NOPE, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH POSING

One thing that separates Christianity from all religions is attitude towards self.  

On a basic level, many religions funtion as a system for man trying improve himself, to man trying various ways to make himself acceptable to God—trying to reach up and make himself presentable to God. They are ALL after you, trying to get you to shape your “self” up. Christianity knows that’s a lost cause, there’s no reason to even try.

“If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10

Christianity is the one faith that offers an exchanged life.
The foundation for it all is totally based on what He did, not things you did. You don’t earn it. It is a free gift that is solely based on the saving grace of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Christianity, the emphasis is not you. The emphasis is Him. 

“…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

It doesn’t depend on how well you can “do what Jesus did.”
It’s not you trying to live a Christ-like life. In other words it has NOTHING to do with you going through life trying to imitate Christ. It has nothing to do with “posing” like you are “goodie goodie.” That’s hypocritical. That’s not powerful. And really, who could you fool? If you couldn’t even fool your friends with your act, do you think you would have a chance fooling God? 

Only Christ can live the Christian life.

So Christianity is based on a person yielding their life to Christ, saying… 

“I’m never going to make it on my own. I’ve fallen short. I will always fall short of what you have in mind for me and what I’m capable of. Because of that I’m asking you to come and live in my heart. I am accepting the free gift of salvation.” 

 

That’s what uncounted millions have done over the past 2000 years

That’s what Martha did when Jesus came to visit her family. It’s a decision you have to make for yourself. 

 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies (physically), and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” John 11:25-27

At that point one you become born with the life of Christ.  

You may “feel” something, you may not. It doesn’t matter, it happened. You know that because He has said so. 

The pressure is off and your new life has begun! You have a new spiritual life! You have no idea how wonderful life ahead of you will be.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20

Becoming a Christian is a crisis experience, a one time event.
It’s like being born physically. Spiritual growth takes time. Step by step, day by day, experience by experience you grow and you mature in Christ. As you grow and mature you allow him to take over more and more of your life. This allow him to, more and more, live his life through you.  

It’s not about you—it’s all about Him.

The Unity of the 7 "Ones"

These are the things that unite Christians. It's important to agree on the real fundamentals.Can two walk together except they be agreed? Amos 3:3

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How is it that Christians have stayed unified in their beliefs for over 2000 years in spite of widely different interpretations of various scriptures and doctrines?

It's because they agree on the main things.

In a book composed of 66 individual books, written through many authors and over hundreds of years, it’s not surprising that there are differences of opinion.

But the Bible is clear that there are 7 things that create unity. In Ephesians 4:4-6 you can find these seven main points of agreement. 

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

When you are ready to move forward in your spiritual growth, getting clear on these key issues is a great place to start.

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 P.S. Isn't it interesting and amazing how Christianity has spread all over the world? And for 2,000 years, people have maintained and developed their faith across so many varied cultures, societies and centuries! It's thrived despite millions of different interpretations of various scriptures because of the power of the unifying central beliefs. Have you ever thought about that?

Spiritual Growth: Bear Bryant Was A Secret Agent

Books written about Coach Bear Bryant of Alabama always pack a punch. 

It is a testament to his impact, that decades after his death, new books are still coming that probe his leadership style, techniques and principles.

Obviously there were many layers to the man. The more you study his impact the more you find—so thankfully, this is not a rehash of material found in other books. This book is full of of great new insights and information, mainly due to extensive research and interviews with hundreds of his players, coaches and friends. 

But the biggest punch comes right at the end—and that’s why I’m featuring it as a Spiritual Growth post.

It seems that although Bear was a Christian, he never made it known to anyone, especially his coaches and players.

At the end of his life it became a tremendous source of disappointment to him. At the 1983 National Coaches Clinic in Los Angeles, he told Coach Grant Teaff the one thing he would have done differently was to tell everyone he was a Christian.

As he said, ”I am one, and I didn’t tell them.”
Three weeks later, he was dead.

He lived his entire life a secret agent. Who knows why?

He certainly wasn’t afraid of anyone’s opinion. Maybe he thought it would weaken his image. Only he knows why. It doesn’t really matter why. 

What matters is that at the end of his life, a life of staggering success and triumph, this was his biggest regret.

Maybe that can be his last lesson, his last coaching tip on winning:

If you are a Christian, let people know, don’t hide it.

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Read more about this book on Amazon: Bear Bryant On Leadership: Life Lessons from a Six-Time National Championship Coach