A concern of Christianity…
In previous posts I have pointed out that pretty much everyone in America is wealthy! No matter how poor you think you are, you are still rich compared to the rest of the world…it is only poor to America’s standards.
Jesus said in Mark 10:25, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven.” Eye of a needle, is a certain gate called the Needle’s Eye (shaped like a eye of a needle) in wall and the only way a camel could get through it would have to be free of baggage and kneeling.
So at the time this was said America did not exist and our ideals of poor were different. So I question if America, the rich, fits into this scripture above. Christ has just told a rich man to go sell all his possessions and give it to the poor, and he was not willing to do that and went away sad. Could you give all you owned and give it to the poor to enter Heaven? As I thought about this last week, I said yes but immediately started making excuses of why I wouldn’t have to sell my dirt bike or other luxury items for His sake wait or is for mine? Still I wonder if America is in danger of thinking they are saved but yet are not.
Revelations 3:14-22, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those who I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He, who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
According to all end time prophecy teachers I know of, say we are living in the age of Laodicea. Does this not describe us as Americans? Do we say God I need you because I cannot afford healthcare, doctors, or food. Do we cry out to God because we have no place to lay our heads sleeping in 100 degree heat? For the most part, I think it is a fair assumption we do not as Americans, we have welfare, government, food stamps, health insurance, fridge full of good, vehicles or public transportation to get to where we need to go. We do not have to worry about what we are going to eat tomorrow and even when we think it is bad for the most part we actually have it good. We are so rich in America that we unintentionally say to God, we do not need you because we are rich. All we do say is, God I am giving so you will bless me 10 fold until my cup runneth over…have you ever thought your cup is already running over! It concerns me since we do not have a need for God, we tend to only accept God under our conditions and we do His will when it benefits or convenient us. It concerns me we only desire God for our needs not out of a LOVE for God! I know initial reaction is, I LOVE God! But do your actions reflect those words or do the motive of your actions reflect those words?
The more I ponder this, the more I realize I have a warped train of thought. Francis Chan says it like this. We go through life thinking Christianity is simply, not cussing, listening to Christian music, not drinking, being forgiving, and trying to overcome our struggles. He goes on to say that this kind of life becomes a chore, wearing, and unfulfilling. As I thought about this, and how much time thought and effort went into getting sins out of my life I realized that I had spent more time dwelling on that than I had seeking a relationship with God. Sad thing is it was substantially more. I feel that in a way I had put my “sanctification process” in front of God and seeking a relationship with Him. I have therefore made the “sanctification process” a god in itself…which disobeys the 1st commandment…SIN!
He then points out that God is so HUGE and we are virtually nonexistent to His magnificent deity, I AM, that how arrogant we can be to believe that anything we do can deserve His love or forgiveness! The Great and Mighty God designed and executed His plan of redemption for us; to restore His original reason for creating us…fellowship. He loved us so much that instead of just killing man off and starting over(scrapping the project) He created a plan to bring redemption by sacrificing His son for our sins! God wants a relationship with us! He wants us to PRAY, LISTEN, and DWELL on His Word! It is relationship that should be our number 1 priority, not what is right or wrong. For when we seek a relationship with God, He is faithful to receive us as we are! As we develop a closer relationship with God, all the other things will follow but this time out of our love for Him! Sanctification, works, ministry, etc are all byproducts of a growing in a loving relationship with Christ!
I praise God that He says in Revelations 3, “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.”, He could say I will just spew you out of my mouth, but He said, “I am about to…” He will do it because He is just but there is hope to those who have an ear to hear!
So as I contemplate all this, I begin thinking of my past. I wonder if I am doing everything I do because I love Christ and in return everything I do is out of the love I have for Christ or because it is what I was told or as I think I should do. I know for the past several years everything has become as a job and tiresome, which is not out of love but volunteerism.
Is it all in vain? Will it all be burned up upon the saint’s judgment day? “Let everything you do be done in love (true love to God and man as inspired by God’s love for us).”, I Cor 16:14 Amplified Version. So does America really love God, do I really love God, or my words mute behind dead deeds?
When reading scripture I feel I am missing the mark and feel many others are too. Not intentionally but out of our ignorance of God. Though ignorance does not hold up in the court of law nor will it hold up with God. You might say that is harsh but God is Just and has given us the tools to FREELY seek Him! Over the past 12 years have I truely been seeking Him? NO! I still struggle to read and pray daily! If I desired, longed, love God 100% I couldn’t get enough of Him! I would Long to be in His presence, but I do not! Do you? Would your love relationship with God be enough to retain a healthy relationship with your spouse?
John 14:15 Amp Version, “If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands.”
Romans 12:9 Amp Version, “[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.”
- Do you find humor in sin? Initial thought is no but what about in movies? TV shows? jokes?
- Is all you do sincere?
1 John 4:8 Amp Version, “He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.”
- Are you racist? How can you love God yet hate a part of God. For all man was created in His image.
Hebrews 13:1 Amp Version, “Let Love for your fellow believers continue and be a fixed practice with you [never let it fail].”
- Do you love your other brothers and sisters in Christ? Or do you gossip about them to your friends? family?
James 2:17 Amp Version says, “So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).”
Matthew 28:16 - 20 Amp Version, “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed and made appointment with them. And when they saw Him, they fell down and worshiped Him; but some doubted. Jesus approached and, [a]breaking the silence, said to them, all authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them [b]into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you [c] all the days ([d]perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. [e]Amen) so let it be).”
Mark 12:30&31 Amp Version, “And you shall love the Lord your God [b]out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul {your [c]life) and out of and with all your mind (with [d]your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. [e]This is the first and principal commandment. (A) The second is like it and is this; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.(B)”
What is Love: I Cor 13:4 - 8 defines it for us,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is no self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
When you read that, do you see those characteristics in your life? What about to those you are not friends to, say waiters? Do you see those characteristics when in your life when no one is around? Do you Love? We say we are Christ-like…but 1 Cor 13: 4-8 defines what Christ was like! He was LOVE! Not for sure about you, but the more I evaluate myself, my walk with Christ is getting more and more pathetic…yours?
As I read these scriptures and take a look at my life I can see MANY areas where I am lacking and I can see where I do not always love God with all my heart, soul, and mind. Where I do not faithfully keep all of Christ’s command, John 14:15, and I know I do not do everything out of Love but obligation.
My point is simply this, after evaluating my life I praise GOD that He has opened my eyes to see where I am lacking! I am lacking in my relationship with Him! I pray that God will continue to give me a love for Him more and more everyday! That is AMAZING isn’t it! How did Pastor Brown say it, it’s putting the wagon before the horse. In otherwords my spiritual life has been backwards! All I NEED to do is seek a loving relationship with God and forget about everything else! The rest will follow!
