Today as I'm writing this I'm over come with a mix of emotions. Friday morning was our Ladies Christmas Bruncheon, and we had a nice time sharing and just enjoying each others company. Debbie had spoke about sharing the gift of the gospel, and among all the things she said was one that jumped out at me. forever. A seven letter word we've all heard many times throughout our lives, yet the meaning of it in this reguard was so powerful. God has called us to share the gospel, a gift He has blessed us with that we may spread it and through that He could will for others to see the truth. Yet we hold on to it so tightly, for no real reason but for our own selfish comforts. Not wanting to feel persecution, or feel the strange looks or any other reason we give. But its not our gift to stow away like a child with a toy. (mine..mine..mine) The punishment for those who don't see truth is ..forever. God's judgement is forever. Its needless to say, powerful words we heard on Friday. John 15:18-20 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I CHOSE you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And it got me thinking about a few old acquaintances I've met on my facebook account recently. I had met them when I had been going to my parents old church as a child through different activities I participated in. I went to "youth rallies", "church camp", and numerous other activities. One huge thing missing from all of these distracting things was God's truth in His word. Many of them, not all, believed like arminians. They didn't believe in the sovereignty of God. I know that its only through God's grace I believe this myself. Isaiah 66:1-2 Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word. I guess as a believer I think I feel frustrated to myself at times, and want to just shake their shoulders and say "Can't you see this, can't you see that its by God's will in all things and not man"? Can't you see the truth in even the Potter and the clay"? "Can't you see the true God and not one made from tradition"?
I want so desperately to show them the gospel and the truth. Math. 20:23 He said to them, [Rom. 8:17; Phil. 3:10] ">“You will drink Acts 12:2; Rev. 1:9 ">my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, [ch. 19:11] ">but it is for those for whom it has been ch. 25:34 ">PREPARED by my Father.” Its a common pattern in most "christian" churches today. They hold fast to a deceiving tradition of selfish faith built on their own wills and "easy religion life". They come to God and not God calls them to Him. They believe all you have to do is just repent over and over( knowing and purposely sinning again and again) and God will always forgive and they think that is the life of a true believer. Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Such lies they live with. They pick a apart scripture and twist His meanings to adapt and condone to their life of selfishness. Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ I think to myself ...How can that be enough of a life, to just give in knowingly to the sinful flesh and deny the Father? Now that I know Him there is no way I could live my life any different than to give it fully to His glory. There is no "falling away and coming back to God" like I hear so often after a sermon in those churches a call to come forth and repent and "come back to Him". I use to wonder what God wants from us and why He lets things happen in this world, such terrible things. The answer to every question is just this.....God wants His own glory magnified through us, and it is only through His will. Everything that happens is according to His will.
I apologize for my openness but I feel that this needed to be said and it helped me to vent in a way. I pray that God will continue to bring me closer to Him and be humbled under Him in all things even these of which all control is in Him. It humbles me in knowing that even through my frustrations to the blind, that its grace that God has blessed me with that I even see Him myself. Someone once asked me if I really loved God, not just to say it with empty words, but to feel true unending deep love and desire to please Him. At the time all I had was the empty words. Its hard to love Him unless He has brought you to feel it. I prayed and prayed for Him, to desire Him. Its a continual battle of spiritual warfare we endure against our wicked flesh, but as long as we have that love and desire to please Him in the end His glory shall be magnified. .......I leave you all tonight with one of my favorite gems of C. H. Spurgeon :
"Don't keep back any part of your life. Make a full surrender of every inclination of your heart; work to have but one purpose, and one aim. And for this purpose give God complete control of your heart.Cry out for more of the divine control of the Holy Spirit, so that as your soul is preserved and protected by Him, that it may be directed into one river, and one only, that your life may run deep and pure, and clear and peaceful; its only banks being God's will, its only river the love of Christ and a desire to please Him."
Love,
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