BIBLE PASSAGE(s):
He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.
(2 Chronicles 12:14)
One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in
the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of
the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
(Psalm 27:4)
MEDITATION:
The two scriptures above show a stark contrast between two hearts,
attitudes, desires, and faith. One is subject to evil influences, and
the other has an upbeat blissfulness. One is controlled by ‘self’,
and the other is controlled by the ‘Spirit’.
Some people reject the idea of becoming a Christian because they
say they will have to start obeying God’s commands, and they don’t
want to have any more commitments. To them, it is a form of slavery
to God. So what do they do instead? They remain in slavery to the
world and its sinfulness.
Let’s think about this contrast for a moment. Satan wants to keep us
enslaved to him during our entire life on earth, but he has nothing
good to promise us when our lifetime ends. In fact, he wants to keep
us blinded to the fact that his “reward” for being a slave to him, is an
eternity of pain, agony, and more importantly, separation from God
and the blessings He had available for us.
God, on the other hand, wants our commitment to Him so that we can
enjoy our lifetime on earth (with an entirely different type of joy than
what Satan offers, but joy nonetheless – a greater one than the world
can provide). What does God promise after death to those who belong
to Him? He rewards us with an eternity of bliss, which is so great that
our minds cannot conceive, or imagine its magnitude.
So it boils down to this, doesn’t it? We have a choice of being either
enslaved to God, or enslaved to Satan (the world). We need to know
that our life on earth is no more than a blink of an eye when it is
compared to eternity.
So, in essence we are not choosing how we will live our earthly life,
but rather we are choosing what eternity will be like for us after our
lifetime on earth ends. When we make the right choice, not only will
we secure an eternity like we could never have imagined, but we will
also experience new blessings while we are living now.
Satan doesn’t have a plan for our joy on earth, he just convinces
us that we should keep trying different things (usually sinful things,
including anything that is in opposition to God) until we experience
what we ‘think’ is joy and happiness. As a result, we discover that
our life has become unstable and frustrated, because we move from
one thing to another in search of joy and happiness.
God, on the other hand, has given us some specifics for finding
true joy in a relationship with Him. And we know from His track
record and His omnipotence, that whatever He says is true, and
can be trusted.
Look at His instructions in Isaiah 58:13-14.
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from
doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath
a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable, and if you
honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you
please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy
in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on
the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of
your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
(Isaiah 58:13-14)
Essentially, God is telling us that whenever we go ‘His way’
instead of ‘our way’, then we will be rewarded with a joy
which cannot be offered, or duplicated, by the world and
its ways.
Does it mean we have to give up some things? Of course
it does, but whatever we give up will be overshadowed
by something much better that will give us a greater
peace and joy.
ACTION:
How do we respond to the advice in God’s Word?
Some will reject His plan and choose to live a sinful
life in disobedience and defiance of His way.
We all stumble at times, but whenever we choose a lifestyle
that is out of God’s Will, we have chosen to go ‘our own way’
and we have ignored His plans for us. If we talk about the
Lord and faith as if Jesus is Lord of our life, but our lifestyle
defies His Will, then He cannot be the Lord of our life. Some
will attend worship services in an effort to ease their guilt for
living a sinful life on a daily basis.
For instance, God clearly says that sex outside the bonds of
marriage is a sin, and yet some are living adulterous lives
while claiming Jesus is Lord. Still others have chosen to
‘shack up’ with someone without marrying them in order
to fulfill their physical, and possibly emotional desires in
his life. What sin are you holding on to?
God has promised there will be a final judgment where all of
our excuses and justifications will have no meaning, and will
not influence His verdict. The good news is, those living in sin
can change and be forgiven by our merciful and loving God,
but they have to change!
Satan will continue his efforts to convince us that we have
“messed up” too much for God to “save us”; and that God’s
salvation is for others, but it does not include us.
But, is that what God says in His Word? I don’t see any
scriptures that tell us some are excluded from receiving
His salvation, do you?
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
(1 John 1:9)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.
(John 3:16)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, help me in my efforts to make Jesus,
Lord of my life. Forgive me for my sins and cleanse me
from all unrighteousness so I can seek Him with all my
heart. I know that when He is Lord, I can enjoy living
now, and look forward to my day of resurrection when
I will move to my heavenly home and sit at the table with
the Lord of my life.”
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