Does He Come Along? What's Your Excuse?
Paul said to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” Why was he telling them that? Because the Corinthians were doing things with their bodies that were an embarrassment to the Holy Spirit. They were living lives divorced from the awareness of His holy presence within them. Perhaps you’ve found yourselves at certain crossroads recently where you didn’t know whether you should go to a certain place or participate in a certain activity because you are a Christian. The fact is, where you go, the Holy Spirit goes with you. So before you go, you’d better ask Him if He wants to go. And whatever He tells you, do it. Many Christians don’t even think about that. They just drag the Holy Spirit everywhere, into all kinds of things that are dishonoring to His first name, which is Holy. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells you. If you grasp that concept, it could have a life-changing impact on you. He is there. He is in you. He will never leave you. Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening
It's a rather interesting scenario.
A very much stop you in your footsteps kind of thought.
In all that you do or are planning on doing - you who claim to be in Christ - is the Holy Spirit invited?
Do you consider your wants, desires, wishes, in light of the truth that time is running out on reaching people for Christ before He returns?
I admit it's difficult. Our world isn't like 200 years ago when time was on most people's hands. No handheld devices. No phones. No video games or movies.
In today's world distractions are in abundance. Vanity is a multi billion dollar a year enterprise. Seeking pleasure, regardless of who you step on, is the prevailing thought of the day.
Sin is proclaimed as good to indulge in. That you are missing out if you restrain yourself. If the wages of sin had to be paid immediately upon receipt people probably would start to really consider it differently.
Everyone has an excuse. Probably not an entirely unique excuse but everyone has one. An excuse to either obey or not obey Jesus. To come to Christ or reject Him.
Everyone.
We have excuses for why we do what we do. We probably don't give a second thought to the truth that the Spirit is with us in everything we do. He's right there. All the time. Yet we do and intentionally think things that are or should be an embarrassment. I have to admit this devotional sort of began slapping some sense into me.
You who claim the name of Jesus, are you doing things, saying things, behaving as though you are by yourself? You are not alone if you are in Christ Jesus. Do you swear? You realize what you are really doing when you do? Read closely at the Scriptures on our giving account for EVERY careless word we say. I am certainly ashamed of me. Are you? The thoughts you think that are yours alone. About this person or that person. You DO realize that you are not alone? Your angry outburst you do realize you are not alone?
Think bigger than your doing now. The scope of the depth of the Spirit in our lives who say we are Christians.
Our adversary prowls around seeking someone to devour. There's countless ways to be devoured. From abruptly down to the so slowly you are devoured and don't even realize it. Temptations and sin are the tools he uses. Getting YOU to convince yourself of the merits of what he whispers. Satan is evil but he isn't entirely stupid. The whole frog in a frying pan analogy is a perfect observation of his methodology. If you drop a frog in a hot pan it will jump out immediately. If Satan shoves a sinful act or idea in your mind you will likely buck at it n think twice. If you are the frog in a cold pan at first, with the fire slowly turned up, like it, sin will get you due to the method. Satan's perhaps most greatly used ideas do but 1 thing. Get believers to waste their time, get them to not consider ramifications, get them to so enjoy the distraction that they never realize the time that was wasted was valuable and cannot be taken back. If you spend your life entirely on you then you won't think about the millions per day going to Hell. After a time you won't care. Making money, finding YOUR happiness, making others happy with no regard to their Spiritual state, is what Satan's scheme involves much of the time. His other schemes involve trying to shut up believers so that people don't consider anything to do with Salvation as being important.
In your going out and coming in each day, if you are saved in Christ Jesus, DOES your mind remember that the Spirit is there with you? Does any of your thoughts and actions honestly not bother you that you thought or did something in the presence of God that Christians really shouldn't be doing or thinking?
We are the only created beings that have used excuses. No other animal or anything else created by God uses excuses. That was Adam's first invention, not even unique, Eve invented it before him.
Scripture warns us to consider our ways and rightly so. So are you?
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