My thoughts have been troubled lately. I hear and see things that concern me and when I pray I feel there is a certain urgency that was not there even a month before. I feel God's patience is running out with those who are turning a deaf ear to His calling, His teaching and His correction. The things I hear and see from this world weigh heavy on my spirit because so many good, kind, loving people are being drawn away from the truth...and many churches are embracing the deception of the enemy.
The world is shouting to us that bad is the new good. The world is putting their best "bad" on display for all to see and daring those who are in Christ to call sin sin. "Look at what we are doing! See what fun things can be when others stop telling us what to do? Join us in our party. Being bad isn't as bad as we were taught. It's just natural to be bad. Actually the only people who think our actions are bad are, themselves, bad, judgmental, self-righteous bigots." It seems the world's shouts are becoming louder each day.
The Bible says God is love (1John 4:7), believe in Jesus and you will be saved (Acts 16:31), we are saved by grace through faith not works (Ephesians 2:8). At some point each of us have quoted the powerful words, or some form of them, and many of us believe them. What about these words: Faith without works is dead (James 2:14), those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), they will be cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:49-50).
Either the Bible is true or it is not. Either we have hope in all of the Bible or hope in none. If we believe the Bible is true then we must take all of it as truth. We can't pick and choose what verses we like. If the Bible is true when it speaks of God's love for us then it is also true when it speaks of the way our lives should change as we build a loving relationship with Him. If the Bible is true that Christ died for our sins and Heaven is waiting for those who accept Him as Lord and Savior then it is also true that there is a hell reaching out for those who reject God by living in their own passions and lusts. Interpreting His word to fit our likes and dislikes will not qualify us to claim His forgiveness. Lip service is not the same as walking in obedience to His truth.
Seekers, denominations, preachers, professors - all of us who believe there is a God - the time has well come for each of us to decide if we also believe that God's Word is truth; for if it is, then all of it is truth and we must lives our lives as a reflection of such. If all of God's Word is not true, then none of it is true and our god can be anyone or anything we choose, or nothing at all. If God's Word is not true then quit hanging onto the whispers of Heaven with His love, mercy and grace, for this world is all we have to live for...there is no other.
If you are miserable today perhaps you've been holding to those whispers of mercy but not letting go of the shouts of the world and your desire for it. No man can serve two masters. He will love one and hate the other (Matthew 6:24). Let go of those shouts and embrace God's whispers to your spirit with all you have. It will not be an easy path. You will encounter resistance with each commitment to become more like Christ; but this world is going crazy and turning everything over to God has given me the hope I could never have by selecting parts of truth according to how I want to live.
Time is short. Your eternity may arrive before you see tomorrows dawn. I pray you choose truth and determine to live in it daily until you move from this life to the one promised by the Speaker of all Truth.
Comments