BELIEF BEHAVES!

 

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

 

BELIEF BEHAVES!

 

2 Cor 5:17

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

Ezek 18:31

31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit:

 

Matt 12:33

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

 

          True Christianity does not repair old sinners; it makes new saints. Belief is not a Band-Aid but a mysterious creation. When a person is “in Christ,” and when Christ is “in him,” a new creature begins to take shape. It is like the flowering of a fruit tree in spring. First the leaf appears and adds beauty to the dead sticks and branches. Next the flower appears adding a lovely fragrance. Finally, there is the identifying fruit.

 

          Too many people come to me asking me to remove the pain of their sinful behavior. I tell them that it can’t be done. Pain, discomfort, inconvenience, and trouble are necessary parts of sinful behavior. If you don’t like the pain, then change the behavior! If you can’t, or won’t change the behavior, then your fruit indicates a deadly disconnect between you and God. If you profess to be a believer and do not change your behavior, then you are either deceived or a liar. A new heart produces a new will, and a new will cooperates with the Holy Spirit in producing a new man.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for forgiving my past, participating in my present, and securing my future. AMEN