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They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
--1 John 2:19
I meet quite a few people today whom I would classify as “Alka Seltzer Christians.” Do you know what an Alka Seltzer Christian is? It’s a person whose spiritual life is just plop-plop, fizz and it’s over. Yes, there’s a lot of emotion, a lot of excitement, a lot of fireworks. But then they disappear. This is not real Christianity!
Now, I’m not suggesting that if you’ve repented and returned to Christ, you’re going to live a perfect life. That would be salvation by works. But I am saying any true believer – anyone who has truly trusted Jesus Christ – will have a lasting heart of repentance, a “fizz” that lasts well beyond the “plop-plop.”
If you’re truly in Christ, if you’ve turned from sin and given your life to Him, you can never go back to it because Christ has changed me from the inside out. So the question every Christian needs to ask himself today is this: Has Christ truly changed you? Have you truly embraced Him and turned away from the sin in your life?
Don’t be an Alka Seltzer Christian. Be a faithful follower of Christ who lives a life of trust and obedience as you walk by faith all the days of your life!
TRUE CHRISTIANITY ISN’T JUST A SWELL OF EMOTIONS THAT FIZZLES OUT. SO PERSEVERE IN TRUST AND OBEDIENCE AS YOU LIVE A LIFE OF FAITH.
Where Truth Starts
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
Psalm 51:3–6
When David repented of his sin with Bathsheba, he came to a difficult realization about himself. He had done something very wicked, but had justified it to himself. When he sought to restore his relationship with God, he highlighted the importance of truth—not just in his speech with others, but in his heart. David’s internal lies to himself had paved the road to adultery and murder. The road back to God began with the truth.
In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky wrote, “The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love, and in order to occupy and distract himself without love he gives way to passions and coarse pleasures, and sinks to [baseness] in his vices, all from continual lying to other men and to himself.”
In a world filled with lies and deception, it is easy for us to fall into the trap of telling ourselves what we want to hear rather than filling our hearts and minds with the truth. This truth is a powerful defense against sin. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Because we have sinful natures and deceitful hearts, it is imperative that we are countering the lies of the world with the truth of God’s Word.
Today's Growth Principle:
Lies harbored within, whether told to ourselves or to others, will eventually destroy our character.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”
Psalm 51:3–6
When David repented of his sin with Bathsheba, he came to a difficult realization about himself. He had done something very wicked, but had justified it to himself. When he sought to restore his relationship with God, he highlighted the importance of truth—not just in his speech with others, but in his heart. David’s internal lies to himself had paved the road to adultery and murder. The road back to God began with the truth.
In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky wrote, “The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love, and in order to occupy and distract himself without love he gives way to passions and coarse pleasures, and sinks to [baseness] in his vices, all from continual lying to other men and to himself.”
In a world filled with lies and deception, it is easy for us to fall into the trap of telling ourselves what we want to hear rather than filling our hearts and minds with the truth. This truth is a powerful defense against sin. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Because we have sinful natures and deceitful hearts, it is imperative that we are countering the lies of the world with the truth of God’s Word.
Today's Growth Principle:
Lies harbored within, whether told to ourselves or to others, will eventually destroy our character.
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