A dangerous wind is blowing in our time that
children of God must be wary of. There are life changing statements that are
being bandied around that do not change the inside of a person. No matter how
high sounding sentences and phrases are if they are not based on the immutable
word of God, they do not stand the test of time. For instance, the world
believes we must operate in an atmosphere of correctness in order not to offend
the sensibilities of others even if we have to lie and cheat. As a result
certain character traits that were frowned at have now become the norm. It is
not strange to come into the church and hear messages that leave the
congregation hardened in their hearts against righteousness. No matter how much
hype or pretensions, God’s word cannot be compromised, changed or downplayed. What
God meant two thousand years ago, He still means today. In all the numerous
civilizations of the past, God never changed nor did He replace or update His
Word. His word is truth (John 17:17) and eternal. Friend, we have been called
to a holy living and this word has not been changed upgraded or downgraded from
when the Lord declared it: “Consecrate
yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep My statutes and do
them; I am the Lord who sets you apart” (Leviticus 20:7). No matter how
socially correct we want to be, we have been called to a life of separation
from the lusts of this world. We cannot claim to be children of God while
carrying the lusts of the world in our hearts. Such a state taints our walk
with the Lord and renders God’s word inoperable in our lives. This is not a
hate or condemning piece but to remind ourselves that we serve an Uncompromisingly
Righteous God. The life we have been called to is a life of holiness, a life
that honors and pleases God not a life centered on the pleasures of sin.
Friend, since you heard the call to serve God, how effective has your work for
and in Him being? A poser: If the Lord comes now and your work is tested by
fire, will it survive the testing? You may say yes. Great! Another poser: what
about the thoughts of your heart, your motives and intentions for the ‘great
work’ you are doing? It is not your words or action that define who you are
contrary to the teachings of the world, it is the motives and intentions of your
heart that determine if you are right with God or not. Our works are not
measured physically by the physical results but are measured against the
thoughts, intentions and motives of our hearts.
Good that ensues from a deceitful heart is not good but evil! Remember,
the Tree of Good and Evil can only produce evil fruit because its roots are
evil! Can you take a moment to pause and soberly weigh your heart, intentions
and motives concerning certain issues that are occurring or have occurred in
your life? Ask the Lord for help because: “Nothing
profane will ever enter it; no one who does what is vile or false, but only
those written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). May this be
our prayer continually as David prayed: “May
the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). God bless you.
Have you ever visited a quarry site and considered the process the rocks are subjected to before they become dressed stones to be used? If the stones could talk they will have a story to tell about their experiences. As children of God we go through diverse experiences and we wonder if we will indeed survive them. Sometimes we wonder why our gracious and compassionate Father would allow such to befall us considering who we are in Him and what we are doing in His vineyard. The Scripture that should readily come to our minds in such circumstances is God’s assurance when He said: “I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire and the flame will not burn you ” (Isaiah 43:2). This Scripture assures us that through the experiences of flames and waters, God is always by our side to see us through. Thus, it is necessary for us to go through the...
Comments
Post a Comment