When is the last time you read Exodus chapter 19 through 23? It speaks about the law that God gave to his people.
I know it is said that Christians are not under the law but that they are under the grace of God in Christ Jesus. But is it enough to be saved. In all good conscience can you simply receive and give nothing?
If we don’t read the account of God’s desire how can we know what gives him pleasure?
I wanted to post this this morning. But I wasn’t sure how it would be received. As the day passed however, it’s urgency hasn’t left my mind.
Most people, if they love to listen to the words of the Bible, enjoy the pleasantries that God has in store for us. But when we speak of the warnings God has delivered to us, we often find a deaf ear.
Revelation 21 speaks of the beautiful promise of eternal life in the Glorious City of God. It’s a passage one might find in a modern devotional. But I don’t remember ever reading the words that follow that passage in any devotional.
These are the words that follow the beautiful promise of joy:
6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Think Eternity:
War is nothing more than legalized murder. That is irrefutable. But define murder.
Murder by starvation takes a long time. But with the intent to see it through, it is murder from the beginning. In its essence, murder is the removal of true freedom. And isn’t that the nature of this entire world?
This may seem a little bit of a leap in linear thought, but the withholding of the Gospel from those who desperately need it; isn’t that murder on a degree unprecedented? The Gospel offers eternal life and true freedom. Again, define murder.
Perhaps that’s a little harsh. Kind of like the rude alarm clock on Monday morning. Get in the habit of hitting snooze and you may well lose your job.
You sit at a slot machine. You have invested your money in the hopes that you will get a great return. Even the greatest fool hopes he will gain something. Doesn’t such a man dream of Millions?
The Holy Lord Jesus has set us down at a feast of Eternal Truth, with all hope that he will receive a vast bounty from his expenditure. He knows he has laid his valuables in the hands of Chaos. But with all Eternal hope he looks with longing to see a WIN.
What does it feel like to lose at a slot machine? Multiply that disappointment by eternity. What does it feel like to lose potential?
The Lord came to his field of flowers on one beautiful spring morning. There he saw that a thistle had grown up and was about to spread his malicious seed. So he reached out his will and transformed the thistle to a flower.
No more malicious seeds to cast about, the thistle took note of his changed appearance. The Lord said to him, “See how I have had mercy on you. I had no intention to pluck you from the ground. But I have made you as one of these, that I may have pleasure in your life”.
With his Newfound body the thistle returned his most excellent thanks. For 3 days he worshipped the Lord who gave him the best of purpose.
On the morning of the fourth day he gathered his mind to look about him. After his 3 days of thanks, he expected to hear “Amen” from all the flowers about him. To his astonishment, the flowers simply swayed in the breeze. They spent their time soaking in the richest God had provided. But they would only, now and then, whisper a word of thanks. But how loudly they praised one another for their beauty.
How should the thistle respond to his new-found brothers?
Jesus didn’t wake up my soul to be popular. He woke me up to stand against the things I have done. He woke me up to stand for the things that are his. He woke me up to stand against the things that were about to destroy me forever. He woke me up to, in some fashion, be crucified with him.
There is joy in the Holy Brotherhood of Christ. Faithfully, he is teaching me to live in that Joy, that joy that surpasses all understanding of mere men.
Come, drink of the cup that is true life. Approach the throne of the Living God in the name of Jesus.
Remain there.
We: Live, Die, Face Judgment. Jesus or die twice.
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