There are many who fall away from the faith, as Jesus spoke of in the parable of the seeds, because of the things of this life. The cares and worries of this life...but also because of willful holding onto sin.
People who are believers can still develop a mildly hardened heart by their staunch refusal to repent of known sin. They not only sin, they are blatantly aware that God calls it sin and do it anyway. That's what Paul meant in Romans about practiced sin. It's sin done intentionally. It can be any sin. Lying, cheating, stealing, sexual issues. Anything that regardless of our personal justification, God says that is sin.
Jesus indeed was referring to God and money when He said you cannot serve both, but He also was getting the point across in being our Master that there can be only one. You cannot live a life of sin and that of a Child of God. Believers need to realize and choose. Unbelievers have no choice but to live in practiced sin because they have never received Salvation from Christ Jesus. They have not the Holy Spirit to teach an guide them.
A great many who will still be left here after the Rapture will be here solely because they thought they could be like a Christian without committing to Christ. Doesn't work that way my friend.
Let's look at the children's story that refers to a wolf disguised as something else. In modern movies that wolf would walk and talk exactly like who he was attempting to be like. In Scripture there's warnings of people in the Church disguised as a wolf in sheep's clothing. They have all the mannerisms of a believer but are not. They may even sound like a believer but are not. When the world isn't looking they certainly are not living it. They are there to devour.
You cannot be two places at once. Same goes for doing things. In the truest sense we really are not doing anything simultaneously. We started multiple jobs but are trying to split our focus and attention between them. It's stressful. Those who say it isn't live in a world where they just got used to the stress but the stress is still there.
We choose who we will obey. Either God or ourselves. People often don't realize that their stress or anxiety is self inflicted.
They are angry yet only have a vague idea why. They are anxious yet have only a vague idea why. For believers it's the Spirit talking but we aren't listening. We know He's telling us the truth but it's not what we want to hear.
Until we settle down and begin living in obedience we are going to have hindered prayers. We are going to have troubles that we cannot handle.
There's all kinds of ways people sin yet don't think of it as such. Swearing is the most vibrant example. What does Scripture say? Can from the same vessel come clean and dirty water? Paraphrasing of course. Some thought that I was going straight to let no unwholesome words come out of your mouth. Yes there's that passage too. That, my friend, is a practiced sin. You knowingly do it in spite of God saying you should not.
Another that's far more sensitive is in sexual interaction. Homosexuality is a practiced sin. It's intentional and is certainly against what God says is right according to Scripture. Those gnashing their teeth at God are angry that He does not agree with them on it.
Regardless of what you really think the question asked in the title today is in your hands.
You choose.
You choose who you are going to honor.
You cannot honor yourself and honor God too. You cannot live for Jesus and yourself too. Taking up your cross and following Christ means just that. You cannot hold onto anything else but that cross. Nothing else matters but holding onto that cross.
How are you living for Jesus today?
No comments:
Post a Comment