Christian Living

What Determines The Quality Of Your Life?

by Brother Carlton 
11/08/24
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What determines the quality of your life? Some motivators and personal development experts (I won't mention names, but you probably heard this before) would say the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your communication. Others would say the quality of your life is determined by your habits or  the decisions you make.

Now there's truth in all these statements. However, I believe the primary factor in what determines the quality of your life is your relationship to Jesus Christ.  Paul says, “that I might know him in the power of his resurrection,” and Paul did know Jesus in the power of his resurrection.

Do you think the Apostle Paul had a quality of life that was very high?
Sure he did. He said for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

I believe Paul was the greatest theologian that ever lived. He understood what it meant to be joyful, to be faithful, to have the peace of God that passes all understanding. It's true, the decisions we make will affect our thinking, just as our thinking will affect the decisions we make and the actions that we take.  So if we're thinking about Christ, if we're following the biblical mandate that says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ" then our focus will be upon pleasing the Lord and not ourselves.

Primarily. Of course, we do things that please ourselves. We eat at a restaurant that pleases us. We prefer to have fish or seafood one night, or chicken another night, or steak another night, or pasta, Italian food. On another occasion, we're doing these things because it pleases us. There's nothing wrong with that. But we also have to ask ourselves how we can please the Lord. What can we do that will bring glory to Him? Because the Bible says, “Whatsoever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God.”

So you know, we have to face the fact that we are stewards of everything that God gives us and that we are responsible for our lives. We're given certain commandments. We're given principles which we're to follow, and everything we have, even the ability to do the will of God. That's what I call grace: the desire and the ability to do the will of God. That's God's grace at work in our life.

So what do we have that wasn't given to us? If it was given to us, why do we boast as though it wasn't given to us? People claim greatness for themselves because of their ability to think a certain way or their ability to take action. But who inspires us, who builds that character within us. Is it not the Holy Spirit? Is it not because we are walking in the light as He is in the light? Is it not because we are abiding in the vine that we bring forth fruit?

Jesus says, “I am the vine. You are the branches. He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit. For Without me, you can do nothing.” Oh, I love that verse – in John 15:5.

Let it sink in.

Without me, you can do nothing.

So the quality of our life is dependent upon our relationship to Jesus Christ. Are we abiding in the vine? If we are, then we can bring forth much fruit, which pleases the Lord, this pleases God, that we bring forth much fruit. The Bible says, “Walk in the Spirit. You shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” The fruit of the Spirit: there's no law against any of it, love, joy, peace, long suffering, goodness, meekness, tempers against such there is no law.

There's no law forbidding these things, but there is a law forbidding the works of the flesh, the things that we are to avoid that displease God and that bring judgment upon us. If we continue in them.

I hope this helps you a little bit, some more food for thought. May the Lord, richly bless you as you continue to study and do His will.

 Brother Carlton ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member) and junk removal expert, he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns, and poems, and doing street preaching. See all his videos on YouTube brother Carlton.