Return to Christ in Daily Life
Have you ever noticed that as time goes on, the world seems to get angrier? Love is shown less. Battles seem to get bigger. Hatred is spreading. Even social media can begin to turn you into a different person. Have you bounced around in forums, reading posts, and could not help but to make a comment in the midst of a heated debate? Have you found yourself getting sucked in to the world of the online snakepit? How about Christian forums or Facebook groups? Have you gotten caught up watching people berate eachothers’s beliefs in a manner that starts to make you think, “These are Christians?”
Well, I have. And the struggle is a vicious one. More times than I can count, I realized, “I need to return to Christ.”
The path to getting away from all of it, and I mean all of it, is following the Savior. My father once said he didn’t want to learn any games or install apps on his new ipad. When asked why, he said, “I don’t want anything to take away from my spiritual progress.” Imagine having that kind of dedication to the Lord, where you don’t even want to try out a few games. Overkill? Not at all. This is a person who makes the decision to return to Christ daily.
This very subject makes us wonder what Jesus would tell us if He were here. I think we all know what the answer would be. If you are on the internet, and you’re seeing an argument break out, or hatred spewing, or animosity and tensions building, it will come out in you, if you’re not careful. Much like an addiction, sometimes you just cannot help yourself. You have to see whats going on. You don’t want to miss anything. Right?
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
This is the very time we as Christians must remove ourselves from the daily chaos, and return to Christ. I myself, have recently realized that what has distracted me the most from the Word of the Lord, is the words of the enemy that I see every day on social media, and on the internet, and even on the streets. Wherever we look, is not Satan a part of what we’re seeing? Is he not everywhere? What for? Because he awaits us stepping into his trap. And his trap is massive. It’s everywhere.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Have you taken the time lately to strengthen your relationship with the Lord more intensively, or have you fallen into the trap of looking elsewhere for things to feed your mind? Has it occurred to you that you should return to Christ? You didn’t put that thought there. The Lord did. Anyone who comes to the Father must first be drawn by Him.
What is the counsel from the Word?
We are born imperfect, by nature. We should not beat ourselves up over the sins of yesterday. When we confess, we are forgiven. But, the Lord may knock on our hearts to get our attention, and draw us back to Him. Today is the day we respond when He calls. Not tomorrow; nor next week, but today. When the Lord wants to get our attention and remind us to divert away from that which can harm us spiritually, He will remind us in any manner He sees fit.
John 6:33-35 says “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
When we stray and become aware of our addictions to the things of the world, we are essentially spiritually hungry, and do not even realize it. This is apparent in our actions, manner of speaking, moods, even our mental state of mind. We can’t quite seem to figure out what is wrong with us. We do not even realize we are spiritually starved. Our soul is starving for Christ.
Psalm 42:2 “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?”
Ask yourself if Jesus came tomorrow, whether you would be busy glorifying Him in some way, or busy offending His Spirit. While we are born sinful, the Holy Spirit has the ability to call us to Himself, provide us with the reminders we need to live a successful Christian life, and condition us to make changes in our lives that are pleasing to the Most High God.
Try asking the Lord to gently remind you to fix on spiritual things, to meditate on Christ within us, and to lead you from temptation, toward a manner of life that is pleasing to Him. Spend extra time in prayer, asking for forgiveness, and requesting full humility, peace, and repentance. Above all, glorify Christ and recognize His sacrifice, which has provided you redemption from your sins. For He is the only Way we can walk, the only Place we can seek refuge at the beginning and end of our day, and the only Truth that will never deceive, destroy, or abandon us. When the time comes to return to Christ, be it daily, weekly, or randomly through God’s perfect timing, we will undoubtedly be reminded to do so by Him and Him alone.
Give it to Christ, brothers and sisters. Pray on this if you have been led astray. He is still listening, and we must continue our relationship with Him in order to grow spiritually stronger.
Be strong in the Lord.
God’s blessings to you and yours.