When I was a child and we went on vacation, my mother used to have several checklists she would use prior to our leaving the house. A checklist is a tool used to help remember important things to do or take care of. It helps you organize events or just your daily activities in order to ensure everything necessary is taken care of.
She would write things down like “be sure to stop the mail” or “lower the water-heater temperature before leaving.” She would even make a list of items needed for the trip.
Why do I mention all of this? Because, we Christians (the true body of Christ) are about to leave this planet and the Lord has given us some check-lists in His Word that are necessary for our preparation to leave. Not only are they necessary to get us ready to leave, but they will enable us to experience some of Heaven while we’re still here waiting to go.
Resurrection Life
Scripture teaches that we, the believer in Christ, have been raised from the dead by the same resurrection power God the Father used to raise our Lord Jesus from the dead. That power is the Holy Spirit Himself and the book of Galatians gives us a couple of checklists that contrast our new life in the spirit as opposed to the old nature of the flesh.
These two lists are often called “the fruit of the spirit” and the “works of the flesh”. They both are indicators that help us distinguish which realm we’re operating in. Such as: the re-created human spirit, filled with the life of God (the Holy Spirit), will evidence love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Whereas, the carnal (fleshly) person will evidence adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness (morally unrest-rained), idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries.
–WOW–
That’s some pretty explicit stuff!! Paul further wrote: “those who practice such things (the works of the flesh) will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21b). It might be better said this way: “those who are living this kind of life-style won’t be inheriting the kingdom of God.” He said practice, not something you’re struggling with and standing against! If you have no concern over the sin in your life, I dare say the conviction of the Spirit isn’t present with you, “(for) if you are without chastening (correction that comes from the Father)…then you are illegitimate and not sons” (Heb. 12:8). That’s the book!!
Another checklist found in the book of Colossians gives us a break down of idolatry (which is anything that’s put before God [one of the thou-shalt-not’s]). “Therefore put to death your members (carnal/fleshly desires) which are on the earth: fornication uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colo. 3:5). These instructions are not meant to weigh us down, but to help us recognize which realm we’ve been operating in.
Paul himself declared his struggle with his flesh and how he kept doing the things he didn’t want to do, and gives us the answer to living free of the carnal nature. “Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ, our Lord …for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death…If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above (what things? the promises of God which will enable you to be a partaker of the divine nature), where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God…For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ (who is our life) in God” (Romans 7:24b-25a, 8:2 & Colo. 3:1[2 Peter 1:4], 3 & 4a).
Love
The greatest checklist in the Word of God is found in 1st Corinthians 13: “Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]” (1Corin. 13:4-8a Amplified Bible). There’s a checklist for you!
I often refer to the Word of God as “the owners manual for life.” After all, the ‘Manufacturer’ left it for us to know how it works. If we’ll use these (and others in the Word) to order our lives by, then Jesus will be manifested to the world and glorified. It’s not too hard, after all, you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you!
