no longer have to follow the law,  but that doesn't mean we go out and start sinning (Romans 6:1).  But people who believe that we are under the law, try so hard to follow the law to please God.  In the end they end up disappointed. You see, in the new Covenant of Grace, Christ lives inside of you and through Him we bear fruit for Him. The knowledge of grace in Christ Jesus changes our behavior.  Steve McVey in his workbook, The Grace Walk Experience, puts it this way,

I'm not minimizing the place of Christian service or the importance of behavior.  I'm simply suggesting that in the modern church we often have it backward.  We think, "If I can just behave in a certain way, if I can just do certain things, then I could become godly.  Then I could become Christlike."  That is the legalistic mind-set.  The Bible teaches that when we know we are Christlike because of what He has done in us and through us, the knowledge of that truth is what will change our behavior.

Knowledge of who we are in Christ, changes our behavior, not the other way around.  For instance, I heard a friend tell me a story one time about how some children lived in the slums of New York surrounded by gangs, drugs, sex, and violence.  When you live in an environment like that, and your parents are involved in activities like that, then you tend to get involved in activities like that. Your identity is centered on what your family says and does.  However, in this one instance, these children's parents told their kids that they were princes and princesses that they were valuable and worth so much.  These kids grew up graduating high school, going to college, and having a good career and sweet families.  Why?  Because of how they viewed themselves.  They were told how valuable they were, so their behavior changed and they made choices that showed others that their lives mattered.  

When we see who we are in Christ and truly comprehend the meaning of grace and Christ's love for us, we see how valuable we are, and our behavior changes.  We try so hard to make ourselves acceptable in God's eyes by doing good, when God has already accepted us.  Romans 5:8 says, 

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God didn't accept us as perfect people, but while we were still sinners.  So why are we trying so hard to perfect our behavior to be acceptable to God when he has already accepted us?

We try so hard to live out our Christian lives in our own flesh, that we fail miserably. Flesh as oppose to what people think is not just things like drunkenness  adultery, envy, slander, murder, etc. Flesh can look good too.  Flesh can be defined as doing things in our own strength.  Flesh can be self sufficient.  You try to live out your life in your own abilities.  Paul himself talks about not putting confidence in our own flesh (Philipians 3:3-6). 

Instead of putting confidence in our flesh and trying to do things in our own strength, lets look to Christ.  Lets trust in Him, not our flesh.  Let the spirit of Christ guide us in all truth. John 16:13 says, 

But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth.

Renew mind and fill yourself with Christ (Romans 12:2).  Remember your identity in Christ and that changes your behavior.  In Christ we are righteous and holy (Eph 4:24).  In Christ, we are  unconditionally loving (2 Timothy 1:7).  In Christ, I am accepted and acceptable (Romans 15:7).  In Christ, I am worthy (Ps. 139:14).  In Christ, I am a saint (Eph. 1:1).
In Christ, I am a forgiving person (Col. 3:13).

When I go through life, I try to ask God to help me know what to do in a situation, and then I listen.  Have you ever had something inside tell you, "Don't do it!" or "Do this!" and then, like me you, ignore it and mess things up?  I truly believe that voice is God. I have asked God to make his voice inside of me louder than than the voice of my flesh.  So many times I respond to situations with my emotions, but I have found that when God's voice is louder, I stop doing what it is that my own flesh wants to do.  It sure does make my life and the lives of people around me richer!  I try to renew my mind in Christ and focus on his Grace and goodness. More importantly I TRUST in Christ, and it changes my behavior and thinking.

Behavior matters.  Are you trying to change it, or are you allowing Christ to change it?