Who's Your Boss?

Read: Joshua 24:14-15

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” - Joshua 24:15

Why are so many people rabidly incensed at even the mention of the name of Jesus, the word "Bible" or any quote from the Holy book? They may be nursing an offense perpetrated by a Christian – either deliberate or unintentional. This often turns people away from God. Also, running from conviction often causes a person to feel malice toward the Almighty. The closer they come to a face-to-face encounter with our Holy God, the louder they protest. The presence of God threatens their immoral behavior and sheds light into their darkness. God’s light causes sinners to resent and despise His presence in the universe.

There is such a violent hatred toward God in our secular society, that He would be crucified again today in the clutches of irate sinners. They did this in Jesus’ day as well. The crowds screamed for Jesus’ blood when Pilate offered them a choice. Christ willingly relinquished His humanity on the cross, but maintained His divine nature throughout His life and into eternity. Satan pierced the body and soul of God with the scourging and crucifixion, but not His Spirit. Jesus lives again and will eventually put Satan and sinners under His feet forever. God will then take every true Believer to live with Him for eternity (2 Corinthians 5:1).

Who is your Boss, Satan or Almighty God? Paul wrote His epistles to give us instruction on how to live the Christian faith. First, he reminds us that we cannot save our self, and he encourages us to put our total faith for salvation in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). Then he exhorts us to live in unity with each other and to walk in holiness as we serve God unreservedly with undying love (Hebrews 13:1; Ephesians 6:24). Ultimately, Paul urges us to live a life worthy of God’s calling and even to offer our body as a living sacrifice if necessary (Ephesians 4:1; Romans 12:1).

Faced with these inspiring principles to rely on, it is astounding that so many Christians live a mediocre spiritual life. They exist with one foot in the world and one foot in religious activities. They wear their “church clothes” only on Sunday and then they live like the devil the rest of the week. This usually indicates a heart problem. They made a mental decision to follow Christ, but inwardly they are not changed at all. Their spirit is still dead in sin and they never fully trusted in the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ or completely surrendered their will to the will of God. Are you one of these people? If so, get off the fence and choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15).

Prayer:
Father God, Elijah challenged the people of his day to stop wavering between two opinions. He stated that if You are God, then they should follow You; if Satan is god, then they should follow him (1 Kings 18:21). The people stood there in mute silence, because they could not make up their mind. Even if every person I know walks in the name of their false gods, I will walk in the name of the Lord my God for ever and ever. Amen (Micah 4:5).

Thought for the Day:

“Love the Lord our God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” - Mark 12:30

Drawing Near to God

Read: Hebrews 10:19-22

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because in order to draw near to Him, we must believe that He exists and that He rewards all those who diligently seek Him.” - Hebrews 11:6

In the Old Testament covenant, the Jews could never enter the Holy of Holies. Even the priests could not enter. Coming close to God was a privilege only available to the High Priest, and he could do this just once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2). The New Testament tells us that Christ’s death on the cross opened the way for us to draw near to the throne of God with confidence any time we want to do so (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19; Ephesians 3:12). We have this new and living way to approach God with a true heart full of assurance and faith. Drawing near to God is an act of humbling your heart and submitting your will to His.

When we diligently seek God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). As we come to Him, God sprinkles our heart with the atoning blood of Calvary’s cross (Mark 15:38). We are washed by the pure, living water of the Word (Ephesians 5:26; Hebrews 10:19-22). Drawing near to God is a spiritual process rather than a physical one. We can draw near to God by going to church or to a solitary peaceful place; but it can also be done in the midst of a busy subway, a traffic jam, a hospital bed, a board meeting or a desk filled with a ringing phone and work piled to the ceiling. Make it your top priority of each day to draw near to God before you do anything else.

There is a small gate and narrow road, which leads to the Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6); and only a few actually humble themselves, do the will of God with their life and find it (Matthew 7:13-14, 10:38; John 6:40). The wide gate and broad road only lead to destruction. Unfortunately, many try to enter Heaven through this broad way. They believe that all religions and lifestyles lead to eternal bliss. However, the Bible is clear that only those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). God only opens the Kingdom of Heaven to true Believers in Jesus Christ who draw near to Him.

Not everyone who claims the name of Lord or who does miraculous works will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  Satan actually uses some of these good people to draw others into his kingdom. Being good and doing religious works does not guarantee us a place in Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). These people are actually not relying on the power of God in their lives, but on their own self-efforts instead. In fact, Jesus told us a parable that proves that some of those who name the name of Christ here on earth have no idea who He really is. They do not know him personally and He will not welcome them into Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).

Turning away from a life of sinful pursuits and turning toward a life of holiness in Christ  (James 2:17) brings us more than Salvation and a guaranteed place in Heaven. It gives us the right to draw near to God with confidence at any time of the day or night. In His presence, we find mercy and grace to help us in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). God is approachable and available to us. By His abiding power and wisdom within us, He helps us to stand against the devil and to resist his deception (James 4:7). He uses our circumstances to cause us to run to Him in our distress, so He can transform us into Christ’s image. Jesus lives to make intercession for those who draw near to God, and He is able to save us forever (Hebrews 7:25).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I pray for those who prefer to travel the broad road of life. They are traveling in a throng into the eternal fires of hell. I pray that You will catch them away from this everlasting darkness and bring them into Your eternal Light. Help everyone who hears Your Word to respond to it and to humble themselves and take advantage of your generous provision of mercy and grace as we draw near to You.

Thought for the Day:

A revelation of the majesty and holiness of God is a basic necessity for appreciating the love of God.





Many thanks to Heather Johnson for the use of her photo.

Church Goers

Read: Matthew 25: 1-13

“I will search for faithful people to be my companions. Only those who are above reproach will be allowed to serve me.” - Psalm 101: 6

There are three types of Church attendees: Spiritual, Carnal and the Unsaved. There are clear differences between them, however. An authentic, spiritual Christian will hear the Word of God, believe it and obey it. They immediately start to bear fruit: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty fold. This is the doer of the Word. They delight in the life-giving Words of the gospel. They continue producing fruit in greater and greater quantities as they mature in the Lord throughout their lives.

True Believers will grow at different rates in their spiritual maturity, but they will not remain carnal babes all of their life (1 Corinthians 3:1). Some may be slower at grasping the concept of living as an Authentic Christian, but they will gradually grow into the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). The Bible makes it crystal clear that authentic faith in Jesus Christ will produce a life of good works in a Christian Believer (James 2: 14-26; Ephesians 2: 8-10). They may fall into temptation and sin now and then, but they do not live in a sinful lifestyle.

On the other hand, if we practice willful sin after we received the knowledge of the Truth, there is no more sacrifice for our sin (Hebrews 10:26; Luke 8:5f). The Bible calls these willful sinners Apostates (Jeremiah 5:23). Some Apostates actually believe they are Born Again, because they said a prayer and attend church. These people give Christians a bad name by their hypocritical behavior. They never really experienced the power of the gospel in a life-changing way. They are not Born Again, and they are not a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). They participate in religious activities, which make them feel closer to God and His Saints; but they are not truly saved (1 John 2: 19; Matthew 7:21; 25:1-13; John 3:3; 2 Timothy 3:5).

Sometimes, it is hard to differentiate between an Apostate and a Carnal Christian. Only God knows for sure if someone is a Believer or an Unbeliever. Since eternal security is a fact of Scripture, the Carnal Christian is still saved. Salvation cannot be lost, because salvation is a gift from God that He will never take away (John 3:16-18; 5:24; Ephesians 4:30). However, these carnal Christians live as babies according to the elementary teachings of the Word and in rebellion to God (Hebrews 5:13-14).

The Greek word for carnal is sarkikos, which literally means “fleshly.” Paul considers them Believers, because he calls them brethren, but he describes them as “carnal” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3, 3:15; John 10: 28; Romans 8: 37-39; 1 John 5:13).   No one is without sin (1 John 1:8-9). Every time we sin we are allowing the flesh to control our behavior rather than the Spirit of God. Authentic Christians may fall into temptation and sin. However, Carnal Christians sin regularly and actually disregard many of the Ten Commandments.

Those who continue to live in rebellion to God’s Word will justify their fleshly, unscriptural behavior and try to entice others to join them in their sin. They hang out at bars, and sometimes even drink or do drugs. Some are mean and inconsiderate. They cuss, watch R- and X-rated movies, covet worldly goods, gossip and may even be unfaithful to their mate. If we hang around with carnal Christians or the unsaved who profess to be saved, we may be swayed to partake in their sin (Genesis 39:7-12; Psalm 26:5, 50:18; Proverbs 1:10, 4:23, 6:27, 13:20, 16:29, 22:3; Matthew 5:8; 6:13; 18:8,9; Romans 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:33; 1 Timothy 6:21; 1 Peter 4:3,4;).

God constantly calls the unsaved to believe and surrender their life to Him. Carnal Christians continually receive correction from our Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12: 5-11). He is attempting to call us all to repentance from these dead works (Hebrews 6:1) and to allow Him to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 12:1-2). As we surrender our life to God, we will exhibit more spirituality and less carnality through the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit within us.

As Authentic Christians, we treat unsaved people and Carnal Christians with God’s love and nurture; but we should not hang out with them on a regular basis. Instead, we who are spiritual should gently exhort those who are walking in ungodly behavior by sharing God’s truth with them (Galatians 6:1). We should rise up to live as examples of a Believer (1 Timothy 4:12) and to be teachers of the solid food of the Word (Heb. 5:12-14).

Prayer:
Father God, please search my heart and know me. Try me and see if there is any wicked way in me. Then, lead me in Your everlasting way (Psalm 139:23). Helps us to be examples of Your Truth to unbelievers and Carnal Christians, so they will see our good works and Glorify You (Matthew 5:16).

Thought for the Day:

As we align our self with the truth of God’s Word, we live authentic Christian lives.