Folks, the
Word of God is alive, its bread for the soul/spirit. It is sharper than a two-edged
sword. It serves us in more ways than you can imagine. If you read a passage
and it seems to cut you making you feel remorse… it’s for your good. Its God
(His Holy Spirit) working in you to cleanse you by leading you to repentance.
Making you in your spirit as white as snow.
What can be
difficult is knowing/accepting that once you give your life to the Lord You are
a New Creation in Jesus Christ. His
blood sacrifice covers you so that when God looks upon you, He sees His Son!
It’s the
heart that is made new in you. Sure, residues of the past linger on the
skin/flesh; but God looks at the heart!
If your heart isn’t right, then you have a problem… just take it to the
Lord. Go into your prayer closet and restore your walk with the Almighty Lord
God the Creator of heaven and earth the one who knew you before you were even
born. He loves you! Just turn to Him,
sing songs of praise to Him and His peace will return to you.
Hate those
things which the Lord hates: greed, envy, theft, gossip, drunkenness, sexual
immorality, divorce, strife, deceit, malice and certainly murder… If you do hate those
things in your heart; then, you do know the difference between right and wrong,
you do know what is right in the Lord’s eyes and He is glorified for that;
because, His Word is having an effect in you.
Now, if you
love (rather than hate) the things of this world: greed, envy, theft, gossip,
drunkenness, sexual immorality, strife, deceit, malice and certainly murder… Or
you desire and pursue encounters in the flesh such as: sexual or gluttonous,
envious, boastfulness or drunkenness? Or are you constantly seek to show
yourself off or indulge yourself in the flesh of those mentioned?
If the
answer is yes, then you haven’t given yourself to God; you are not living a
life that glorifies God. His Word is not able to have an effect in you because
you love the world and the things of this world which keep you preoccupied, and
engaged with the flesh, producing in you unfruitful works/deeds that are not of
the light but of darkness.
If that is
not where you want to be… then turn to the Lord God who is the Father and Son
Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit, the Creator of all things, the one true God who
made man in His image. Hate the things of this fallen world (which God hates)
and love what God loves (faith, hope, peace, kindness, mercy, forgiveness) and
love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
This
situation of loving the things of this world reminds me of the illustration
Jesus gave vividly in Matthew and Luke on exactly the problem we have been
talking about today… desiring God or loving the world.
Reading from Matthew 19:
16-24 ~ … A man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I
do to obtain eternal life?” “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus
replied, “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the
commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus
answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear
false witness, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as
yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” said the young man.
“What do I still lack?” Jesus told
him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
Then Jesus
said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you… it is hard for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a
camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.”
It’s an
illustration of a man who says he wants God but he really wants the things of
this world. Now, we can have things, we can and should have money to pay our
bills, clothes to wear and food to put on the table but we don’t let those
things consume us and we don’t desire them. We desire God; not the world!
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