Today I'm excited to feature a guest post by 17-year-old author Joshua Bedford. Below he shares a brief devotional in which he discusses his passion for the Lord and for seeing people live for Him, as well as describing a little about himself and his book. Enjoy! And don't forget to take a look at his book and website at the links provided!
-Annie
There is a big difference between claiming Christ, and living Christ. The statement I open the next paragraph with can be considered judgmental. I am not here to judge you, but to observe how I act and how I see others acting, and then state how I should act, and how all Christians should act. The difference between claimingChrist, and living Christ is found in whether you allow Him to shine through you, or live your life your way.
Many people claim Christ, but few live like it. What happens if we claim Christ? What happens if we claim Christ, but don’t live like it? We can look to 1 John 1:5-7 for this answer.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin
Let’s break this down verse-by-verse, and see what God is saying to us. In verse 5, we are told that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness. God is perfection! God is pure in everything He does. This Light represents God, and God is perfect. Light is God, and God is Light. When you let God’s Light shine through you, you are letting God Himself work through you.
In verse 6, it tells us what happens if we claim Christ, but do not live like it. If we do this, we are told we lie and do not practice the truth. We cannot just claim Christ as our Savior, then keep living in the things of this world. He has to be our Lord, the ruler of everything, even our lives; then He can be our Saviour.
In verse 7, we are told that if we claim Christ, and live like it, then the blood of Christ will cleanse us from our sin. If we claim Christ, and live solely for Him, then He will save us. One thing that is absolutely necessary for us to understand is that works are not what saves us; it is Christ and His sacrifice that saves us. We show that He is our Lord through these works, and if He truly has saved us, then we will gladly shine for Him.
We are told to walk in the light, and we looked at what this means. This is the difference between claiming Christ, and living Christ. As Christians, we are called not only to proclaim Him as our Savior, but also to live our lives for Him, allowing Him to shine through us. This is the reason I have written my first book weShine: Foundations of a Strong Walk With God. It is a foundational guide to growing stronger in your walk with Christ, giving you the knowledge you need to start your journey of faith correctly.
You can find the paperback version of this book at bit.ly/weshine.
More information can be found on the official website at weShineSeries.com.
Also feel free to drop by JoshuaBedford.com/the-book for other information.
You are probably wondering what led a young man to write a book, or want to know a little about the author. Well, my name is Joshua Bedford, I blog and design websites at
JoshuaBedford.com, and I seek to aid Christians in their mission: to be a shining light for Christ.
In the summer of 2011 I decided I wanted to learn web design, and started writing devotions as content for the website I was making. Later that summer, I heard 4 different variations of the phrase, "Let your light shine before others" from 4 different pastors, read it in my daily reading, and in an article online. The common sense in me told me something was being revealed to me. I prayed, asking God what all it meant. Through this,
1LightforGod.netwas started. I was able to further my website design, but put more emphasis on learning more about God, writing, and sharing that writing with others. I wanted to reach others for Him. Before long, I was writing one devotion a week. After a few months of writing, I found I love to write. From this love came the excution of the idea to help others grow in their walk with Christ through a book. Click the image below for more information on this book.
