Recently some things came up in conversation and I began to consider the implications behind them. I'm really not going to get into details behind the conversation, but the conversation got me thinking about some things.
When a person is caught up in sin, regardless of what it is, it seems like a good idea at the time. Sometimes you may not even realize that it's a sin. Then you look back at it and years later in conversation, you realize how crazy sin is, and how you live with the consequences of it even after it is over.
Sometimes I feel people get caught in a rut, and don't see a need, to get out of the position they are in (in relation to sin). So they just continue down the path that they are on. The whole notion that "I'm not good enough to come to Jesus" and "I'm already too far gone to change."
There are two sides to this situation, just as there are two sides to most things. There is the side of the lost person and the side of the Christian person.
In the side of the Christian person, dealing with sin, whether it be habitual or one time, it must be taken care of. Otherwise you are sinning more (if that makes sense). The reason why I say this, is because as a follower of Christ, we have realized (to some capacity) that we are sinners in need of a Savior. However we are not allowed to freely sin. As quoted from Romans 6: 1-2
"1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"
The passage continues through verse 14. Here's the thing though, we are called to no longer live in sin. The moment we become followers of Christ, we are called to become more like Him, we are called to begin a process of daily growth towards becoming more like Christ. As followers who should know this thing, if we continue in sin the same sins we were in formerly in a habitual manner, then we are using cheap grace, which is what Paul is cautioning against here in Romans 6.
A person who is not a follower of Christ has different expectations because they do not understand what it's like. Ephesians 2:8-13 talks of how we are saved by grace through faith. It continues on to say it is not what we do that saves us, it is our faith. However in James it also speaks of how faith without works is dead. What you need to gather from this though is that everyone is saved by grace. Grace is mercy, clemency, pardon as stated from the linked dictionary above.
People get caught up in "Getting right" before they come to God. The thing is though, Jesus did not say "you're healed, now get cleaned up and then follow me" no he said "Go, and sin no more" Jesus doesn't require you to be perfect in order to follow Him, what he does require is a will to change.
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Give Until There's Nothing Left
What impacted me specifically was how a student from Louisville KY connected with one of the guys in Uganda. (I know you can at least see the guy in the promo video below.) Anyway this kid came from an inner city school, that raised enough money to make it in the top group of schools. The kid who was selected shares his story throughout the film. He tells of how poor his school district is, and how no one would every expect them to raise the money that they raised. Once connecting with a Ugandan student, it is revealed that the student from Louisville lost his brother to a senseless shooting before Katrina in New Orleans, and that the student from Uganda watched his sister and father killed before his eyes.
It really affected me, to realize that this student lived below the poverty level here in America and his school was able to impact students in Uganda in a major way. Why as people who live above the poverty line, are we not willing to "give until there is nothing left" as Relient K says. Jesus said "even as much as you do to the least of these you have done to me" as well as the verse in James that speaks of how we are supposed to help the "widowed and abandoned." So why don't we?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Don't You Wish You Had The Answers?
After listening to a message by my good friend Matt Scully on fasting, I wanted to read some more into the verses, and see what I could find for myself. So I started in John 6, here are some of the passages that stood out to me.
John 6: 26-29
" 26Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.'
28Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?'
29Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.' "
John 6: 32-40
" 32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." "
John 6: 43-51
" 43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.
44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'[d] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.
46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.
47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
48I am the bread of life.
49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.
50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.
51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." "
John 6:53-58
" 53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." "
John 6: 61-65
"61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?
62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!
63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[e] and they are life.
64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." "
So I know that's alot of verses to chew up and swallow, but I like to make sure that people have context around what is being talked about.
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life"
"The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent"
Working for eternal life, not food that spoils. Believing in Christ, well that's simple right? I mean there are so many who believe in Christ. I mean as John Reuben says in God Music "Even Satan can say Jesus Loves You." Satan believes in Jesus's diety, what's the difference between him and us? Satan has not given his life to Jesus though, this is the difference. But if we are not giving our lives to Jesus, and just believe in his diety, then we are just as bad as Satan himself!
But we have been drawn in my the Father himself, and Satan has denied that.
"I tell you he who believes has eternal life"
If we accept God's calling and believe in his Son, then we will be saved. After which we will be truly devoted to Him and what He wants us to do. To ensure that we are living for Christ, and not just believing in his diety we have to "eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink of His blood."
Being a cannibal doesn't really sound appetizing to me, but this isn't what Christ is talking about, and this is what he tells the Disciples further down in the passage, because they are equally confused.
"63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[e] and they are life. "
Essentially, all this flesh and blood stuff is just how he is talking about the Spirit. What he is saying is that while he was still on earth, believing in Him, and seeing Him on earth, and doing what he was asking them to do, was believing in Him. But once he left, it was up to the Spirit to guide us with what Christ wants done.
I love this section of Scripture because it is such a great portrayal of the Trinity. The Father, who came before the Son. Then the Son talking about how when he leaves, the Spirit will be the one to follow. How essentially they are three in one. It is amazing! Everything about Christ is amazing.
(Title from Don't You Wish You Had The Answers by Keith Green)
John 6: 26-29
" 26Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.'
28Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?'
29Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.' "
John 6: 32-40
" 32Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
33For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
34"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
36But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.
37All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
38For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
40For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." "
John 6: 43-51
" 43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.
44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
45It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.'[d] Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.
46No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.
47I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
48I am the bread of life.
49Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.
50But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.
51I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." "
John 6:53-58
" 53Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." "
John 6: 61-65
"61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?
62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!
63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[e] and they are life.
64Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
65He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." "
So I know that's alot of verses to chew up and swallow, but I like to make sure that people have context around what is being talked about.
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life"
"The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent"
Working for eternal life, not food that spoils. Believing in Christ, well that's simple right? I mean there are so many who believe in Christ. I mean as John Reuben says in God Music "Even Satan can say Jesus Loves You." Satan believes in Jesus's diety, what's the difference between him and us? Satan has not given his life to Jesus though, this is the difference. But if we are not giving our lives to Jesus, and just believe in his diety, then we are just as bad as Satan himself!
But we have been drawn in my the Father himself, and Satan has denied that.
"I tell you he who believes has eternal life"
If we accept God's calling and believe in his Son, then we will be saved. After which we will be truly devoted to Him and what He wants us to do. To ensure that we are living for Christ, and not just believing in his diety we have to "eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink of His blood."
Being a cannibal doesn't really sound appetizing to me, but this isn't what Christ is talking about, and this is what he tells the Disciples further down in the passage, because they are equally confused.
"63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit[e] and they are life. "
Essentially, all this flesh and blood stuff is just how he is talking about the Spirit. What he is saying is that while he was still on earth, believing in Him, and seeing Him on earth, and doing what he was asking them to do, was believing in Him. But once he left, it was up to the Spirit to guide us with what Christ wants done.
I love this section of Scripture because it is such a great portrayal of the Trinity. The Father, who came before the Son. Then the Son talking about how when he leaves, the Spirit will be the one to follow. How essentially they are three in one. It is amazing! Everything about Christ is amazing.
(Title from Don't You Wish You Had The Answers by Keith Green)
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