Some days are better than others. Some are difficult. Some require nothing of us. Naturally, we prefer the latter.
The hard times provide a long and complicated story. While sweet days can be summed up in one word, restful.
Not much of a legacy can be gathered for the one who has nothing but restful days. Intense hard times will write a lengthy obituary and spark much conversation around a campfire.
Think eternity.
We all want to leave a good legacy for our children. There is no better legacy to leave them than that our land should be filled with godly love.
But godly love comes from God alone.
What better work could we do than to seek God’s face with earnest boldness, willing to receive and sacrifice for his great glory? To purify ourselves by the reading of Scripture and diligent prayer. God will inhabit such people. Godly love will sprout like a healthy crop in spring. And the best legacy possible will be left to our children.
Could there possibly be a better time?
How many generations will be witness to your response to the call of Christ? We are not Christians alone, you know. Whether you believe it or not, they are all watching you.
When you need help, do you know someone in Christ who is dependable for God driven answers? Why can’t that someone be you?
There are so few who stand as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus. Wouldn’t it make sense to train yourself to become one of them?
By the time your life is finished the number of ambassadors would have increased by one. And thousands more will benefit through the generations as you leave your legacy for eternity.
If the world is not thirsty, it’s because they drink wine instead of water. Think about it.
Why do we do the things we do? Why have we learn to love what we love? What causes a man to gravitate toward one sin or another? Why is ignorance so beloved while wisdom and sobriety wander like orphaned children? It is impossible that any man should answer these things. At best they can only say, “It is the way of Man”.
Centuries ago (Pick a moment in time.) one man made a choice. He agreed with wickedness; to perform and action of death. Once the deed was done, the ripple effect into future days has not ceased. No, it is carried in the soul of those who came from his day. It is carried like a disease to the generations that follow.
As it is so with one man, centuries ago, so it is with all the men who lived in his day. The laws they made, the words they spoke, the perceptions they held so dearly, the deviceiveness they encouraged without end, the judgments they made, the dress codes they approved or disapproved, how they segregated one man from another by language, color of skin, or other cultural differences, what lies were considered innocent, what does were considered necessity, didn’t all these things shape the mind of those to come?
Certain wickedness is adored, while holiness is forgotten. Protections are made for certain wicked people, while the righteous go abandoned. And haven’t we inherited all these things?
Add to this, our own imaginations. Look around and see what we adore. Aren’t we shaping the inheritance of those who will come after us? And how will they know what they believe? How will they be able to divide between what is necessary and what is inherited from the wicked who came before them?
Such is the plight of man to suffer in his own vile filth. Yet the good news of God remains. If we will humble ourselves and call out to him for help, he will give us what we never had. The more diligent the soul, the more God will give. In Christ Jesus, he will save us from our ignorance.
Is it any wonder that so few find “The Way?
Image via Wikipedia
As I respond to comments, the words sometimes astound me. I know it’s not me who is responding. It’s a lead conversation. The Lord is in the concepts. And He allows me to interpret what’s being spoken from Heaven.
I posted something in response to a comment today that has really caused me pause. “If I wanted to tear down any social structure I wouldn’t use a direct attack of hacking limbs or even banishing them from society in general. I would infiltrate their group, act like them enough to get honors, then allow myself to be seen corrupting their code of honor.” What shall we say to that? If this statement doesn’t provoke a serious look at our motivation and “belonging”, we’re in serious trouble.
Christians: If you find yourself bringing shame to the name of Jesus, you alone will answer for it. In the mean time you help the enemy block the door for those trying to enter. And you do yourself untold harm when you appear before Him. Let me say this please. And take note that I don’t give a rip what you might think of me for saying this. If you’re doing harm to the body of Christ in this world, it would be better that you pull away from the body and stop telling people you’re Christian. At least the Lord would be able to see that you care enough about His honor to suffer loss. If you can’t keep your lust under control, if you can’t keep your loose tongue sealed behind those quivering lips, if you just can’t seem to stop bringing shame to the Lord, then step away.
Do you think I say this without personal experience in this matter? I’ve gone through more than a decade of isolation because I saw myself doing more damage than was reasonable. I know we all slip. I’m not poking at that. I’m looking intently into the eyes of those who believe it’s ok to do anything they please or say anything they want, and still allow others to think you’re a Christian.
I could say so much more about this. But I think I’ve said enough to have my head delivered on a platter by those who hate the Holiness of God. And if you continue to draw a bad name to Jesus, you’ll eventually look much like that picture above. While you should have been a clear message to the world through your display of Christ, we can’t make heads or tails of your testimony. And you will be held accountable for all of it.
By His Grace.
We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses as we walk in “The Way” of God. Often we will feel as though we are the only one who is suffering. But we know that’s not true. It seems like it sometimes. The call to service before the Most High God has not changed. And in every age that has come and gone, holy men encouraged each other to stand strong in the face of attack by the world we live in:
“. . .There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.” (Hebrews 11)
We face all kinds of trials as we serve the Lord of Glory. And this is as it should be. It is the working out of our faith that produces the fruit God is looking for. Encourage one another to leap into the war. We war against sin in our own lives. We war against becoming cowards. We war in our prayer time as we struggle with the call of “things undone”. We war against the love of money, fame, being alone, and more than I’d care to mention.
Though we encounter all kinds of trials which appear to stand against us, we must remember that we don’t serve God alone. Many have gone before us to lead the way through. And even now, there are millions actively leading the way through. I will not bow to the pressures to forsake the trials I am asked to endure. By the Grace of God in Christ Jesus I will stand. He will bring me into a place of testimony for His name’s sake, and for the sake of the faith of my brothers and sisters.
How is this too much to ask? Shall we abandon our eternal family as they encounter their own trials and remain steady? His Spirit calls for His children to stand strong. So, raised eyebrows here, stand strong! My brothers and sisters, leave a legacy of faith! Let it be spoken of you, that you endured for Him. Encourage those yet not born. Leave a legacy of faithfulness and contentment in the face of your trials.
By His Grace.
We: Live, Die, Face Judgment. Jesus or die twice.
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