There will be a day each one of us must stand before our God and give Him an account for our lives. Everything will depend on our answer to our relationship to our Lord Jesus Christ, and not to our faithfulness to a religious order. It is good to take stock of this, since the outcome will determine our destiny in eternity.
1. Romans 10: 9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This means that what we say must equal to what we do of our faith. If we say Jesus is our “Lord”, then, He should be the ruler of our entire life and not a small portion. If we do not live our faith then we are hypocrites and the Truth is not in us. In the book of James, we read, “show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God, Good! Even demons believe that-and shudder”.
2. Luke 10: 27 “He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.”
In another scripture Jesus said all the Law and the Prophets hangs on these two commandments. We must love our God with our total substance and that love we have for Him must overflow to others without any prejudice. We must love ourselves as Christ has loved us. The love which comes out from us to others is from our love to our God and knowing how Christ has loved us. The book of Philippians requests us not to do anything out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility considering others better than ourselves.
3. Matthew 25:31-46 The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
Are we ‘sheep’ people or ‘goat’ people. Taking care of the hungry, the ones who are thirsty, taking care of the aliens among us, clothing the needy, taking care of the ones in prison; does this form the DNA of our Christian lives? Or do we just live for ourselves where ‘I’ and ‘ME’ take the priority.
4. James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Do we truly take care of the orphans and the widows among us? What portion of our lives dedicated to that. By what margin does the ways of world dictate our values and lifestyle? Are we world polluted Christians or are we truly the salt and the light of this world?
5. Are we people of God’s righteousness or people of sin and disgrace? The progressive liberal left values of this world cannot sit together with the righteousness of God. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people”.
6. The Scriptures should be the plumb line of our lives. If we say we love Him, then, His Word must live in us. Jesus said His words are alive and spirit. We must be a people of His kingdom and not of this world. Jesus said, “but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” To do this one must be born again. Jesus spoke in John 3: 3 “I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again… no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”
7. Any authentic Christian will know the Holy Spirit. He is a person, He reveals Jesus to us, He gives understanding and knowledge of the scriptures, He convicts us of our sin. He is our Counsellor, the Spirit of Truth. Without Him, the Truth is not in us.
8. Romans 11. An authentic Christian must love Israel and the Jewish people. It will be a natural love. Romans 9:4-5 “the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons, theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, for ever praised! Amen.”
If there is a defect in your love to Israel and the Jewish people, then there is a defect on your Christian faith. Your authentic love for Israel and the Jewish people is the true measuring tape of your love for God.
9. Do you love money? Are you a lover of money? “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:10-15.
This is a true test of your faithfulness to your God.
10. What you say and what you do must be an authentic and true witness to Christ. Your lifestyle of words and deeds must be a clear window for others to see Jesus.
Finally,
11. Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.” This is a command from God to every authentic Christian. Your faith and trust in God must be total. It cannot be shared with anything else. Authentic Christian faith cannot be prostituted with anything else. HE ALONE SHOULD BE YOUR GOD.
Please use this as a check list for the authenticity of your Christian faith and your faithfulness to your God. Pray and ask Him to help you in areas where you fall short. The Lord hears a contrite heart and listens to a broken spirit. May His Love, Grace and Mercy cover you and help you to truly make Jesus your Lord.