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Choice, Change, Challenge

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."  Matthew 16:24

What is a true Christian?

First, a Christian is a person who has made a choice. We have to choose--just as Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden--to obey God or rebel against Him. We make that choice initially when we commit our lives to Christ, but we also make that choice day by day, moment by moment. What kind of choices are you making?

Second, a Christian is a person whose life has been changed. That transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit. The moment you receive Christ--the moment you choose Him--the Spirit of God comes to live in your heart. What changes have taken place in your life--in your thoughts, feelings, behavior, goals, relationships--since you chose to follow Jesus?

Third, a Christian is a person who has accepted a challenge. The challenge is Jesus' call to deny self--our own selfish ambitions, our own selfish sinful pleasures--and take up our cross. In what ways are you denying yourself in order to follow Jesus?

Choice, change, and challenge--these should characterize every Christian. Are they true of you?

From, HOPE for Each Day: Morning & Evening Devotions, by Billy Graham.