The Bible is replete with stories of faithful people going through terrible struggles. There was a time that Moses had to wonder about going to a sea that he couldn't possibly cross when the Egyptians came on his heels. There was a time that Elijah thought that he was the only prophet left while Jezebel chased him. The disciples of Jesus had a couple of terrible nights after Jesus was crucified.
These stories would have remained tragedies if they ended while these people were in the middle of the night in their souls. There wasn't an apparent solution. There was nothing that they could do about their situations. They had to think that these circumstances would remain the same or get worse. There doesn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel; no silver lining in these clouds.
But we know the rest of these stories. God arrived at what seemed the last moment. He changed the circumstances from failures to successes. He appeared when they didn't expect Him to. It wasn't a matter of them having enough faith for they had none at all. God simply came to their rescue. He pulled them through their dark night.
I must admit that there have been many struggles in my life that seemed to have no solution. I have been laughed by other preachers when I have declared that God would find a way. I have been thought to have had my head in the clouds when I have claimed that my God would not forsake me. Yet, God has always brought an end to every night.
It wasn't because of my faith either. I have been drained to the point when I stopped declaring God would find a way and stopped claiming that God would not forsake me. I have actually believed there was no way nor that God would deliver me.
I have been ashamed when He arrived for I realize how faithless I have been. I feel as Peter must have felt when he knew the Lord had heard his denial of knowing Him. I feel as if I had denied my Lord when I doubt His deliverance.
So, I would like to declare for you (and myself) that no matter what you are going through that God will find a way: no matter how dark the night, God will not forsake you (or me).
I do not doubt that your night is dark. I do not doubt that it is long. I just want you to know that there is an end to it.
Psalm 37:25 (ESV) 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Precious Gift of Love
No one owes you love. Not even your parents.
You can't make somone love you. It doesn't matter what you have seen in the movies. You can keep some people from loving you but you can't make anyone love you.
Love is a gift. It is the decision of another person to love you. That person may not know where this love comes from. They can make themselves not love you. They can decide to love you.
It is not love when the feeling comes only because of what has been received. For example, the feelings another person gets because he or she has received a gift is not love. It may be gratitude but it isn't love. Love is a gift which is given without expecting something in return.
Love is not always a feeling. True love is always attached to a commitment. That is why the commitment is so necessary. That is why some people don't know whether or not they are in love. It is easy to discern. Are you truly committed ot the person you say you love? If so, you are in love.
The absence of commitment is a sign of limited love. People can still love without an absolute commitment but their love will always be limited. This type of love is fickle. It can come and go. It is hard to call it true love.
There are different kinds of love. There is a love you have while dating which will not measure up to the love you have after thirty-five years of marriage. The commitment makes the difference.
Some people complain that their spouses are not giving them what they want. They want to withdraw their love because of this. They don't have much to withdraw. They are talking about investments rather than love. You sell your investments when they no longer perform. They want to get rid of their spouses when they no longer perform. I can't see the difference.
I think a lot of people think God owes us something. That is why they complain when they don't get what they want. He owes us nothing. We have nothing to complain about.
God's love is simply a gift. It is just like any other love. It comes with the deepest of commitments.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
You can't make somone love you. It doesn't matter what you have seen in the movies. You can keep some people from loving you but you can't make anyone love you.
Love is a gift. It is the decision of another person to love you. That person may not know where this love comes from. They can make themselves not love you. They can decide to love you.
It is not love when the feeling comes only because of what has been received. For example, the feelings another person gets because he or she has received a gift is not love. It may be gratitude but it isn't love. Love is a gift which is given without expecting something in return.
Love is not always a feeling. True love is always attached to a commitment. That is why the commitment is so necessary. That is why some people don't know whether or not they are in love. It is easy to discern. Are you truly committed ot the person you say you love? If so, you are in love.
The absence of commitment is a sign of limited love. People can still love without an absolute commitment but their love will always be limited. This type of love is fickle. It can come and go. It is hard to call it true love.
There are different kinds of love. There is a love you have while dating which will not measure up to the love you have after thirty-five years of marriage. The commitment makes the difference.
Some people complain that their spouses are not giving them what they want. They want to withdraw their love because of this. They don't have much to withdraw. They are talking about investments rather than love. You sell your investments when they no longer perform. They want to get rid of their spouses when they no longer perform. I can't see the difference.
I think a lot of people think God owes us something. That is why they complain when they don't get what they want. He owes us nothing. We have nothing to complain about.
God's love is simply a gift. It is just like any other love. It comes with the deepest of commitments.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
When the Devil Comes Calling
Many Christians deny the existence of the devil. They admit to evil but deny that there is a force behind it. They admit to bad things happening but they deny that there is an intelligent force behind it. For them, things just happen.
I believe that many of these Christians deny the presence of the devil because he has not overtly opposed them. He has kept the peace between them and himself because they aren't causing him any trouble. They have failed to get in his way. They have participated with him in the destruction of godly people by gossip. They have been the "devil's advocate" at church meetings. They have challenged God's word as whether or not it is truthful, relevant and/or accurate. No, the devil's best position is to leave these people alone.
On the other hand, the devil stood before God to get permission to cause Job hardship. Why was that? Well, God brought up Job's name because Job had been so faithful. The devil believed that Job would curse God if God would just stop being so good to him. So, the devil was given permission within limits. It seems apparent that serving God fully causes the devil to seek permission to cause havoc in our lives. Remember, that Peter had said that he would never leave the Lord Jesus when Jesus told him that the devil had obtained permission to "sift him like wheat." Peter failed the test since he denied he knew the Lord when the pressure was put upon him. Yet, it was his faithfulness, his testimony that Jesus was the Christ, that got the devil's attention.
I am not saying that all bad things that happen are from the devil. I am saying that the devil is given permission to cause bad things for those who fully follow the Lord. I don't believe that God always grants him permission, however, God does grant permission more than I would like.
You are not going in the same direction as the devil if he has come calling. He spends his time opposing those who have the potential for disrupting his plans. You are marked. Your personal defense is found in truth, faith, the gospel and salvation. Your weapon is the word of God. It is the same weapon employed by Jesus to rebuke the devill when He was tempted.
Don't let pride get the best of you with what I am about to tell you.
You must be a thorn in the devil's side if you are being opposed by him.
So, call on the Lord for your strength and oppose the devil. He has gained permission within limits. Resisting ing him will send him running.
James 4:7
Subnit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
I believe that many of these Christians deny the presence of the devil because he has not overtly opposed them. He has kept the peace between them and himself because they aren't causing him any trouble. They have failed to get in his way. They have participated with him in the destruction of godly people by gossip. They have been the "devil's advocate" at church meetings. They have challenged God's word as whether or not it is truthful, relevant and/or accurate. No, the devil's best position is to leave these people alone.
On the other hand, the devil stood before God to get permission to cause Job hardship. Why was that? Well, God brought up Job's name because Job had been so faithful. The devil believed that Job would curse God if God would just stop being so good to him. So, the devil was given permission within limits. It seems apparent that serving God fully causes the devil to seek permission to cause havoc in our lives. Remember, that Peter had said that he would never leave the Lord Jesus when Jesus told him that the devil had obtained permission to "sift him like wheat." Peter failed the test since he denied he knew the Lord when the pressure was put upon him. Yet, it was his faithfulness, his testimony that Jesus was the Christ, that got the devil's attention.
I am not saying that all bad things that happen are from the devil. I am saying that the devil is given permission to cause bad things for those who fully follow the Lord. I don't believe that God always grants him permission, however, God does grant permission more than I would like.
You are not going in the same direction as the devil if he has come calling. He spends his time opposing those who have the potential for disrupting his plans. You are marked. Your personal defense is found in truth, faith, the gospel and salvation. Your weapon is the word of God. It is the same weapon employed by Jesus to rebuke the devill when He was tempted.
Don't let pride get the best of you with what I am about to tell you.
You must be a thorn in the devil's side if you are being opposed by him.
So, call on the Lord for your strength and oppose the devil. He has gained permission within limits. Resisting ing him will send him running.
James 4:7
Subnit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Did I Do Something Wrong if Everything in Life Is Not Right?
I hear the stories that come from behind pulpits: "Give you life to Jesus and everything will be great from here on out!" Is that true? Is that even biblical?
Sermons are set around winning, being champions, getting your marriage in the right place, your family following the Lord, your children growing up right, being financially fit and a host of other topics that seem to say that everything will be great if these steps are taken. Doesn't that leave a lot of people wondering what went wrong when they swallow these teachings hook-line-and-sinker only to find that things are not going so well.
Sometimes you can do everything right and the wrong thing still happens. (To make matters worse, you can look at someone who has done everything wrong and see the right thing happening though I will admit not as much.) This reality eventually hits us. The rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous. Bad things happen to the good and the bad people. Bad children come from good and bad homes. The only thing we have going for us in these sermons is that the odds are in favor of those who follow their teachings. It does not totally ensure success.
But sometimes the bad things happen to us even when we have been completely obedient to the Lord. Thinking otherwise makes us believe that we have done something wrong when we haven't. It makes us define the most minute offense as a great offense. It makes us rethink our lives until we have no peace.
So, do what the Bible says with all your heart but know that this does not mean that everything will turn out wonderfully for you. You may still have days and nights when people will oppose you, bills will overwhelm you and your health gets progressively worse.
Know that God is aware and caring even when those bad things come your way. Know that you may have been totally devoted to Him without the need of confessing some great transgression. Know that He has a plan for it all. Know that He will carry you through it all.
Sometimes you have done everything right when things go wrong. Stop beating yourself up when you know you have been obedient. It is merely God's test to see if you will continue to be obedient even when your obedience fails to produce your success.
I bet the Apostle Paul understood this. Who else suffered such hardship for his faithfulness?
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 (ESV)
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Sermons are set around winning, being champions, getting your marriage in the right place, your family following the Lord, your children growing up right, being financially fit and a host of other topics that seem to say that everything will be great if these steps are taken. Doesn't that leave a lot of people wondering what went wrong when they swallow these teachings hook-line-and-sinker only to find that things are not going so well.
Sometimes you can do everything right and the wrong thing still happens. (To make matters worse, you can look at someone who has done everything wrong and see the right thing happening though I will admit not as much.) This reality eventually hits us. The rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous. Bad things happen to the good and the bad people. Bad children come from good and bad homes. The only thing we have going for us in these sermons is that the odds are in favor of those who follow their teachings. It does not totally ensure success.
But sometimes the bad things happen to us even when we have been completely obedient to the Lord. Thinking otherwise makes us believe that we have done something wrong when we haven't. It makes us define the most minute offense as a great offense. It makes us rethink our lives until we have no peace.
So, do what the Bible says with all your heart but know that this does not mean that everything will turn out wonderfully for you. You may still have days and nights when people will oppose you, bills will overwhelm you and your health gets progressively worse.
Know that God is aware and caring even when those bad things come your way. Know that you may have been totally devoted to Him without the need of confessing some great transgression. Know that He has a plan for it all. Know that He will carry you through it all.
Sometimes you have done everything right when things go wrong. Stop beating yourself up when you know you have been obedient. It is merely God's test to see if you will continue to be obedient even when your obedience fails to produce your success.
I bet the Apostle Paul understood this. Who else suffered such hardship for his faithfulness?
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 (ESV)
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Almost Is Not Acceptable
We live in the world of the almost. We almost stop at stop signs. We almost go the speed limit. We almost make it on time. We almost win. We almost caught the bus. What does each of these mean? We didn't stop, we didn't obey the speed limit, we were late and we lost. Each of these represents the failure to accomplish what we intended, otherwise we wouldn't have used the word "almost."
The problem isn't in trying and failing at the almost line. We seem to accept the almost as good enough. We tell ourselves that we should be glad to have gotten this far. Therefore, there is no improvement. We are glad to stand closer to the line of success without ever crossing it.
Don't get me wrong. I think that trying to live a perfect life is a terrible way to live. I believe that setting perfect as a goal is enslaving, depressing and not God-honoring. It represents and individual who thinks that they can achieve perfection. If that were true Jesus would not have died on a cross.
A fully devoted life is not one of perfection. It recognizes the failures and commits itself to the Lord. It neither accepts the almost nor believes it has achieved perfection. It concerns itself with the heart. The heart must be fully devoted rather than almost. It makes corrections often. It does not beat itself up for the failures. It expresses joy in journey of becoming like Christ but never claims it has arrived.
Accepting almost is not the reflection of a fully devoted heart. It is content with where it is. It looks down on others who have not arrived at its "almost" level.
Almost is so pervasive that I wonder if there is a demon named "Almost." He would certainly have a great number of people enslaved to his will.
So, don't almost tithe, share Christ, serve or attend worship. Each of these "almosts" mean you didn't.
Instead, fully devote yourself to the Lord.
Psalm 119:2 (ESV)
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
Psalm 119:10 (ESV)
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
The problem isn't in trying and failing at the almost line. We seem to accept the almost as good enough. We tell ourselves that we should be glad to have gotten this far. Therefore, there is no improvement. We are glad to stand closer to the line of success without ever crossing it.
Don't get me wrong. I think that trying to live a perfect life is a terrible way to live. I believe that setting perfect as a goal is enslaving, depressing and not God-honoring. It represents and individual who thinks that they can achieve perfection. If that were true Jesus would not have died on a cross.
A fully devoted life is not one of perfection. It recognizes the failures and commits itself to the Lord. It neither accepts the almost nor believes it has achieved perfection. It concerns itself with the heart. The heart must be fully devoted rather than almost. It makes corrections often. It does not beat itself up for the failures. It expresses joy in journey of becoming like Christ but never claims it has arrived.
Accepting almost is not the reflection of a fully devoted heart. It is content with where it is. It looks down on others who have not arrived at its "almost" level.
Almost is so pervasive that I wonder if there is a demon named "Almost." He would certainly have a great number of people enslaved to his will.
So, don't almost tithe, share Christ, serve or attend worship. Each of these "almosts" mean you didn't.
Instead, fully devote yourself to the Lord.
Psalm 119:2 (ESV)
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
Psalm 119:10 (ESV)
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
Monday, July 4, 2011
I Will Look to the Lord
The economic recovery we are supposed to be seeing doesn't appear to be in sight. Many have lost the life savings they had prepared for their retirement. Several have said that retirement will not be in their future. Those who still believe in retirement are depending upon bankrupt Social Security to be their safety net. Home equity has fallen with the price of homes. Many people who lost jobs are working at jobs which pay much less than they once had. Many have simply stopped looking.
And where do we turn in these bad economic times? Back to the same people who got us here! Politicians! For some reason we believe that those who did not have the courage to stop giving away the country before the recession will now have the courage since we are in such dire economic times. They didn't have the courage to do so when it was easier but now they will have the courage when it is harder. Yeah, let's see how that works out for us!
For some reason we can't understand why people won't do the right things and fix the entitlement programs our nation has come to depend upon. Each industry has somehow gotten its hand in the government cookie jar of entitlements. The result is a bankrupt nation which cannot pay back what it owes. It will take severe spending cuts to put us back on track. Raising the taxes to the level necessary to balance the budget would be devastating. Even the rich do not have enough money to make a serious dent in the national debt.
We won't do the right thing unless we know the standards by which the right thing must be done. There is no common sense without a common truth. There is no common truth when we are accepting the words of so many people who represent various beliefs. Economics is not the answer for economists are disagreeing on what needs to be done. They have no common truth. They have economic theories. Politicians cannot have a answer since the majority of them seek their own interests first. They pass laws for the rest of the people while exempting themselves from these laws. Surely we must know they are seeking their own self interests.
While I believe in a separation of church and state I also believe in a return to values which are represented in the Judeo-Christian model. Where did the writers of the Declaration of Independence get the "truths to be held self-evident?" What made them self-evident if there wasn't a common truth?
I know a number of people believe I am proposing a religious state. Do you have a religious state when you proclaim that murder must be punished? How do you realize justice if there isn't some standard which is "self-evident" and endowed by a Creator? Why does the admission of a Creator establish a religion if there isn't some self-evident truth?
So, excuse me if I do not seek to be politically correct. I do not believe I can put my hope in politicians and economists any more than I can trust in the weatherman to tell me what the weather will be like this winter. Yes, sometimes all of these are right but their infrequency of being right doesn't even come close to the accuracy of a broken clock which is right twice a day.
My only hope is that our nation will turn back to God. My hope is that He will turn this nation around when we decide to walk with Him.
And by the way, I have politicians tell me lately that I should follow them. They say that I should support them so that they will lead this nation to economic prosperity. That hasn't been the way of the politicians of the past, why should it be that way now. Politicians stick their fingers in the air to see which way the wind is blowing before acting. They follow what the majority of the people want (except for health care. They broke that rule on this one.).
I believe that we will never turn this nation around by electing better politicians. I believe we need better Americans who won't be hoodwinked by the politicians who promise us entitlements for our votes. We would reject something for nothing if we were better Americans.
Thus, my life shall be devoted to the Lord and my hope shall be in Him. I will declare my own independence from a system which is corrupt and live a life solely devoted to Him. Therefore, I will not be enticed away to do what shouldn't be done. I will reject greed and seek what is good for everyone. I will no longer look to my government to supply me with what I need. I will look to the Lord.
Jeremiah 14:22 (ESV)
22 Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.
And where do we turn in these bad economic times? Back to the same people who got us here! Politicians! For some reason we believe that those who did not have the courage to stop giving away the country before the recession will now have the courage since we are in such dire economic times. They didn't have the courage to do so when it was easier but now they will have the courage when it is harder. Yeah, let's see how that works out for us!
For some reason we can't understand why people won't do the right things and fix the entitlement programs our nation has come to depend upon. Each industry has somehow gotten its hand in the government cookie jar of entitlements. The result is a bankrupt nation which cannot pay back what it owes. It will take severe spending cuts to put us back on track. Raising the taxes to the level necessary to balance the budget would be devastating. Even the rich do not have enough money to make a serious dent in the national debt.
We won't do the right thing unless we know the standards by which the right thing must be done. There is no common sense without a common truth. There is no common truth when we are accepting the words of so many people who represent various beliefs. Economics is not the answer for economists are disagreeing on what needs to be done. They have no common truth. They have economic theories. Politicians cannot have a answer since the majority of them seek their own interests first. They pass laws for the rest of the people while exempting themselves from these laws. Surely we must know they are seeking their own self interests.
While I believe in a separation of church and state I also believe in a return to values which are represented in the Judeo-Christian model. Where did the writers of the Declaration of Independence get the "truths to be held self-evident?" What made them self-evident if there wasn't a common truth?
I know a number of people believe I am proposing a religious state. Do you have a religious state when you proclaim that murder must be punished? How do you realize justice if there isn't some standard which is "self-evident" and endowed by a Creator? Why does the admission of a Creator establish a religion if there isn't some self-evident truth?
So, excuse me if I do not seek to be politically correct. I do not believe I can put my hope in politicians and economists any more than I can trust in the weatherman to tell me what the weather will be like this winter. Yes, sometimes all of these are right but their infrequency of being right doesn't even come close to the accuracy of a broken clock which is right twice a day.
My only hope is that our nation will turn back to God. My hope is that He will turn this nation around when we decide to walk with Him.
And by the way, I have politicians tell me lately that I should follow them. They say that I should support them so that they will lead this nation to economic prosperity. That hasn't been the way of the politicians of the past, why should it be that way now. Politicians stick their fingers in the air to see which way the wind is blowing before acting. They follow what the majority of the people want (except for health care. They broke that rule on this one.).
I believe that we will never turn this nation around by electing better politicians. I believe we need better Americans who won't be hoodwinked by the politicians who promise us entitlements for our votes. We would reject something for nothing if we were better Americans.
Thus, my life shall be devoted to the Lord and my hope shall be in Him. I will declare my own independence from a system which is corrupt and live a life solely devoted to Him. Therefore, I will not be enticed away to do what shouldn't be done. I will reject greed and seek what is good for everyone. I will no longer look to my government to supply me with what I need. I will look to the Lord.
Jeremiah 14:22 (ESV)
22 Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O LORD our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Afraid of the Wrong Things
I get emails warning of the immanent collapse of the economy. I am supposed to be afraid and run to whatever stock or commodity being promoted so that I can "weather the upcoming economic storm." Others are declaring that the unrest in the Middle East will cause a world wide revolt which could start World War III. I am supposed to be afraid that nuclear war will end the existence of humanity. Some people are saying that global warming is causing climate change which will raise sea levels, change weather patterns, cause catastrophic hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis and great fluctuations in global temperatures. They are saying I should be so afraid that I stop using my car for anything. (I already ride a bicycle to work.)
A majority of news media, economists and science nerds are telling me that I should be afraid everyday of my life about something that might happen. That is not what the Bible says. It says that I should not be afraid of the things in this world but I should be afraid of being in the hands of a Living God.
Jesus said, " Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:31-34 (ESV)
Paul wrote, " do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)
Fear of the things in this world reveals a lack of the understanding of the sovereignty of God. There is nothing that can come into our lives without God's knowledge. There is, therefore, a purpose for each thing that is allowed to enter. God did not slip and let things fall out of His hands. He also does not cause every bad thing that happens. He uses natural events and even human sin to bring His people to Himself. He does so just as He did with Pharoah when bringing His people out of Egypt. Pharoah may have appeared to have thwarted God's will for a time but he was actually being used to bring the people to the Promised Land. It is easy for us to look back on those events and see God at work but it was difficult for those people living at that time to see it. It appeared that Pharoah was a formidable foe for God when he was merely someone who was bringing resolve to God's people to leave Egypt. Pharoah could do no more than God allowed him.
Thus, our own fears should be abated with this knowledge. God is still in control of all things. We should take precautions for things that can hurt us but we should never fear them because God will always be available to bring us through whatever we face when we walk with Him.
However, that doesn't eliminate the presence or the actual need for a measure of fear. Our fear should not be based on the circumstances of world but on the condition of our hearts. We should be prepared for judgement even though we are saved from the burning fires of hell. We should not take our salvation capriciously as if we can do anything we want because our salvation is secure and there is nothing that God can do to punish us. We should understand that heaven will be full of justice. Each one shall receive what he or she has "earned" in this world.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)
Our fear should not be in a God who may act without regard to justice but in Him who always acts in justice. In other words, we should be afraid of our own guilt committed as those who continue to sin after coming to know Christ. It will not remove us from salvation but it will place us in the hands of a just God.
This is legitimate fear. It is the other side of my love for God. I do not want to disappoint my God because I love Him. I have a healthy fear of God because He is living and just. He cannot simply wink at my continued sin.
I do not view this as any sense of eternal punishment but it is still punishment no matter how brief when considering eternity. Therefore, I watch the way that I live. I seek to keep myself in a right standing before Him. I know that I will not be perfect but I devote my heart to Him. It keeps me from conscious sin and warns me of many of the things I would do unconsciously.
Honestly, I do not want to be guilty and in the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:31 (ESV) 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
A majority of news media, economists and science nerds are telling me that I should be afraid everyday of my life about something that might happen. That is not what the Bible says. It says that I should not be afraid of the things in this world but I should be afraid of being in the hands of a Living God.
Jesus said, " Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:31-34 (ESV)
Paul wrote, " do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)
Fear of the things in this world reveals a lack of the understanding of the sovereignty of God. There is nothing that can come into our lives without God's knowledge. There is, therefore, a purpose for each thing that is allowed to enter. God did not slip and let things fall out of His hands. He also does not cause every bad thing that happens. He uses natural events and even human sin to bring His people to Himself. He does so just as He did with Pharoah when bringing His people out of Egypt. Pharoah may have appeared to have thwarted God's will for a time but he was actually being used to bring the people to the Promised Land. It is easy for us to look back on those events and see God at work but it was difficult for those people living at that time to see it. It appeared that Pharoah was a formidable foe for God when he was merely someone who was bringing resolve to God's people to leave Egypt. Pharoah could do no more than God allowed him.
Thus, our own fears should be abated with this knowledge. God is still in control of all things. We should take precautions for things that can hurt us but we should never fear them because God will always be available to bring us through whatever we face when we walk with Him.
However, that doesn't eliminate the presence or the actual need for a measure of fear. Our fear should not be based on the circumstances of world but on the condition of our hearts. We should be prepared for judgement even though we are saved from the burning fires of hell. We should not take our salvation capriciously as if we can do anything we want because our salvation is secure and there is nothing that God can do to punish us. We should understand that heaven will be full of justice. Each one shall receive what he or she has "earned" in this world.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)
Our fear should not be in a God who may act without regard to justice but in Him who always acts in justice. In other words, we should be afraid of our own guilt committed as those who continue to sin after coming to know Christ. It will not remove us from salvation but it will place us in the hands of a just God.
This is legitimate fear. It is the other side of my love for God. I do not want to disappoint my God because I love Him. I have a healthy fear of God because He is living and just. He cannot simply wink at my continued sin.
I do not view this as any sense of eternal punishment but it is still punishment no matter how brief when considering eternity. Therefore, I watch the way that I live. I seek to keep myself in a right standing before Him. I know that I will not be perfect but I devote my heart to Him. It keeps me from conscious sin and warns me of many of the things I would do unconsciously.
Honestly, I do not want to be guilty and in the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:31 (ESV) 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
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