If
you have shopped on-line, I am sure you are well acquainted with
the term “your cart.” The “cart” works the same as any regular shopping cart in
the retrial stores. Your “cart” is the location where all the items you are
intending to purchase on-line are “stored” until you are ready to “check out
and pay.”
Spiritually
speaking, do you know we also have our own faith-based “cart?” That is “C-A-R-T”
which is an acronym to help guide us in striving after holiness. We must be
pursuing a sanctified life that is holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:2).
After all, choosing to live a sanctified life is considered reasonable,
appropriate, and is not “too much to ask” (The Living Bible).
We
must seek, daily, in a personal, loving and intimate relationship, our Lord and
Savior, Jesus. Spending time with Him and in Scripture and prayer, will strengthen
our resolve to be a holy people that brings glory to our Heavenly Father.
One
way to do that is to remember the acronym “C-A-R-T”….we must keep the cart full
by doing the following steps:
1.
C - Come: We cannot remain in the same place. We must continually move
toward Jesus. We must come to Jesus, and to no one else, to nothing else. John 15:5, ““Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and
I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
2.
A - Abide: Once we have come to Jesus, we
must stay with Him and never return to the life we had before Christ. Jesus
asks us to remain with Him, and not gradually wander away from Him. Salvation
is not the end, but only the beginning of our faith journey. We must remain in
Jesus and in His Word. John 8:31-32,
“…Jesus said, “If you hold to my
teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.”
3.
R - Rest: Just because we have come to
Jesus and are abiding in Him doesn’t mean we will continue to do so. As Augustine
one wrote: “Our hearts are restless until
they find their rest in Thee.” Jesus says that in Him we will find rest.
However, we must strive diligently to enter into His rest through practices
such as our devotional life, prayer, and observing the Sabbath. Hebrews 4:11, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no
one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” We must do
everything we can to keep the cares of this world from robbing us of our time
of rest with Jesus.
4.
T - Trust. Here is the “catch.” Once you come, abide, and rest, you
realize you have to live out your faith and a battle to fight. Jesus’ heart is
focused on the conversion and salvation of all. He wants all to come to know
the Lord. 2 Peter 3:9, “Instead he is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. We must take action
and obey. We honestly can’t go about our life and “mind our own business.” We
must forsake “self” as we are called to take risks by living out the Gospel as
well as telling others about Jesus.
Choose
holiness and a lifestyle, in faith, that is pleasing to God. Live each day
fully surrendered to the work of the Holy Spirit to transform you and use you
to bear spiritual fruit. Keep going on towards perfection of a sanctified life.
Let’s keep our “C.A.R.T.” full! Let us: Come. Abide. Rest. Trust.