Grabbing at Heaven and clinging to earth
Choosing is among the hardest things we will ever have to do in this life because we feel that some how our existence will suddenly be over when we choose God over this world. That choice begins with the perspective we use to see this world and this life. We never just automatically die to the world around us, but the closer we get to God the more rejection we will begin to feel from the world.
None of what I am saying to you is Rocket Science that is filled with the need for great knowledge, but rather it is a spiritual wisdom which comes from our heart and the spiritual influence of God...it is very simple to understand , but very hard to see physically.
That is the reason that those who are far away from God cannot see the value in making such a choice for their lives. As we look back on the scriptures in Acts 5-6 we see that choice being made by people living in the harshest conditions. In fact it seems that it actually takes a form of strong persecution from this world to convince most Christians that they really do not have a home left here.
We tend to live in a state of mind where making a choice for God means cutting off ties of any kind with this world...it becomes a list of "do's and don't's" that is restrictive, and legalistic; filled with taking away all rights and privileges that we have to live a fun and fulfilling life here. Actually it is exactly the opposite from that because it frees us from the constraint and peer pressure that this world uses to make it so hard to be ourselves. Choosing Christ changes our citizenship from being a stranger to God to that of a loved family member to the Kingdom of Heaven; and yet that change is not automatic...it does take time and effort. True salvation is not instant in the ways people have grown to think of. We are often mislead about the concept of instant being the best thing we have in this country, yet just as fast food makes us fat and lazy as people; the idea of instant salvation means that we never have to work at our relationship with God. If we were to treat those around us in this world the same ways we often treat God I wonder how long that relationship would last? It probably would not last long especially in this world where we look for any kind of advantage to win in life.
Scripture tells us that we cannot have both our relationship and place with God and keep our same relationship with this world around us...we will end up hating one and loving the other; or despising one and clinging to the other. That is true in particular if we choose to use the perspective of this world as we look around us...God changes that perspective for us so we can still see the beauty of what He has created here, and yet have a hope and a joy that is beyond anything this world can understand. As we hold tighter to God's promises to us we will still find that we have the same joys and love for this world through the splendor of His creation around us, but we will loose much of the fellowship we have had with the old man and the worldly points of view. We will find that our eyes start to open to the things of God for the first time...time; yes it will take time for us to get there with God working through us because we have to really want that relationship. While what we say is often enough to get us by in this world it takes us living what we say out in the Kingdom before we can see God's blessings really start to flow in our lives. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
None of what I am saying to you is Rocket Science that is filled with the need for great knowledge, but rather it is a spiritual wisdom which comes from our heart and the spiritual influence of God...it is very simple to understand , but very hard to see physically.
That is the reason that those who are far away from God cannot see the value in making such a choice for their lives. As we look back on the scriptures in Acts 5-6 we see that choice being made by people living in the harshest conditions. In fact it seems that it actually takes a form of strong persecution from this world to convince most Christians that they really do not have a home left here.
We tend to live in a state of mind where making a choice for God means cutting off ties of any kind with this world...it becomes a list of "do's and don't's" that is restrictive, and legalistic; filled with taking away all rights and privileges that we have to live a fun and fulfilling life here. Actually it is exactly the opposite from that because it frees us from the constraint and peer pressure that this world uses to make it so hard to be ourselves. Choosing Christ changes our citizenship from being a stranger to God to that of a loved family member to the Kingdom of Heaven; and yet that change is not automatic...it does take time and effort. True salvation is not instant in the ways people have grown to think of. We are often mislead about the concept of instant being the best thing we have in this country, yet just as fast food makes us fat and lazy as people; the idea of instant salvation means that we never have to work at our relationship with God. If we were to treat those around us in this world the same ways we often treat God I wonder how long that relationship would last? It probably would not last long especially in this world where we look for any kind of advantage to win in life.
Scripture tells us that we cannot have both our relationship and place with God and keep our same relationship with this world around us...we will end up hating one and loving the other; or despising one and clinging to the other. That is true in particular if we choose to use the perspective of this world as we look around us...God changes that perspective for us so we can still see the beauty of what He has created here, and yet have a hope and a joy that is beyond anything this world can understand. As we hold tighter to God's promises to us we will still find that we have the same joys and love for this world through the splendor of His creation around us, but we will loose much of the fellowship we have had with the old man and the worldly points of view. We will find that our eyes start to open to the things of God for the first time...time; yes it will take time for us to get there with God working through us because we have to really want that relationship. While what we say is often enough to get us by in this world it takes us living what we say out in the Kingdom before we can see God's blessings really start to flow in our lives. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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