2018-02-23
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, the Holy Spirit instructed me to write about more warnings given to the church from the Scriptures to keep its practices in line with God’s will. We’ve already discussed COL 3: 9-10, a key passage dealing with bad behavior and motives. Let’s look at PR 23: 21, “Drunkards and gluttons will be reduced to poverty. If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags.” This notion is expressed in numerous ways and contexts in the Bible. Anyone who has had a relative or friend who becomes addicted to alcohol knows what a drain on a marriage, business partnership, or any kind of close human interaction that alcoholism can be. The same can be said of increasing drug addictions, which often lead to the commission of crimes to support the addict’s habit. Today’s doctors and actuaries are aware of the reduction on one’s percentage longevity chronic overweight can be. People who are addicted in these manners and who have no faith in themselves become lazy. Their habit takes over their lives.
It seems that one sin leads to another. Observers of those with habits as mentioned above find it difficult to resist being judgmental. Remember that MT 7: 1-2 tells us, “Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you, for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and He will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.” Those who read and take the trouble to understand God’s will from His word know how judgments place one on that slippery slope that leads to habitual sinning. A verse that helps us to understand this notion better is MT 11: 19, “When the Son of Man came, He ate and drank, and everyone said, ‘Look at this Man! He is a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and other outcasts! God’s wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its results.’” This is definitely food for thought.
The first 12 chapters of the book of Romans is one of the greatest treatises on Christian beliefs we have. It’s remaining 4 chapters are the greatest “how-to” on living the Christian life. In RO 2: 2-3, Paul takes on hypocrisy among the Jews of his time. “We know that God is right when He judges people who (pass judgment on others). But you, my friend, do the same sin for which you pass judgment on others (hypocrisy). Do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” Verse 4 asks the question of one’s attitude against kindness, tolerance, and patience in comparison to God’s. We are told in (8) that God will reward each of us according to what we have done. God will pour out His anger and fury against wrongdoers. There will be suffering and pain for those who do evil, for both the Jews and the Gentiles. Yes, Dear Fellow Believers, our lives as members of Christ’s church are meant to prepare us to give an account of ourselves in the last Judgment [DN 7: 13-14; 1 COR 3: 9-15; 2 COR 5: 10; 1 PET 4: 5-6; REV 20: 4-6; 11-15].
Consider this godly wisdom from MK 3: 25, “A house (family) divided against itself will fall. It is Satan’s kingdom that divides into groups and cannot last, but will fall apart and come to an end.” All of us know that family squabbles over things like inheritances break the family apart. It has happened in many families, and when combined with the modern condition of families being parted by where jobs are available, can lead to decreasing communication. There was a time in the past when several generations of one family either lived in the same abode or very close by each other. Such is rarely the case now. Time, physical distance, and lack of common interests all play a part in the divisions seen in today’s families. Ethical, political, and religious differences help cause these divisions. We need to be alert and take steps to prevent these circumstances. 1 COR 3: 19, “For what this world considers to be wisdom, is nonsense in God’s sight. JOB 5: 13, “God traps the wise in their cleverness.” PS 94: 11, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are worthless” [1 COR 3: 20].
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your mighty throne to express our thanks and praise to You. The advice You give us is intended to make Your will that we spend eternity with You, Your Son, and Your Spirit so. While we are born with sin and have natures that are comfortable with sinning ways, it is through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross, that we may find eternal forgiveness, salvation, and justification [1 JN 1: 9; JN 3: 16; RO 4: 3]. No other Being than He could do this for us. In Your word, You have discouraged us from being judgmental, holding grudges, and wrongdoing of all kinds. Obedience to Your will means that we must close off our hearts to the evil one and open them wide to the Holy Spirit. This isn’t easy for us, as it goes against our nature. But, You have created us to be able to obey You and make choices wise in Your sight. We acknowledge the pain and disappointment we cause You when we sin, and pledge to do what we can to make changes in accordance to Your will. In Christ’s holy/mighty name we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded to begin a new segment of messages in this “Knowing God” series called “Christ and Believers.” The amazing relationship between our Lord Jesus and those who proclaim Him their Lord and King isn’t simple, but it is extraordinarily important to our eventual fate. We’ll examine this relationship and see what we can learn from and about it. For those of us whose life is founded on it, the desire to change behavior to fulfill God’s will is enormous. It affects every aspect of our lives. In my own case, it has led me to spend the rest of my life and the last 34 years serving Him full time. There has never been a moment’s regret in deciding to do this, and it has led me to fabulous friendships and opportunities to be unselfish in serving others. For a person who didn’t find her bliss until later in life and who departed from a very self-centered existence, this is something only our awesome God could bring about. Nothing in my over seventy-three years of life has made me happier and feeling more at home in my own skin! I hope and pray that God will do the same for each of you reading this message, as only He can do. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2017. All Rights Reserved.
<-- Back to Archives