Vital Elements for Christian Living

Genesis 35:2
“Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:”

God came to Jacob and told him to “go up to Bethel, and dwell there.” Bethel has always been a picture of the house of God. Jacob had been away from Bethel for a long time, and God reminded him that it was time for him to come back and live the life he was always supposed to live, and that life was to serve the LORD. Jacob’s joy in life would never be realized until he got back to Bethel and started living for the LORD.

You will never be happy until you serve the LORD, and you will never live successfully for the LORD without being faithful to church. Many believers wonder why they are so sporadic in their walk with God, and the answer is to look at their attendance to church. However, beyond your faithful attendance to church, there are several vital elements that must be a part of your life if you are going to successfully serve the LORD.

The first vital element for Christian living is a strong relationship with God. The reason God told Jacob to get back to Bethel was because He wanted Jacob to rebuild his relationship with the LORD. Your walk with God in His Word and prayer, and your faithfulness to church are vital to your spiritual health. You will never build a strong relationship with the LORD without walking with Him.

Determination is the second vital element for Christian living. Jacob told his family to put away the strange gods. You must be determined that nothing is going to come between you and God to live daily for Him. Anything that hinders your daily walk with God should be removed if you want to have a strong relationship with Christ.

Action is the third vital element for Christian living. Jacob said to his family in verse 3, “Let us arise…” Nobody served the LORD successfully by sitting. Christian living is not a static position, but it is an active walk with Christ by reaching the lost and serving others. You are not living a Christian life if all you do is go to church. You live the Christian life through Christian service.

Follow-through is the fourth vital element for Christian living. Jacob followed through by putting away the strange gods. Follow-through is key to serving Christ. Many people intend to do things for God, but you must follow through on those intentions if you are going to be successful in serving Christ. Good intentions don’t make you right with God, but following through with those intentions is what makes you right.

Perseverance is the fifth vital element for Christian living. Verse 5 says that Jacob journeyed. It takes time to get where you want to get, which means you must persevere and not quit to get there. Don’t give up quickly because you haven’t gotten to where you want to get, but keep going until you get to where Christ needs you to be.

Power is the sixth element for Christian living. In verse 14, Jacob poured oil on the place where he met with God. You will never be successful in serving the LORD without be empowered by the Holy Ghost. The key to all of these elements is being filled with the Holy Ghost. Don’t try to serve God in your own power, but be filled with the Holy Ghost and He will fill you with these elements to serve Christ.