Living A Good Life

Who may worship in Your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter Your presence on Your holy hill? Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking [and thinking] the truth from sincere hearts. Those who refuse to gossip [or slander] or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends [or neighbors].  Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.  Psalm 15:1-5.

Psalm 15 is a wisdom psalm written by David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). This psalm confirms integrity and purity (see also Psalms 17:15; 18:20-26; 19:13-14) and parallels the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5). In this wisdom psalm, David teaches on the lifestyle of the godly and invites readers to examine their own lives in comparison to God’s standards. Only the godly will reside in God’s presence (see also Psalm 5:4). In God’s presence, everyone experiences His joy, hospitality and protection.

God calls all people to be moral.  Most important, our standards for moral living must come from God’s Holy Bible and not the evil world around us. The godly speaks and thinks truthfully and is loyal to their friends and neighbors.  In addition, the godly lends expecting nothing in return, including interests.

For other references where godly morals are summarized, see Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 24:3-6; Isaiah 33:14-16; Isaiah 56:1; Micah 6:8; Habakkuk 2:4; and Mark 12:29-31.  These Scripture passages summarize God’s standards. God saves us by faith in God (God the Father, God the Son – Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit) and by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, obeying God’s moral standards reveal the depth of our love and relationship with God.

So, let us ALL not only believe in God, but live godly!

Life or Death  

“Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep His commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in His ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (NLT).

The Lord God is life, prosperity and goodness.  Life means wholehearted commitment and love of God.  However, not following and obeying God leads to death, depression, evil, destruction and sadness.  To love God means to obey Lord God with all your heart and follow His ways (see also Deuteronomy 6:4-6).  Therefore, I challenge you to choose life by loving, obeying and trusting God from your heart; and never turn your heart from God.  Beside, following God according to His ways leads to blessing, grace and protection.  So, please worship and love only the Lord God of the Holy Bible and no other gods. Choose life and God today!

Entering the Kingdom of God

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8 (NLT).

Believers are “born of God” when the Holy Spirit lives in them and brings Jesus Christ’s new life (Galatians 3:9). Being “born again” is more than a new and fresh start, but rather a rebirth and a receipt of a new family name based on Jesus Christ’s death. With this rebirth, God forgives believers and accepts them. Even more, the Holy Spirit gives new believers new minds and hearts, lives in us, and changes believers from the inside out to become like Jesus Christ. Further, the Holy Spirit changes believers’ perspectives; their hearts and minds are renewed day by day by God’s Holy Spirit (see Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24). As part of God’s family, believers must start to think and act differently (see John 3:1-21).

Just as Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Spirit, believers are also born of the Holy Spirit when they accept and trust in Jesus Christ. A believers’ old life dies with faith in Jesus Christ, and they rise anew through the Holy Spirit’s transforming power (Romans 6:3-14). The Holy Spirit leads a person’s heart and mind to become more like those of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:2) and to reflect the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Moreover, believers become adopted children of God through faith and trust in Jesus Christ that is built through the heart (Galatians 3:26). As adopted children of God, believers share with Jesus all rights to God’s resources, rights, and blessings. Moreover, believers can call God Father, just as Jesus Christ did (Mark 14:36; cp. Matt 6:9). As children of God, believers are joined to Jesus Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. Simply put, believers become new people in Jesus Christ, with a new Father and new family (Romans 8:14-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 3:26-27; Galatians 4:6-7).

Never Give Up 

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable [a story] to show them that they should always pray [constant prayer] and not give up [or lose heart until the answer comes]. He [Jesus] said: "In a certain town there was a [godless] judge who neither feared God nor cared about men [or women/people]. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him [repeatedly] with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'  "For some time he [the godless judge] refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men [or women/people], yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming [constant requests]!'"  And the Lord [Jesus] said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God [God the Father] bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He [God the Father] will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man [Jesus] comes, will He find [persistent] faith on the earth?" Luke 18:1-8 (NIV).

In this parable, Jesus teaches that like the persistent widow, we must pray to God the Father constantly, consistently and never give up. This parable of Jesus illustrates our need for constant prayer to God and to keep praying until God answers our prayer. Jesus used this parable to instruct us all too always pray, cry out to God and never lose hope. Jesus promises that God will help us and provide our needs through our persistent prayers of faith. God will provide our needs when we cry to Him in faith day and night. Most important, God will not be slow to answer our cry for help.  Jesus promises that God helps His people and answers our prayers of faith.  So, do not to lose heart and give up. Instead, let us all be like the persistent widow in prayer and faith and cry out to God for our help!

Amazingly, Jesus Christ constantly prayed to God the Father.  Jesus prayed at His baptism (Luke 3:21), before calling the Twelve Apostles (Luke 6:12), at the transfiguration (Luke 9:28), for Peter before his denial Luke (22:32), His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42) and for His enemies (Luke 23:34). Most important, Jesus also taught us to pray (Luke 11:1-4) and told parables (or stories) about the importance for persistent prayer (Luke 11:5-13; Luke 18:1-8).  Jesus’ constant prayers to God the Father revealed His intimate relationship, communion and faithfulness to God the Father.  Jesus lived in total dependence, trust and faith in God even as He uttered His last words, “Father, I entrust My spirit into your hands!” (Luke 23:46).

Even more, King David (in Jesus family line) also constantly prayed to God. The Book of Psalms have many prayers of King David in his time of need. Like Jesus, David and the persistent widow, go to God constantly in prayer!

Remain Faithful To God

Dear friends, remember what the apostles [special messengers of God] of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers [or mockers] who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men [and women] who divide you [and split churches and stir up arguments], who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the [God’s] Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the [power and strength] Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 1:17-23 (NIV).

The Holy Scriptures clearly warn about false teachers (see Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 2 John 7) between the time of Jesus' first and second comings. To remain faithful and true to God, followers of Jesus Christ must continually pray in the power and strength of Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:26-27), opens our minds to Jesus Christ (John 14:26), and teaches people about Him (John 15:26).  As followers of Jesus Christ, we must also keep ourselves in God's love by living close to Him, His Holy Scriptures and His people and NOT listening to false teachers.  False teachers are liars, selfish, greedy, divisive and do not follow God’s Holy Scriptures (John 15:9-10).  As we reach out to others with Jesus Christ’s Good News, we must show the world kindness, compassion, mercy, grace and love but do not follow the world’s sins and lifestyles.  Believers of Jesus Christ must NEVER compromise the truth of God (God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit) and God’s Holy Scriptures.   
 
Even though the world is full of false teachers, believers of Jesus Christ can always trust in God. God is faithful (see e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:18; 1 John 1:9). The Holy Scriptures are clear: God keeps believers from falling prey to false teachers. So remain firm in your faith in God and trust in His promises for your future. God guarantees that if we remain faithful to Him, He will bring us everlasting joy (John 3:15; Romans 8:35-39; Jude 24-25).

What Is Religion That God Considers Pure and Genuine?

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. James 1:27 (NIV).

In Jesus’ day, activities at the Temple were supposed to center on worship to God.  Instead, the Temple had become commercial where merchants sold sacrificial animals to pilgrims and foreigners at inflated prices to make a profit.  When Jesus entered the Temple area, He drove out all who were buying and selling.  He reminded the crowd that the Temple was for true worship to God and helping the real needs of people, such as the lame, the blind, widows, orphans and the powerless (see Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-47.

In the first century worlds, people such as the sick, orphans and widows had very little means of economic support. These people were often helpless and dependent upon the care from others.  Unless a family member was willing to care for them, these people were reduced to begging, selling themselves as slaves, or starving. By caring for these people, Jesus reminded the crowd of putting God's Word into practice by serving others. The Holy Scriptures are clear that people are called to take care of the helpless and powerless (see 1 Timothy 5:3-16).

Even more, Jesus also wants everyone to keep themselves from becoming polluted by the world and to remain faithful to God.  We keep ourselves clean by obeying and following Jesus Christ, the perfect God-Man. Jesus Christ taught us a new value system starting with His Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:1-7:29) that does not focus on money, power, and pleasure. Jesus taught that true religions means worshiping God, caring for the weak, powerless, and helpless in their sorrow and refusing to let the world corrupt you with sin ((Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Matthew 22:34-30).

Live Like Christ  (LLC)

Ephesians 6:10-18 is the Apostle Paul’s teaching on how to live like Jesus Christ.  As Christians, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. Only living like Jesus Christ can Christians stand firm and win against all evil. Our faith, union and allegiance in Jesus Christ and the Holy Scripture provide our protection against every evil attack. See also James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9). 

To Live Like Christ (LLC), put on God’s full armor: 

• Truth:  God is Truth 
• Righteousness:  Unity and faith in Jesus Christ makes us righteousness 
• Peace:  Tell others of the true peace that comes from God 
• Faith:  Trusting that the ultimate victory is ours with God 
• Salvation:  Never doubt God's saving work through wholehearted faith in Jesus Christ 
• Word:  Knowing the truth of God's Holy Scriptures 
• Pray:  Jesus NEVER stop praying to God the Father

Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the evil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of TRUTH and the body armor of God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS. For shoes, put on the PEACE that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of FAITH to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on SALVATION as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD of God. PRAY in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your PRAYERS for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT).