Recently I heard about an upsurge in the numbers of people seeking God. This occurred as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 virus that is currently plaguing the whole world.
I read that more than half the American population felt the need to consider seeking God. They have been shocked by their inability to control this disease and various sources have suggested this pestilence is an indicator of the end times.
If you are one of those people who are seeking, you should know what the Lord requires of you.
The truth is that God does not require a lot from His people. Sure, there are many who would say otherwise, both in religious and non-religious circles, and there are many claims about what you need to say, do, or be, to be a Christian.
But the Bible suggests only four key things to lead a life worthy of the Lord. If you are seeking, then you might as well know what He requires.
Love one another
The first of these four key factors is: Love.
There is only one commandment that the Lord gave to His disciples while on earth. It was to love one another as Christ loved them. This is the same commandment given to all Christians.
Love is the only thing that is eternal because God IS love. Everything else will pass away but the love of God goes on forever.
Believe in God - Faith
The second factor is faith. We must believe in God and Jesus Christ as the scriptures testify.
“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.” (John chapter 14, verse 1)
And;
“…without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6)
Faith is essential for every Christian because all of the promises of God rest on a foundation of faith.
Without faith a person cannot be a Christian and they cannot receive the blessings and rewards that God gives to the faithful.
Change your life - Repent
The third requirement Christians must adopt is to repent.
When John the Baptist, Jesus, and the twelve Apostles began their respective ministries, they all started by preaching repentance.
The Greek word translated as “repent” in English means to “change your thinking” or to “change your mind.”
That sums up what repentance is all about. Repentance is about change. A person cannot come to Christ and continue to live a sinful life. They must make changes in their lives.
In many situations where Jesus healed people or dealt with their sins He said, “Go, and sin no more.” What He was saying was that they needed to change their ways. They needed to repent.
It is the same for us today. Every person that comes to Christ must change his or her ways from a life of sin to lead a life worthy of the Lord.
Listen to Christ
The final requirement is that we need to listen to the words of Christ as written in the Bible.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain where He was transfigured as He spoke with Moses and Elijah about His impending death. Peter suggested that the disciples could build booths for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But Peter was stopped by the voice of the Father from heaven when He said:
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew chapter 17, verse 5)
God the Father did not speak to men many times, but when He did, we ought to take note. If God the Father told us to listen to His son, Jesus Christ, then that is what we must do. He has provided the Bible so that even now, two thousand years later we can still “listen to Him.”
We see this instruction repeated in the Great Commission also where Jesus instructed the disciples to do three things.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matthew chapter 28, verses 19-20)
Jesus instructed the disciples to:
1. Go out and make disciples
2. Baptise the new disciples
3. Teach the new disciples all that the Lord had taught them
It is this third point that reflects the words of God the Father telling us to “listen to Him.” When we do listen to the words of Jesus, then all of the rest of the things we need to know will be revealed.
It is these four things that are critical for those who wish to lead a life worth of the Lord.
Since retiring from work, John Lemmon now spends his time teaching, preaching and writing about the word of God, online and offline, answering God's call on him to “Speak to my people.” You can connect with John on Twitter (@JohnBLemmon) or on his website: freegiftfromgod.com/ or listen to his podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/the-free-gift-from-god-podcast/id1440682375
