Question of the day:
When you left your pillow this morning was it to seek your own will and the will of others, or was it to seek the will of the One who made you.
(As our day begins it is also likely to end. How many days then? Is there a day coming when this will change? When?)
I had a conversation with a man about Bible prophecy. He is immeasurably more well versed in prophecy that I can hope to accomplish. The conversation was stimulating, and I walked away full of reverence and desire for God.
On the way back past the man, the Lord prompted me to speak of purity. I talked to him about how God is so desirous to see holiness come to fruit in every one of his people. The response was interesting.
I thought I would hear agreement. His knowledge of Bible prophecy was impeccable. Instead, I heard subtle references to justification, and excuses.
I’m not judging the man, I’m looking at all of us. We might do well in the realm of knowledge, but our application suffers famine.
One thing I felt urged to say stands out in my mind clearly. You may not think this is a very dignified statement, but it is true none the less:
If a man will do the things of Christ, won’t the Lord tie huge helium balloon to our butt, that we may raise to a place conspicuous usefulness? And isn’t this the reason why so many Christians live their lives in useless obscurity?
It’s time to wake,
To do and to be;
Property of my God –
Exclusively.
By His Grace
Truth, faithfulness, the righteous expectations of God, prayer, holiness, glorification of God’s Holy Son, willing obedience to heavenly things, and a daily renewal of all these things. This can be expected for those who willingly submit to the leadership of Christ Jesus.
But pleasure of this world’s desires, chasing after everything that is not God, short and useless prayers (such as God bless america), powerless religious observances, and oh so many other things, this is the nature of a man without Jesus.
19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (The Gospel of John chapter 3)
How incredibly sad that this should be our epitaph; that at the moment of our death, our pursuit of anything but God is all we bring to the Holy Throne of the Sovereign God. All the while he offers freely so very much to any who will purposefully place him in his proper position.
By his own nature man is lazy. Oh he’ll provide for all the things he wants. But is he willing to let God cause him to provide all the things that God wants?
Those who diligently seek the truth of God in Christ Jesus will be granted God’s desires. There is no need to qualify that statement. But those who only desire the things of this world, such people will not find the things that God is willing to offer so freely.
By His Grace
“Let us feel like we are saved. Let us revel in some future joy. Leave us alone, this world is too harsh and we want to live in sweet dreams.
We do not want to fast, for food is pleasurable. We do not want to ache because of the Holiness of God. We do not want to think ill of our brothers in flesh. We do not want to speak down regarding the things this world loves so much.
You do not realize the difficulty we face if we turn to God completely. They will come and take away our place. They will push us to a corner of obscurity. They will hate us even as we can see they hate you. They may even kill us and our children! Why do you continue to badger us?”
Have it your way. But consider, Christ did not measure his love for His Holy Father when he died for you on the cross.
By His Grace
One afternoon, I turned a corner on the sidewalk. I saw a great commotion. The flavor of the people was excited and happy. Curious, I ventured to the crowd. I could see parts of a beautifully shiny convertible car sitting in the middle of the crowd. Bold, as was my demeanor at the moment, I went through the crowd and asked the driver what all the hub bub was all about. “I’m going to heaven!” He answered.
It was a fast car, yes. But tires need road. In my perception, arrival in heaven needs more than a road and tires. So I was curious about his means. I didn’t say anything more. I just stepped back to watch.
The driver waved at the crowd and started the engine. The car purred with obvious power. At the signal of his hand, eight strong men came toward the car. Each one put his hands under the sides of the body and lifted the car. They all turned their head toward the front of the car and began to carry the car! All the while, the driver revved the engine up and down. Everyone in the crowd was shouting with joy. Applause went up from them like cracks from a large fire.
After a few steps, the men put the car back down. The driver shut off the engine. And stepped out of the car. He was greeted with great enthusiasm. The entire mass of men was full of great joy.
I was at a loss here. My mind thought it must be some kind of circus act. But they all looked to sincere. I had to ask the driver what the deal was.
He looked at me with puzzling eyes. “How is it that you don’t understand? No one gets to heaven without friends to help him. Accountability, boy! It takes accountability to keep a man on the straight road. These men carried me into dedication. This is a sign of my vow to do what is good. And by their testimony, I will be accounted as one who has faith.”
I just stood there speechless. He was as serious as a spider bite.
Isn’t this what the social gospel promotes? “If we just all get along, God will recognize our righteous intent. If we do good for one another, God will surely praise our hearts.” Yep. That’s what it says.
“Wazzam Shazzam!” We don’t need Jesus!”
It’s just too bad that Jesus was so amazingly mistaken. He didn’t need to die on a cross to save our souls. He didn’t need to suffer at the hands of men. All he needed to do was praise our intentions.
We: Live, Die, Face Judgment. Jesus or die twice.
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