God is getting bad press, again! He rules in heaven but earthlings delight in expressing their independence of Him. When their plans go wrong, God is at fault. When a debate arises about qualifying for entrance into glory God seems to be expected to defend His standard. Why? Because it discriminates against personal assessments of their perfection! God is unfair, unjust, unloving, unkind to exclude anyone from Heaven.
It’s interesting that so many demand the right to independent action even when it is contrary to a set standard of God’s revealed word. Complaints stream from their mouths when things go wrong and consequences roll over them. When you explain that God’s standards would have prevented such repercussions they object. Why? God is seen as a ‘party pooper.’
If God imposed His will over us, He would be viewed as a tyrant. If He lets us have free range He is fun, until we crash. Then the Lord is uncaring. When He offers us a choice of destinies and the one chosen leads to an eternal sadness, we criticise Him for having two roads. Sometimes when our choice leads to an eternal joy the human heart can too often think they have earned it.
Whether we like it or not we have the right of choices. We do not however have power over the consequences. There are many illustrations dealing with choices in the Bible. Perhaps the best is Matthew 7:13-14. There is the Broadway and the Narrow way. The former is rejection of and indifference to Christ Jesus, the cross and Godly living. The fun offered at the beginning becomes despair and poison along the way to destruction. The narrow way appears stark and demanding, yet opens up to the traveller meaning, hope, joy and the companionship of the Lord God.
One day we will all appear before Heaven’s Judge, whether we like it or not. The decision He makes about each person’s destiny is easy. It will depend upon the road each has travelled, whether we like it or not.
How do you cross from the Broadway to the Narrow way? It is only possible by calling out to Jesus Christ to pull you out and place you in the acceptable way. This is a Faith issue whereby you make Him Lord and Saviour of your life and destiny. That is why Jesus is called ‘The Way, the Truth and the Life.’ He is the way to the Father’s presence. John 14:6.
Ray's three books of his 31 Day Devotional series, as illustrated on the right, are available at Christian bookshops - especially in Australia and New Zealand - as print books and also as E-books. (Captured By Calvary still to become available on Kindle, but all three on Koorong (Australia) and Word Australia websites.)
All our books can be purchased from our website using PayPal.
Cost: Ray's books are AUD$10 each and the Baragula books AUD$20 each - plus postage of course. Click here for our website and email us for more information
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.