Part of Godly Life...THE Part To Not Avoid
Jesus never gave relief to people who were under conviction. When Zacchaeus, whe was in remorse for his sin, shared his generous plans for restitution, Jesus did not say, “Now Zacchaeus, the important thing is that you feel sorry for what you did.” Jesus brought no comfort to him as he dealt with his sin (Luke 19:1–10). Neither did Jesus excuse disbelief. We never find Jesus saying, “Well, that's all right. I know I’m asking you to believe a lot, and that's not easy.” On the contrary, Jesus was quick to chastise His disciples when they failed to believe Him. Jesus loved His friends too much to condone or comfort them in their sin. It is possible to be too gentle with your friends. When a friend is under deep conviction by the Holy Spirit, do you try to give comfort? Don’t ever try to ease the discomfort of someone whom the Holy Spirit is making uncomfortable! Be careful not to communicate to your friends that you find their lack of faith acceptable. You are not acting in true friendship if you condone disobedience or even if you look the other way. Kisses are far more pleasant than wounds, yet they can be even more devastating if they lull your friend into being comfortable with sin. In our attempt to appease our friends and our reluctance to share a word from God, we can actually cause great harm. If we see our friends in danger and do not warn them, God will hold us accountable for our silence (Ezek. 33:6). Are you a friend of such integrity that you would risk wounding your friends in order to deter them from their sin? - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day
Hebrews 12:11 "For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness." This passage came to mind after reading through my devotionals this morning.
In another this morning I was also reading of another Godly discipline, prayer before taking another step. Of how Jesus was also teaching His Disciples to pray before proceeding in life.
Jesus never gave relief from sin. He admonished people to go and sin no more. He never was conciliatory towards anyone. Never telling them things to make them not feel so bad about what they gave into in regards to sin. He understands our temptations but He never gave into sin.
In regards to sin, He wants people to own up to it, acknowledge it, repent of it, and not to go back and keep doing it.
He was teaching His Disciples how to address sin. Of how to deal with others they will come across in the coming Church. Of how to approach each day before setting out.
I don't go to work just to do one job. Each morning my prayer is for Jesus to help me accomplish whatever it is that He sets before me to do. If it's to get a flat tire fixed and call off, to handle some unforeseen thing at home, rather than be at my employer, then that's what He set before me. If it's to make it to work, then it's whatever is there to deal with and to do.
It's not for me to go on social media and rant in rough language about life, about what I can't change. It's a challenge not to do that. Yet I know of Christians who really give Jesus a bad name by their 'social media mouth'. Cursing and swearing online at things they don't approve of. Is THAT showing others a life with Christ? Is THAT showing others that you pray about things you face? Is THAT showing others that you are living in obedience to God? Does it at all show that you are excusing your sinful behavior to make your point?
Jesus wanted people to experience Godly discipline. To give up your rights to be obedient to Christ isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of growth. To react to sin the way Jesus showed us is growing in Christ. To walk through life in the example that Jesus gave is to live in Christ's footsteps.
I can easily give into the rage of the world. To go on social media and rant about things. At what point would that really draw anyone to Christ? I could easily get on a soapbox and talk down on others about things. Would anyone be seeing Christ in that?
If the real source of your discomfort is exposed sin, deal with it as Jesus taught.
If the real source of your discomfort is the discipline that God is teaching you, get over it.
If you aren't approaching life with the attitude of "what do you want me to do next, Lord?" then you need to look at who is in charge of your life. Cause I am telling you now, if you are trying to get what only you want out of life then you are not living for Jesus. Our lives are not our own, we were bought with a price. The blood of Jesus Christ.
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