BIBLE PASSAGE:
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
(Proverbs 14:12)
MEDITATION:
In His Word, God tells us everything we need to know about what
is right in His eyes. Regardless of what He says, some (maybe many)
try to rewrite God’s instructions to fit their own lifestyle.
If God’s way causes an inconvenience or takes a person out of their
comfort zone, then he or she starts modifying His Word to fit their
desires, instead of adjusting their life to fit His directions. Does that
even make any sense?
Should we change anything that our omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent Heavenly Father has ordained? If we are guilty
of changing anything, we are not only showing a lack of faith
in God, but we are showing that we have decided that we know
better than God does, about what we should do.
There are many problems when we do that, but here is a major issue
to consider. We can fall into a trap of redefining God’s definition of
salvation as well. That means we will look at salvation on our terms,
and not in the way God created His plan for salvation. We can also
start assuming that His forgiveness is the same as that of mankind.
That is unequivocally not true!
God forgives us out of love, whenever we express our belief in His Son,
Jesus, and confess our sins (instead of trying to rationalize or justify
them). Mankind’s forgiveness is usually conditional, because we can’t
get over being wronged by someone.
When we redefine salvation, we develop the idea of self-redemption.
In other words, God has it wrong and we have it right. Mankind
assumes that we must work at righteousness so we can save ourselves.
It’s a noble act to be as righteous as we can, but our efforts will not
save us. Why not? Because it’s not aligned with God’s salvation plan.
No amount of work that we do can save us, because salvation is a free
gift from God. The best thing we can do is read God’s Word and accept
it as truth. Whenever we try to alter the scriptures to fit our desires, we
create all kinds of problems for ourselves, and one of the worst problems
is, we risk missing out on an eternity with God.
Therefore do not be foolish,
but understand what the Lord’s will is.
(Ephesians 5:17)
ACTION:
We should ask ourselves:
– Do I accept God’s Word as truth?
“I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear,
not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear
until its purpose is achieved.”
(Matthew 5:18 (NLT))
– Do I read the bible often to get a better understanding of God’s plans?
– Have I rationalized any of my actions (or inactions) so I can
exonerate myself from being guilty of disobeying God’s Word?
– Am I having skirmishes with the Evil One,
or is it an all-out declaration of war?
If we are having skirmishes with Satan, it means he has convinced
us that we can battle him in our own strength, so we don’t have to
‘bother’ God. How does he do that? He allows us to win a few times
but he is winning the war. He is still in control of our sinful life and
giving us confidence that we are in control. When we realize the
magnitude of the battle we are in; we will call on God because we
realize we are not equipped to have victory over such a formidable
combatant. We admit to the Lord that we have been ‘fighting’ on
our own, but we desperately need His help. When we do that, we
are admitting to God that we are dependent on Him, and are no
longer independent within ourselves. When we spend time reading
God’s Word, we can see that he wants our dependence and rejects
our independence. The result is, we receive God’s needed help, and
we please Him when we admit our dependence on Him.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I believe ALL of your Word is truth.
Forgive me if I am guilty of modifying anything in the
scriptures to justify my actions or inactions. Rather than
altering Your Word to fit my needs and wants, help me to
alter my needs and wants to fit Your Word. Teach me about
the dangers of changing anything in Your Word. I know
that my attempts at living a good life are very little when
compared to the life of my Savior, Jesus Christ; but because
of Him, I can come to You, knowing He has redeemed me.
Thank You, Jesus, for loving me and receiving the punishment
I deserve, so I will have the opportunity to receive salvation
from God, the way He has planned and described it to us.”
BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
Discussion
No comments yet.