JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!)

"Avoid Casual Christianity"

Luke 9:58-62  "Then He said to another, 'Follow Me.'  But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.'  Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.'  And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.'  But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

Philippians 2:12, 13  "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

Hebrews 12:1, 2  "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

James 4:2-4  "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war.  Yet you do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.  Adulterers and adulteresses!  Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

Revelation 3:15-20  "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I could wish you were cold or hot.  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.  Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ - and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked - I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."

Insight: God despises casual Christianity.  Take your relationship with Jesus Christ seriously.  Prioritize time with your Creator and time spent developing your Christ-like character and you'll be blessed and rewarded for your obedience.

Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us and make us like You.  Forgive our sins.  Help us to see You as You really are.  Help us to avoid being a casual Christian.  Convict us to righteousness.  Thank you for the people we know that we can encourage to live a more devoted life to You.  Remind us of your awesomeness and let us stand in awe of You.  Increase our faith in You and our love for You and others.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

George Williams (1821-1905), was the founder of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in 1844. He declared:

If you'd like to have the citations for the footnotes above, please email us.  If you'd like to see more quotes from those who framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.  There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)

Avoid letting the things you like replace the One you should love the most.

No matter where we are in our life, there are still things that God wants to change.

Do you have a genuine love for Jesus or is it just a casual fling?

The church is all of the people who have given their hearts to Christ.

Have you had an eternal influence on someone?

You won't want to be celebrating your salvation in Heaven by yourself, so lead some people to Christ!

Too many Christians treat their faith like a shopping list and pick and choose the fruits they want and avoid the fruits that are too costly.

Some people are happy to invite dirty sinners into God's kingdom, but they aren't excited to invite them to their "clean" church.

Salvation is entrance to God's kingdom, without a way of escape.

Why would believers ever stop listening to God's voice?

The casually religious people aren't ready or aware when God provides important opportunities for them.

Good preparation can preclude consequences.

People repent because of the love of God.

Different sins can have different consequences.

Do you think God loves you more than others?

Being part of the right group won't substitute for diligence.

No matter how much you love someone, you can't repent and trust in Jesus Christ for them.

Not one person was turned away from the Ark, but those who weren't saved were ones who didn't believe in the warnings and the facts.

Most Christians don't know what they should ask for and don't ask for anything.

The Devil likes to twist the truth.

Matthew 25:12 may be the scariest verse in scripture.

Salvation isn't based on saying a few words.  It's based on a genuine faith evidenced by a sincere relationship with Jesus Christ.

Soon it will be too late; either by death or by trumpet.

Saying you're sorry isn't repentance.  Repentance is responding to the Holy Spirit's conviction by apologizing to God for your sin and changing your ways.

We have the potential to reach thousands of people for Christ.

Christ said He came to seek and save the lost and this was His primary mission.

These quotes were inspired by the Holy Spirit and came from Him, Howard Everett, and me.

If you'd like to read more quotes, you'll want a copy of Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"!  It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.