"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" - 1 Corinthians 1:18

You know what struck be about this verse? That we are being saved. We aren't just saved and that's it, poof and off to heaven we go. I'm realizing that people are either being saved by responding to Jesus or they aren't and that doesn't always go the way we think. People who haven't said the "sinner's prayer" are responding to God and people who have been "saved" seem to act as if good works are optional, an extra favor to God in addition to our "heart-felt" prayer of repentance. 1John says that if we claim to have fellowship with Him but walk in darkness then we're liars. Don't get me wrong, there are pivotal moments and the moment when we are brought to the place of surrender and that is important but that is the first step of the journey. Jesus said we have to take up our crosses daily to follow Him, so if we're going to walk with Him and not just meet Him and stay where we are then repentance has to be a lifestyle. We're called to a life of turning away from sin and friendship with the world to friendship with God. I'm not saying to buck up and just be holy, I'm urging myself and all who are reading this to let God start 0r finish His work. The "word of the cross" speaks life to us, it shows us God's work to cleanse us from all of our sin, of what God did so that we could live a life of repentance. I'm encouraging us to go to our prayer closets and rend our hearts before Him and ask what hinders the power of God in our lives. Does the gospel speak of power to us or does part of it seem too radical, or dare I say, foolish. Are there areas of our life that are perishing without the power of God? A new ministry isn't going to do it, God's message hasn't changed it just seems foreign to us when He shines His light into new areas of our life and we realize that we still have sin in us (1 John). The acknowledgment that sin is in us means that we're responding to Jesus because if we claim to have no sin than the truth (Jesus) is not in us.