A Simple Plan

Leading a good Christian Life is like doing an arabesque in figure skating. You know that thing where they stand on one foot and lean forward and lift the other leg straight out behind and extend one arm. It’s a simple act that’s hard to execute.


Getting saved is really easy. It takes one prayer.

Lord, I believe you died so that I could be saved. I accept you as my Lord and Savior. I ask you to come into my heart and take over my life.


It takes less time than it takes a Quarter Horse to run the 440. And I dressed that up. You can do it with a lot less words.


And that’s it. You’re saved.


I have heard some people add to that.


You have to accept the Lord and be baptized.


You have to accept the Lord and repent your sins.


You have to accept the Lord and publicly confess your faith.


All of these may be positive things, but they are not necessary to being saved.


You may be moved to be baptized. To perform a symbolic act. Or you may be satisfied, like me, to be baptized in the Spirit.

You will repent your sins. You’ll feel bad about things you’ve done and the things you’ll do, and you’ll ask for forgiveness, and it will be given, and you will try to do better in the future. But you don’t have to do that to be saved.


A public confession of faith doesn’t have to be walking down an aisle in front of a bunch of other Christians. When someone asks you to go celebrate by getting drunk, and you say I don’t do that, I’m a Christian, that is also a public confession of faith. Either way a public confession is not necessary for your salvation.


You might say you have to keep the Ten Commandments to be a Christian, but in truth, Jesus gave us two commandments. Not that He threw out the Ten. He just made it simpler.


Love your Father with all your heart and all your might, and Love each other.


If you do those things, you will keep the Ten Commandments. You don’t lie to people you love. You don’t steal from people you love. You love God by honoring His requests, by singing His praises, by maintaining a good relationship with Him.


Loving each other gets a little harder because we aren’t very lovable most of the time.

Leading a Christian life, once you are assured of salvation, is simple.


You just turn your decision making processes over to God, you zipper your mouth, you stop gossiping and think kind thoughts, you tithe and give alms and resist temptations.


Easy peasy.


But truth is even if you could manage to do all those things, leading a Christian life is not about what you do or don’t do. We are all going to fail, to sin, to have habits we can’t kick and weaknesses we cannot overcome. And God accepts that in us.


Living a Christian life is simple because it isn’t about holding yourself to an impossible standard. You don’t have to memorize prayers or chapter and verse, you don’t have to abide by a list of do’s and don’ts. You don’t have to give away all your possessions and live a life of poverty. There isn’t a dress code or dietary restrictions. You don’t have to attend services regularly or hold a membership.


You just have to open your heart, open your mind, let Jesus in. Not just make an intellectual decision that you recognize Jesus as your savior, but let Him into the core of you. If you stay in communication with God, develop a personal relationship with Jesus, let God direct you, fill you, join you as you go about your daily activities, you will live a good Christian life before you know what‘s happening.

Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Galatians 5:16 [God's Word]