There are two ways to look at every situation: How it will affect you, and how it will affect God's kingdom. The apostle Paul was always concerned with how his circumstances might aid the spreading of the gospel. When he was unjustly imprisoned, he immediately looked to see how his imprisonment might provide God's salvation to others (Phil. 1:13; Acts 16:19–34). When he was assailed by an angry mob, he used the opportunity to preach the gospel (Acts 22:1–21). When Paul's criminal proceedings took him before the king, his thoughts were on sharing his faith with the king (Acts 26:1–32)! Even when Paul was shipwrecked on an island, he used that opportunity to share the gospel there. Regardless of his circumstance, Paul's concern was how he could use his current situation to tell others of God's good news of salvation. Often when we encounter a new situation, our first thoughts are not about God's kingdom. When we face a crisis, we can become angry or fearful for our own well-being, rather than looking to see what God intends to do through our circumstances. If we remain self-centered we will miss so much of what God could do through our experiences, both for us and for those around us. Ask God to make you aware of how He could use your present circumstances to bless others. Perhaps someone around you needs to see the difference Christ's presence makes in your life. Are you willing for God to use your circumstances to demonstrate His saving power to those around you? - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
We all know people that rush headlong into the day or even a situation without knowing the most that can be known before proceeding. A very famous incident in my family was a family member trying to impress someone in working on a car. It wasn't done. Yes, it ran. Ran well! He jumps in it, throws it in reverse, never having asked if there was more to do. Another heard his shocked voice hollering "no brakes!" as he flew down the driveway, realizing too late that he should have asked, not assumed.
Look at your life, not superficially, but really look. It's not about your rights, your wishes not even your wants that matter. Stop in your tracks, breathe, then look in the mirror of Spiritual reality to see the truth the Spirit is trying to show you. Is your house (you) built upon the Rock (Christ) or is it built upon the sand (the world)?
Are you so intent on your family, fame, career, anything else, that you have never stopped to see what you are building your life upon? Trust me, there's a Heaven or Hell difference in what you do.
There's going to be countless billions in judgment before Christ who will be weeping because they, in all reality, lived for themselves and were not living a Christ centered life. They were not on the Rock.
They all will have considered themselves good people. By their own standards they probably are. By the standard of the Bible, one sin without Salvation in Christ is enough to go spend eternity in Hell. One. In Christ is the forgiveness of sins. In nothing else through nothing else. A single sin is enough to go to judgment before Christ. In Christ those who are saved are washed clean. No spot or blemish of sin. There is no condemnation for them.
Christ is the Rock to build your life upon.
The world will lie, cheat and deceive you in every possible way to keep you from the truth of the Gospel...that Jesus came to save you...all you need to do is ask for Him to save.
But the rest is a life in Christ. It isn't you getting a get out of Hell free card to go live as you want. A life in Christ means living for Jesus. Learning how to really live not how the world tells you of how it should be lived. The world's ways are nothing but a slippery slope to guide people to Hell. Never overtly, just very slowly, gradually.
The prime example is a frog in a pan.
If the pan is cold the frog won't go anywhere. Slowly turn up the heat, it still won't go anywhere. It actually will die in that pan because death was so gradual. Put a frog in a hot pan it will jump right out. Same with Hell. Nobody rushes to go there. Enough has been written of it, that people don't want it. Yet like the first frog, life slowly turns up the heat and they don't even realize they are well on their way to Hell.
Look at your life. Look at where you are today. What's driving you? What do you consider as being important? Is it Christ or is it you? Is the acclaim of the world more important than a "Well Done" from Christ?
Is your personal happiness in life more important than your obedience to God's Word? Oh that's a tough one.
Is your being right more important than God being right? Another tough one.
What motivates you? What is it that means the most to you each day? Do you even talk with Jesus about life during your day? Or do you only pull Him out like a spare tire when life gives you a flat?
Time is now to be real.
Time is now to get your life in order.
Time is now to stop and really look at you before it's too late.
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