Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:6 (NIV)
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8 (NIV)
Jesus always walked with purpose – continually being about His Father’s perfect and pleasing will. Standing firm in it, mature and fully assured. He manifested God’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in ever increasing measure, and we should be doing so as well. Jesus has left us with the deposit of the Holy Spirit to equip up to walk rightly. Indeed, apart from His indwelling, chaos comes. This is evidenced in our world presently. We may be able to mask morality for a time but morality itself will never change the leanings of the human heart – only God. Believers in Jesus are not to be wallowing in the flesh - quenching the Holy Spirit within – and blending with the world and its ways. Which, BTW, always leads to destruction. Only the things done for the Lord through His power will make it through the fire that will test the quality of every believer’s works – showing ourselves to be His disciples. Believers are to be pointing others to the Savior of our souls. Apart from Him we can do no good thing. He is the One Who changes our hearts which in turn points others to Him. It is if we are beggars showing other beggars where to get the living water and bread from heaven. Remember, every one of us is needy apart from Christ – no matter how self-sufficient or self-confident we believe ourselves to be.
God has established this way for others to come to Him as well. Many Christians have lost this sense of purpose. We do not stand out as “stars in the universe as we hold out the Word of life”, leading others to the Rock that is infinitely higher than ourselves. Indeed, we often so blend with the world - with no change in our conduct and words - so that no one even has the slightest idea we belong to Christ Jesus. He did not only save us from Hell, He also saved us from a lifestyle of blending and destruction. Remember, every sin carries with it a death to something. He wants us to purge our “temples” of all idol worship – whatever it is that breaks fellowship with Him. Turning to Him for direction, power and Truth. He longs to lead. Let Him. What He has in store for us is the great adventure – far beyond anything this earth can offer.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)