Do you do like the Israelites of old, or like little children of today, look upon your life and refuse to accept or acknowledge that there's contamination?
This came to me yesterday and I woke up around 11 last night with it on my mind as well.
Much has been professed in many circles about accepting what God has definitively stated is sin. People are more fearful of offending people than their creator!
The letters to the Churches spell out a lot concerning the views of people and sin.
The letters to the Thessalonians people were getting told that the return of Jesus had already happened. Satan's lies about sin began with Adam and Eve. They continue to today’s world.
The Church is warned of false teachers, telling people what they want to hear, obviously not what they would need to hear.
Was reading a post on Facebook that nailed it well.
"Many Christians believe that the highest calling God has placed on us is to be nice.
These Christians are wrong. God has not called us to be nice. Rather, He called us to be good.
Here's the difference: nice people never confront evil. Good people do.
Nice people are weak. Good people are strong.
Jesus wasn't nice. He was kind, He was compassionate, He was caring, but He was unbending and unflinching when it came to standing for the truth. And it cost Him His life. "
We have had several generations who cry out about how this or that offended them.
Another word for it is foolishness. 1 Corinthians 1:18 NASB "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
I know in my world I walk among many who regard the message of the Gospel as foolishness. Some would get downright upset at the meer mention of it or of the reality of Hell as a consequence to rejection of God’s plan for mankind.
It's where it hits home.
Coddling people to the gates of Hell will save nobody.
Jesus said in the most direct of terms, they hated Me they will hate you too for standing in His truth.
We who have come to Christ are supposed to have the Word of God within us.
Psalms 119:11 NASB "I have treasured Your word in my heart,
So that I may not sin against You."Some translations say hidden vs treasure. Is it true of you? Or is your heart and mind filled with the wasted knowledge of the things of this world?
It was a very strong conviction to me in regards to what I did know of this world and the science fiction world verses what I knew about God's Word.
I knew statistics, knew thousands of facts, knew stories, knew this, knew that.
But didn't know anything about my Bible outside of a few verses. Hadn't read it all the way through. Been saved at that point for a few decades and never took to reading it seriously.
I can't tell you how much it's changed me in reading it. When I listened to it, it was transformational. I have the NASB on MP3. You have no idea how much it comes alive when you just listen through it.
Jesus never once compromised.
So why is much of the so-called Churches today doing just that?
We are told what in the Bible?
Matthew 5:16-18 NASB "Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished!"
Nothing in this section on the Word of God from the Son of God says that lying to people to get them into Church will help them in regards to their sin and their position before Christ.
Do you shine the light of Christ or as the children's song goes, are you keeping it under a basket?
Are you afraid to shine because of persecution? Are you afraid you might offend someone by the revealing of God’s truth regarding sin? Jesus plainly said they hated Me, they will hate you for standing in His truth. Period.
Putting it all on the table. Look at what you are the most passionate about.
Look at what you get the most excited about.
Look at what you talk about the most.
Look at what you wear.
Is it your relationship with Christ or is it something in this world?
Yes this means you not lying to yourself. Look at what's on your bookshelf.
Look at your wardrobe. Look at your jacket, the stickers on your car.
Look at the hours you spend doing things.
Did you waste 4 plus hours at a game or watching movies, all excited about them, yet you didn't give God 10 minutes in prayer or in reading His book that was written to you?
Garbage in Garbage out.
You cannot be in love with the world and with Jesus.
Jesus taught separation from the world's ideas and ideology and showed how to have a relationship with God instead, not with, other things. There was no U-Haul's following the Disciples around when they followed Jesus. In many cases we read both in describing how they were found when called and from their own mouth, they left everything to follow Jesus.
Yes we have forgiveness of sins. But what does that mean?
Romans 6:1 NASB "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"
Conviction hurts. Look at the reaction to Jesus when He spoke the unbending truth, the people were hurt. He never once apologized for its effect.
All I can do for me is to examine me. Scripture calls for you to examine you.
If you haven't lately, I strongly recommend that you do.
Matthew 6:21 NASB "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Is sports the treasure of your heart?
Are movie characters?
Is useless knowledge?
Is anything or anyone else?
You be the judge of you.
Psalms 119:18 NASB "Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your Law."
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