According to the labels of the world, I am a Christian, a follower of the religion known as Christianity. From an outside, unbelieving perspective, that makes sense, but it isn't what God wants for us. We should not label ourselves merely as Christians, but as Christ-followers. We should not simply be a follower of Christianity, but we should live as a part of the body of Christ. Christians are not just another subgroup of society, another label to throw around and apply to people with certain preferences.
Religion is man-made. It consists of rituals and regulations. It is something that man created in order to give a name and a structure to our beliefs. It makes sense to do such a thing, certainly, but we shouldn't live for Christianity, nor should we look at our faith as only a religion, for that diminishes our faith and minimizes God's influence in our lives. God is real and his promises are true; we must live for the truth instead of living simply to follow a religion. But how do we do that? How do we live for God instead of living for a religion?
Understand that God is real and that He loves you, just as you are. He doesn't only live at church. He doesn't only talk to those people who are living righteous lives, and here is the truth: none of us are living righteous lives, and no amount of religion is going to change that. We are all sinners, each and every one of us, and that sin is separating us from God. There is no power you hold and no good deeds that you can do that will erase that sin. It is there, stained on your heart, and God knows it. He sees it and yet, He love you anyway. It is only the power of Christ and the sacrifice that Jesus gave on the cross that will wash away our sin. A lifetime of good deeds won't do it, neither will following every commandment or fulfilling every religious ritual. No amount of effort on your part will even lighten the stain. Yet, in an instant, the stain can be gone, as though it were never there at all. It is not in our power to become sinless, but God has already done what is necessary to wash that sin away. All that we can do is say yes. Yes, God, I believe you are real, I believe you are more than stories and more than a mere religion. Yes, God, I believe your son came and died for me. Yes, God, I believe you have washed away my sins. Yes, God. Yes.
And then you will be saved.
It is grace that saves you, faith in the sacrifice of Christ. It is not baptism, for that is mere water. It is not communion, for that is merely bread and wine. There is no offering you can give and no service you can perform. All that can be done to save you has already been done by the son of God. You just need to believe.
Life is not about perfect living, for that is something none of us can accomplish, not even those who have accepted Christ as their savior. Yet I try to live my life in certain ways because I seek to live by God's standards, not because I live to fulfill some religious legality. I choose to live my life by those standards because I know I have been saved, and because I choose to show my love for God in that way. For instance, it was a long time ago that I decided to save myself for marriage, not because I did not have certain desires, but because I truly believed that it was best for me to wait, and that following God's commandments would bring me closer to Him. I did not do it because I felt it was the "Christian" thing to do, for living as a Christian isn't the point. I felt it was the Godly thing to do. And now, being married for almost twelve years, I know it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Righteous living will not save you, but being truly saved gives you the desire to live righteously, and to become closer to God. It is the relationship that matters, not the religion. Live righteously out of love, not out of obligation.
Church is a valuable part of life. We can worship God together and gain understanding of Him and His plan. We can form relationships with other believers and partake in Godly fellowship. Yet we must not live for church, for that is not God's plan. We must live for God. Salvation does not come from the church or any other Christian organization. Such institutions are often valuable assets to our faith and can do many great things in the world, but that must not be our focus. Christ is our focus; the church and other Godly entities are tools for God to use in our lives and throughout the world, but they are not something to live for. We must keep our eyes on God.
The Bible is not a mere guide, like a how-to book for computers or some other hobby or activity. The Bible is a God-breathed document that we should consider to be the greatest words in the world. God gave us His book to teach us and rebuke us, to correct us and to train us. We must not view it as simply another book, but the book that holds absolute and eternal truth.
In closing, we must not become wrapped up in the squabblings of religious people. God created us and redeemed us to work together as the body of Christ, and we must not trap ourselves in meaningless bickering about unimportant things. God is truth and Christ is our salvation. Let us come together not as followers of the same religion, but of lovers of the same great and glorious God, for it is the same blood that saved each of us. To God be all glory, from this day forward, into the eternity that we see before us.
Thank you God, for your great love, and for your sacrifice. Show us how to live for you. Show us how to love like you do. We know you are the absolute truth of life, and nothing we can do will ever repay what you have done for us. We love you, now and always. Amen.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Monday, May 14, 2018
The Path You Follow
You need to stop basing everything you do on what the world thinks.
The world is like a flower; here today and gone tomorrow. If we live our life to gain such temporary approval, what have we really gained? We should not base our decisions on such things. God calls us to holy lives. We must live with an eternal perspective with our eyes fixed on Christ. The world cannot offer what God can offer. Living for this life is living without purpose and is not really living; only through God can a life be real and fulfilled.
Being human, I know this is harder said than done, for we have limited minds, weak morals, and mortal bodies. It is hard for us to live for eternity, for we cannot comprehend eternity. We can see the pleasures of this life that are right in front of us, and they are easily attainable. Only through God’s intervention and with His strength can we truly begin to live as we are meant to live. We will still certainly stumble and sin, but that isn’t really the point anymore. We are saved by grace and live by faith, and when that happens, we no longer want to think like the world thinks and act like the world acts. We no longer seek the world’s pleasures. We seek the will of God in our lives, and we desire His guidance. It isn’t about being a “Christian” and living by a set of rules. It’s about being a follower of Christ and living by grace.
The world won’t lead you to Heaven, and it won’t bring you closer to God. The world is out there to destroy you. Do not be taken in by the acceptance of a shallow world. Instead, fall into the arms of God and be cleansed by the depths of His love. Christ died for each of us, and we must now live for Him. The world will not forgive us and redeem us; it will only seduce and diminish us.
The path you follow in this life is the path you follow in the next life.
God is calling.
The world is like a flower; here today and gone tomorrow. If we live our life to gain such temporary approval, what have we really gained? We should not base our decisions on such things. God calls us to holy lives. We must live with an eternal perspective with our eyes fixed on Christ. The world cannot offer what God can offer. Living for this life is living without purpose and is not really living; only through God can a life be real and fulfilled.
Being human, I know this is harder said than done, for we have limited minds, weak morals, and mortal bodies. It is hard for us to live for eternity, for we cannot comprehend eternity. We can see the pleasures of this life that are right in front of us, and they are easily attainable. Only through God’s intervention and with His strength can we truly begin to live as we are meant to live. We will still certainly stumble and sin, but that isn’t really the point anymore. We are saved by grace and live by faith, and when that happens, we no longer want to think like the world thinks and act like the world acts. We no longer seek the world’s pleasures. We seek the will of God in our lives, and we desire His guidance. It isn’t about being a “Christian” and living by a set of rules. It’s about being a follower of Christ and living by grace.
The world won’t lead you to Heaven, and it won’t bring you closer to God. The world is out there to destroy you. Do not be taken in by the acceptance of a shallow world. Instead, fall into the arms of God and be cleansed by the depths of His love. Christ died for each of us, and we must now live for Him. The world will not forgive us and redeem us; it will only seduce and diminish us.
The path you follow in this life is the path you follow in the next life.
God is calling.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Hope
The world today offers us a million different things to put our hope in.
We can put our hope in our jobs and our ability to provide for our loved ones. But, as many of us know all too well, jobs don’t always last. What do you lean on when the pink slip comes?
We can put our hope in our looks, for those who have such things to begin with. But what do you lean on when age kicks in or you put on a few pounds or you are no longer seen as attractive?
We can put our hope in a good retirement and the enjoyment of our golden years. But what do you lean on when the retirement fund starts to run dry? What do lean on when your health starts to fail and you start to see the end of your life?
What do you lean on when your friends and family fail you? When your health fails you?
What do you lean on when your life is taken from you at too early an age?
What do you lean on when all hope is lost?
There is only one thing in the world that transcends all things. There is only one hope that will never fail you.
When God sent his son Jesus to Earth to die on a cross, he defeated all the trials this world could throw at you. No matter what happens, when you place your whole being in his hands, there is nothing this world can drag you through that will take away your hope. Because your hope is no longer in this world.
As the scriptures say, we should be storing up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6: 19 - 21). When we put our hope and faith in Jesus, we no longer live for this world, but we live for the eternity to come. We live for Heaven. This world is not our home, as we are citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3: 20 - 21). The first thing we must do is accept that we are sinners in need of a savior, accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as the means of our salvation. We then need to start seeing things as God sees them - in the light of eternity, not in the limited scope of our lives on Earth. Life is but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow (James 4: 13 - 15). Why do we believe that something so limited could truly hold our hope? No, the only hope with any staying power is the hope given to us by our creator. Once we look to God as our hope and the stronghold of our lives, the trials of this life start to lose their grip on us.
Even though people suck and we all deserve to be telefragged, there is a God who loves us and forgives us, and he is the only hope we have in this life, and the life to come.
We can put our hope in our jobs and our ability to provide for our loved ones. But, as many of us know all too well, jobs don’t always last. What do you lean on when the pink slip comes?
We can put our hope in our looks, for those who have such things to begin with. But what do you lean on when age kicks in or you put on a few pounds or you are no longer seen as attractive?
We can put our hope in a good retirement and the enjoyment of our golden years. But what do you lean on when the retirement fund starts to run dry? What do lean on when your health starts to fail and you start to see the end of your life?
What do you lean on when your friends and family fail you? When your health fails you?
What do you lean on when your life is taken from you at too early an age?
What do you lean on when all hope is lost?
There is only one thing in the world that transcends all things. There is only one hope that will never fail you.
When God sent his son Jesus to Earth to die on a cross, he defeated all the trials this world could throw at you. No matter what happens, when you place your whole being in his hands, there is nothing this world can drag you through that will take away your hope. Because your hope is no longer in this world.
As the scriptures say, we should be storing up treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6: 19 - 21). When we put our hope and faith in Jesus, we no longer live for this world, but we live for the eternity to come. We live for Heaven. This world is not our home, as we are citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3: 20 - 21). The first thing we must do is accept that we are sinners in need of a savior, accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as the means of our salvation. We then need to start seeing things as God sees them - in the light of eternity, not in the limited scope of our lives on Earth. Life is but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow (James 4: 13 - 15). Why do we believe that something so limited could truly hold our hope? No, the only hope with any staying power is the hope given to us by our creator. Once we look to God as our hope and the stronghold of our lives, the trials of this life start to lose their grip on us.
Even though people suck and we all deserve to be telefragged, there is a God who loves us and forgives us, and he is the only hope we have in this life, and the life to come.
Monday, April 9, 2018
We All Deserve To Be Telefragged
Yes, we really do.
Admittedly, this is a term that some readers may not know. Or maybe most of them don’t. Either way, telefragging is a term that comes from the world of computer games. In many first person shooter games, players often have the ability to teleport themselves from one location to another. If a player does that, and another player happens to be standing in the same spot where the first player teleports to, that second player is instantly killed. This is known as being telefragged.
And it’s what we all deserve.
Yes, we really do.
The scripture tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23). There is not even a single righteous person (Romans 3: 10); we have all sinned. We all suck. It’s just the simple truth of our human condition: a perfect God created us and gave us free will, and we took that free will and told God to shove it. We live our lives according to our own desires, ignoring the holy life that God wants for us. The commandments of God were not put in place to limit our enjoyment, but to enhance our enjoyment and protect our holiness. Also, living by God’s commandments leads to a much better, happier, more fulfilling life. He designed certain parts of life a certain way, because it was the best way, and his commandments reflect his desire for us to have that fulfilling life.
For instance, sex was designed for the sacred union on marriage. Taking it out of that context not only goes against God’s design, but is more likely to lead to problems in this life. We humans pervert God’s designs and reject him with our choices. We have become corrupt with sinfulness and worldliness, taking the cheap gains of our mortal lives and trading away the eternal things of our creator.
When this happens, the gap between us and God was not created by God himself. It was us. We pushed him away. We chose to follow our own paths instead of his. We chose sin instead of eternal love, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). These are not wages given to us unfairly; these are wages we earned due to our own choices.
Every day is a gift from God. It truly is, because we don’t deserve it. God doesn’t owe us anything. We are blessed just to be alive, and we should be thankful for it. We should live our lives as though every day could be our last, because it could be. There are those out there that don’t know it yet, but today will be their last day. It could be us. Death will come for us all eventually, and we will all deserve it when it comes. The real death, however, would come afterward, for those still separated from God.
Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is a bridge to reconnect us. There is a path to life, and it starts with a simple choice.
[to be continued...]
Admittedly, this is a term that some readers may not know. Or maybe most of them don’t. Either way, telefragging is a term that comes from the world of computer games. In many first person shooter games, players often have the ability to teleport themselves from one location to another. If a player does that, and another player happens to be standing in the same spot where the first player teleports to, that second player is instantly killed. This is known as being telefragged.
And it’s what we all deserve.
Yes, we really do.
The scripture tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23). There is not even a single righteous person (Romans 3: 10); we have all sinned. We all suck. It’s just the simple truth of our human condition: a perfect God created us and gave us free will, and we took that free will and told God to shove it. We live our lives according to our own desires, ignoring the holy life that God wants for us. The commandments of God were not put in place to limit our enjoyment, but to enhance our enjoyment and protect our holiness. Also, living by God’s commandments leads to a much better, happier, more fulfilling life. He designed certain parts of life a certain way, because it was the best way, and his commandments reflect his desire for us to have that fulfilling life.
For instance, sex was designed for the sacred union on marriage. Taking it out of that context not only goes against God’s design, but is more likely to lead to problems in this life. We humans pervert God’s designs and reject him with our choices. We have become corrupt with sinfulness and worldliness, taking the cheap gains of our mortal lives and trading away the eternal things of our creator.
When this happens, the gap between us and God was not created by God himself. It was us. We pushed him away. We chose to follow our own paths instead of his. We chose sin instead of eternal love, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). These are not wages given to us unfairly; these are wages we earned due to our own choices.
Every day is a gift from God. It truly is, because we don’t deserve it. God doesn’t owe us anything. We are blessed just to be alive, and we should be thankful for it. We should live our lives as though every day could be our last, because it could be. There are those out there that don’t know it yet, but today will be their last day. It could be us. Death will come for us all eventually, and we will all deserve it when it comes. The real death, however, would come afterward, for those still separated from God.
Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is a bridge to reconnect us. There is a path to life, and it starts with a simple choice.
[to be continued...]
Monday, April 2, 2018
People Suck
Yes, we really do, and we’ve sucked for a really, really long time. I mean, just think about it. The second generation of humans recorded in the Bible included Cain, who got so bent out of shape because his brother Abel bested him at a game of Sacrificing Things to God, that he took Abel out into a pasture and beat him over the head with a club. I mean, really? Only a few years earlier, their parents, Adam and Eve, had been living happily in the Garden of Eden, a little piece of perfect paradise where nobody ever did anything wrong and everybody happily ran around naked. And then, after a little run-in with a snake (played in this scene by the prince of darkness), they’re kicked out and shamed, having brought sin into a sinless world. A few years later, one of their sons gets into the record book by being the first person to be guilty of murder. I’m sad to say that we really haven’t come very far since then.
We live in a messed up world. You probably already knew that, though. If you didn’t, just start watching the news. I started typing up this chapter eleven days after a sixty-four year man old used an arsenal of heavy weaponry to rain gunfire down on concert goers on the Las Vegas strip, killing nearly sixty people and wounding another five hundred. Meanwhile, all along that strip are advertisements for escorts and sex shows and pretty much anything somebody might want for a night of revelry. The ground is littered with cards showing pictures of naked women offering their services for the right price. The casinos are full of people gambling away their hard earned money for the hope of something more, many of them emptying their bank accounts and maxing out their credit cards for one more shot and hitting it rich.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve been to Vegas. Twice.
The second time was for the wedding of a relative who just happened to live in Vegas. It was only for a couple days, so it barely counts. Right? I mainly remember that trip for two specific things: the beautiful Chevy Camaro we rented, which was exceptionally fun to drive around, and the buffet seafood I ate that made me sick. Anyway, that’s enough details about that unfortunate night in the bathroom.
The first trip to Vegas, however, was for a five day vacation with my wife, and it was quite a bit of fun. I quickly learned not to take anything that people on the street were trying to hand to me, as they were mostly the aforementioned naked cards. We mainly walked up and down the strip and walked in and out of casinos. We each took one dollar and quickly lost it on a slot machine, just to say we had “gambled in Vegas.” We didn’t have a drink of alcohol. We just walked around together and enjoyed the pretty buildings and stuffed our faces at buffets.
Don’t worry, this book hasn’t somehow slipped into travel planning advice. While we were walking around having a good and innocent time, Sin City was alive all around us. We live in a world of lust and immediate satisfaction, where anything and everything is permissible in the name of entertainment and the almighty dollar, even at the expense of our souls and the wellbeing of others. This is actually not meant as a targeted slight against Vegas, as it is far from the only example of such areas in the world. It just happens to be one of the brighter, more neon examples. All around us, within our own cities, there are establishments that degrade women and exploit anybody who looks like they might have money to burn or something else to offer, such as the children and adults being trafficked as sex slaves. Most of us don’t even realize the evil that is all around us, which is one of the reasons it has been allowed to survive and grow. Whether or not we know these things exist, each of us who stand by and do nothing while there is such evil in the world are enablers for that evil, choosing our own personal comfort and schedules over the wellbeing of those less fortunate. The Bible calls those who do nothing goats (Matthew 25: 31 - 46), rebuking them for never lending a helping hand to those in need, before sending them off to eternal punishment.
We all suck. It’s true. But it gets worse. For, you see, simply being sucky is not the end of it, but since we all suck, then…
[to be continued...]
We live in a messed up world. You probably already knew that, though. If you didn’t, just start watching the news. I started typing up this chapter eleven days after a sixty-four year man old used an arsenal of heavy weaponry to rain gunfire down on concert goers on the Las Vegas strip, killing nearly sixty people and wounding another five hundred. Meanwhile, all along that strip are advertisements for escorts and sex shows and pretty much anything somebody might want for a night of revelry. The ground is littered with cards showing pictures of naked women offering their services for the right price. The casinos are full of people gambling away their hard earned money for the hope of something more, many of them emptying their bank accounts and maxing out their credit cards for one more shot and hitting it rich.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve been to Vegas. Twice.
The second time was for the wedding of a relative who just happened to live in Vegas. It was only for a couple days, so it barely counts. Right? I mainly remember that trip for two specific things: the beautiful Chevy Camaro we rented, which was exceptionally fun to drive around, and the buffet seafood I ate that made me sick. Anyway, that’s enough details about that unfortunate night in the bathroom.
The first trip to Vegas, however, was for a five day vacation with my wife, and it was quite a bit of fun. I quickly learned not to take anything that people on the street were trying to hand to me, as they were mostly the aforementioned naked cards. We mainly walked up and down the strip and walked in and out of casinos. We each took one dollar and quickly lost it on a slot machine, just to say we had “gambled in Vegas.” We didn’t have a drink of alcohol. We just walked around together and enjoyed the pretty buildings and stuffed our faces at buffets.
Don’t worry, this book hasn’t somehow slipped into travel planning advice. While we were walking around having a good and innocent time, Sin City was alive all around us. We live in a world of lust and immediate satisfaction, where anything and everything is permissible in the name of entertainment and the almighty dollar, even at the expense of our souls and the wellbeing of others. This is actually not meant as a targeted slight against Vegas, as it is far from the only example of such areas in the world. It just happens to be one of the brighter, more neon examples. All around us, within our own cities, there are establishments that degrade women and exploit anybody who looks like they might have money to burn or something else to offer, such as the children and adults being trafficked as sex slaves. Most of us don’t even realize the evil that is all around us, which is one of the reasons it has been allowed to survive and grow. Whether or not we know these things exist, each of us who stand by and do nothing while there is such evil in the world are enablers for that evil, choosing our own personal comfort and schedules over the wellbeing of those less fortunate. The Bible calls those who do nothing goats (Matthew 25: 31 - 46), rebuking them for never lending a helping hand to those in need, before sending them off to eternal punishment.
We all suck. It’s true. But it gets worse. For, you see, simply being sucky is not the end of it, but since we all suck, then…
[to be continued...]
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Sin is a Lie
We are all sinful beings. It is a truth of our existence, a truth that will continue to follow us until the end of our earthly lives. We fall to the allure of sin every day, and likely more than we even realize. Sins come and go without us noticing, such as a quick impure thought, a condescending comment, or a little white lie. Sin is crouching at the door, ready to pounce on us. Sometimes, it doesn't even need to pounce. We're so accustomed to it, that we willingly let it happen. Other times, it waits for a moment of weakness. Most of the time, especially when we reflect on our lives, we can see many of the sins we’ve committed. We know they’re sins, and we know we shouldn’t do them. And yet, we continue to sin, day after day. Even those who have given their lives to Jesus and have tried to walk with him for years still struggle with sin.
Even after being justified by Christ, having our sins forgiven and our eternities secured, we’re still sinners. We’re still broken people living broken lives in a broken world. You’d think we’d be able to see how we are, see our own sinful ways, and simply decide that we’re going to be righteous. We’re going to live sinless lives, not doing or saying anything bad. And then an hour goes by, and we realize that we’ve already messed up.
Why? Why can’t we just live perfectly? We have free will. Why can’t we decide to follow Jesus in everything, every day, every single second, doing nothing even remotely unholy?
It’s because we're all gullible.
You see, sin is a lie. It’s a lie that we all fall for, multiple times a day. Sin stands there, whispering in our ears, egging us on, sounding like a talking snake in a garden.
Just one more drink. You’ll be fine.
Nobody knows if you look at pornography. You’re smart enough to cover your own tracks. It doesn’t hurt anybody anyway.
Your spouse is out of town, and won’t know what you do when they’re gone. Nobody will get hurt.
You deserve this.
It doesn’t matter what you say to this person. They’re foolish and stupid and not worth your time anyway.
Do what you want. You’re forgiven either way.
Sin is a voice in our heads, feeding us lies, and we believe it. We might not say we do, but that’s what happens. We give into sin’s push because we think we know better than God. We think our actions won’t hurt anybody. We make decisions based on what we can get away with as opposed to what is right.
The unfortunate thing is that there’s nothing we can do to make this stop happening. We’re going to sin, every day, for the rest of our earthly lives. We repent of our sins and choose to follow God, and yet that voice is still there, and we still trip and fall. That doesn’t mean we should give up and just give in, though. It means that we must draw closer to God, lifting our lives to him in prayer every day. The scriptures say that not one of us is righteous, not even one. We are all unworthy of the love of God, and there is nothing we can do to make ourselves worthy. However, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross makes all that irrelevant. It no longer matters that we’re not worthy, because God has forgiven each and every one of our sins, even the ones we haven’t committed yet. The big ones, the small ones, the ones we don’t even know we do. God has cleansed us of our sinfulness and made us right with God, and that justification doesn’t expire. Ever.
Thank you Jesus for all you have done for us, none of which we deserve. Please be present in our lives. Be our shield and our stronghold from the allure of sin in our lives. Help us follow you and not the world. You are everything we need in this life and the next. Amen.
Even after being justified by Christ, having our sins forgiven and our eternities secured, we’re still sinners. We’re still broken people living broken lives in a broken world. You’d think we’d be able to see how we are, see our own sinful ways, and simply decide that we’re going to be righteous. We’re going to live sinless lives, not doing or saying anything bad. And then an hour goes by, and we realize that we’ve already messed up.
Why? Why can’t we just live perfectly? We have free will. Why can’t we decide to follow Jesus in everything, every day, every single second, doing nothing even remotely unholy?
It’s because we're all gullible.
You see, sin is a lie. It’s a lie that we all fall for, multiple times a day. Sin stands there, whispering in our ears, egging us on, sounding like a talking snake in a garden.
Just one more drink. You’ll be fine.
Nobody knows if you look at pornography. You’re smart enough to cover your own tracks. It doesn’t hurt anybody anyway.
Your spouse is out of town, and won’t know what you do when they’re gone. Nobody will get hurt.
You deserve this.
It doesn’t matter what you say to this person. They’re foolish and stupid and not worth your time anyway.
Do what you want. You’re forgiven either way.
Sin is a voice in our heads, feeding us lies, and we believe it. We might not say we do, but that’s what happens. We give into sin’s push because we think we know better than God. We think our actions won’t hurt anybody. We make decisions based on what we can get away with as opposed to what is right.
The unfortunate thing is that there’s nothing we can do to make this stop happening. We’re going to sin, every day, for the rest of our earthly lives. We repent of our sins and choose to follow God, and yet that voice is still there, and we still trip and fall. That doesn’t mean we should give up and just give in, though. It means that we must draw closer to God, lifting our lives to him in prayer every day. The scriptures say that not one of us is righteous, not even one. We are all unworthy of the love of God, and there is nothing we can do to make ourselves worthy. However, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross makes all that irrelevant. It no longer matters that we’re not worthy, because God has forgiven each and every one of our sins, even the ones we haven’t committed yet. The big ones, the small ones, the ones we don’t even know we do. God has cleansed us of our sinfulness and made us right with God, and that justification doesn’t expire. Ever.
Thank you Jesus for all you have done for us, none of which we deserve. Please be present in our lives. Be our shield and our stronghold from the allure of sin in our lives. Help us follow you and not the world. You are everything we need in this life and the next. Amen.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Temptation
Temptation is something that each and every one of us deals with each and every day. It's not the fact that we're being tempted that should worry us, for that is inevitable. It's how we respond to that temptation that should get our attention. There are two main things we should do if we are struggling with temptation.
The first is to get closer to God. Every person, even those who have a close walk with God, are bombarded with temptation, and sometimes they fail. It is part of the human condition: we, despite being saved and justified by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, are still flesh and bone beings that are limited and weak. We are still affected by our sinful nature. However, those who pull closer to God through prayer, reading his word, and trying to walk with him in obedience will be less likely to trip and fall at every step. One of the main goals in each of our lives should be to get to know Jesus better, day by day. As you draw nearer to God, it allows God and his spirit to have a greater influence on every aspect of your life. Reading God's word daily will imprint his truths onto your heart, allowing you to pull from memories pieces of scriptures that will help you power through moments of temptation. God is our shield and our stronghold and our strength, and the closer you are to him, the more protected you are from the evils of temptation.
The second thing is more practical. If you are struggling with temptation in a particular area, it is wise to attempt to remove or limit that temptation in your life, or at least make it less directly appealing. If you struggle with lust and pornography, put blockers on your computer or phone and get an accountability partner. If you struggle with overeating, don't go to buffets or other places where you tend to overeat. If you drink too much, stay away from bars and liquor stores and other places that may tempt you. Whatever your temptation is, remove its influence from your life. It is better to lose an eye than to be cast into damnation with two eyes, as the scriptures say. Being aware of one's one limitations - and we all have them - is one of the key steps you can take to limit sin's grasp on your life. Admit that you are weak and accept God's strength as the foundation of your life. Those who do not admit their weaknesses are more likely to fall by them. Do not feel shame at the weaknesses you have, for we all have them. Accept them, draw close to God, and do what you need to do to ensure that those weaknesses will not gain a foothold on your life.
Whether or not most of us or the world understands this, the single most important thing in life is not our job description or our bank account. It is our relationship with Jesus. It is drawing closer to him while living in a broken world. It is what we do with the gifts he has given us in this life and following his will. If we have no self-control and allow our lives to be overrun by temptation, we are hampering our own relationship with God. We will never be perfect in these bodies, but walking a life not dictated by temptation and drawing closer to God are important steps to fulfilling God's will for our lives.
The first is to get closer to God. Every person, even those who have a close walk with God, are bombarded with temptation, and sometimes they fail. It is part of the human condition: we, despite being saved and justified by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, are still flesh and bone beings that are limited and weak. We are still affected by our sinful nature. However, those who pull closer to God through prayer, reading his word, and trying to walk with him in obedience will be less likely to trip and fall at every step. One of the main goals in each of our lives should be to get to know Jesus better, day by day. As you draw nearer to God, it allows God and his spirit to have a greater influence on every aspect of your life. Reading God's word daily will imprint his truths onto your heart, allowing you to pull from memories pieces of scriptures that will help you power through moments of temptation. God is our shield and our stronghold and our strength, and the closer you are to him, the more protected you are from the evils of temptation.
The second thing is more practical. If you are struggling with temptation in a particular area, it is wise to attempt to remove or limit that temptation in your life, or at least make it less directly appealing. If you struggle with lust and pornography, put blockers on your computer or phone and get an accountability partner. If you struggle with overeating, don't go to buffets or other places where you tend to overeat. If you drink too much, stay away from bars and liquor stores and other places that may tempt you. Whatever your temptation is, remove its influence from your life. It is better to lose an eye than to be cast into damnation with two eyes, as the scriptures say. Being aware of one's one limitations - and we all have them - is one of the key steps you can take to limit sin's grasp on your life. Admit that you are weak and accept God's strength as the foundation of your life. Those who do not admit their weaknesses are more likely to fall by them. Do not feel shame at the weaknesses you have, for we all have them. Accept them, draw close to God, and do what you need to do to ensure that those weaknesses will not gain a foothold on your life.
Whether or not most of us or the world understands this, the single most important thing in life is not our job description or our bank account. It is our relationship with Jesus. It is drawing closer to him while living in a broken world. It is what we do with the gifts he has given us in this life and following his will. If we have no self-control and allow our lives to be overrun by temptation, we are hampering our own relationship with God. We will never be perfect in these bodies, but walking a life not dictated by temptation and drawing closer to God are important steps to fulfilling God's will for our lives.
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