Aa
Why?
I'm feeling really weird today because I'm seeing many so called Christians pretending to be holy and putting no effort into being a real christian. Everything they know about Christianity they do not live and it's these things make others loathe and criticize Christians. I was told this week, "I have no respect for Christians because they do not practice what they preach." I know you'll all say, we fall too but I'm not talking about stumbling, I'm talking about how we aren't even caring. I thought it was about excellence - striving to achieve perfection, but all I see now a days is how much we are the are the opposite of what Christians are supposed to be. I'm seeing Christians drink, Christians living common-law and Christians living a life contrary to God's law.
Why are Christians waiting until the last second to turn their lives around? Everyday I ask myself before I go to bed, was I a blessing today and what didn't I do that could have done something for someone's salvation? I wonder if there are others who feel like this too. Do you feel like your the only one who thinks this way and sees these things? I struggle sometimes trying to understand what our problem is. Are we dense? Don't we get it? It reminds me of Ezekiel 16:1-34:
Later the Lord said to me, Son of man, I want you to confront Jerusalem and point out to her the disgusting thing she's doing. Tell her that this is what the Lord says: Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. You were born a Canaanite, and they named you Jebus until I redeemed you and renamed you Jerusalem. When you were born they threw you out in a field while you were still covered with blood. Your umbilical cord was not properly cut and tied. You were not washed, rubbed with salt or wrapped in a blanket. No one took pity on you or had compassion enough to save you and clean you up. You were thrown in the open field because no one wanted you, and there you lay. Then I passed by and saw you covered with blood. I stopped and said to you, Don't cry, little one. I'll take care of you, and you will live. I made sure you were taken care of, and you grew up like a healthy plant set in the most fertile soil. You grew to be tall and strong. Your breasts were well-formed and your hair was beautiful, but I saw that you were naked and bare. Later when I came by, I saw that you were old enough to marry, so I put my coat over your body to cover you. I promised to marry you and you accepted. I took an oath to be yours, and together we entered the marriage covenant, and you became mine. I remembered how I had found you in the field, washed off the blood, and anointed you with oil. Years later when you pledged to be mine, I gave you richly embroidered dresses, fine leather sandals and costly silk cloak for your shoulders. I gave you expensive ornaments - bracelets for your wrists and a chain of pure gold for your neck. I gave you small jewels for the side of your nose, earrings for your ears and a beautiful crown for your head. You were adorned with gold and silver. You had clothes made from the finest linen, expensive fabrics and embroidered cloth. You ate nothing but the best - bread made of the finest flour, the choicest honey and the purest olive oil. You became very beautiful and soon rose to be queen. The nations heard how perfect and beautiful you were. They saw that I had surrounded you with riches, and you became the most desired among them. But you put your trust in your beauty and used your international fame to entice many lovers. You became a prostitute and lavished your favours on anyone who wanted them. You took the beautiful clothing I had given you and used them to decorate the places you had built for your gods. You worshipped them and prostituted your body to honor them. Such things should never have happened. You took the expensive ornaments and the gold and silver which I had made especially for you, and made male idols which you worshipped, and you committed prostitution with them. You took the costly fabrics and embroidered dresses I had given you and made clothes to decorate your idols. You took the oil and incense I had supplied for you and offered them to gods. You took the food I had provided for you - bread from the fine flour, the choicest honey and the purest olive oil and offered it to your idols as a sacrifice. I , the Lord, your husband, saw all this. To make things worse, you took your infant sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them to your idols, as if your prostitution were not enough for your gods. You placed my babies in the arms of these idols and then burned them to death as a sacrifice. While giving yourself to idols and prostituting your body for them, you forgot about your birth, when you lay naked in the field covered with your own blood. Woe be to you because of the evil you have done. In addition to all your wickedness, you built a pagan shrine in every public square to market your prostitution. Soon you has a pagan shrine in every street corner and offered your favors to anyone who passed by. You committed adultery with every lustful neighbour who wanted you, including the Egyptians and any others who came along. You shamed me with your increasing promiscuity. I removed some of your blessings and handed you over to the Philistines who came into your land. Their women were shocked at your open immorality and sexual lewdness. You committed adultery with the Assyrians also, but this didn't satisfy you. You also committed adultery with the rich merchants of Babylon, but you sill weren't satisfied. Yo have become a slave to your own passions. You're open and bold in your shameless prostitution. On every street corner and in every public square, you've built shrines for your gods. Your unlike other prostitutes because you offer yourself for nothing. You're like an adulterous wife who loves to have sex with strangers while letting her husband support her. All prostitutes offer their bodies for a fee, but you not only offer yourself for nothing, you give your lovers gifts and even bribe them to come to see you. You're different from other prostitutes. You run after your neighbours, and you end up paying your lovers for sex - they don't' pay you...."
I just thought I'd ask.. Why do we wait until the last moment to accept Jesus fully into our lives when we have full understanding of what the Lord asks of us? Why do we put on a face to hide our deceit and go home after church to our lives of sin, never changing or wanting a different life? This isn't just for the youth, it's for everyone I see whose missing the essence of Christianity. I wish so much that we would choose the heavenly in place of the earthly.
Why are Christians waiting until the last second to turn their lives around? Everyday I ask myself before I go to bed, was I a blessing today and what didn't I do that could have done something for someone's salvation? I wonder if there are others who feel like this too. Do you feel like your the only one who thinks this way and sees these things? I struggle sometimes trying to understand what our problem is. Are we dense? Don't we get it? It reminds me of Ezekiel 16:1-34:
Later the Lord said to me, Son of man, I want you to confront Jerusalem and point out to her the disgusting thing she's doing. Tell her that this is what the Lord says: Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. You were born a Canaanite, and they named you Jebus until I redeemed you and renamed you Jerusalem. When you were born they threw you out in a field while you were still covered with blood. Your umbilical cord was not properly cut and tied. You were not washed, rubbed with salt or wrapped in a blanket. No one took pity on you or had compassion enough to save you and clean you up. You were thrown in the open field because no one wanted you, and there you lay. Then I passed by and saw you covered with blood. I stopped and said to you, Don't cry, little one. I'll take care of you, and you will live. I made sure you were taken care of, and you grew up like a healthy plant set in the most fertile soil. You grew to be tall and strong. Your breasts were well-formed and your hair was beautiful, but I saw that you were naked and bare. Later when I came by, I saw that you were old enough to marry, so I put my coat over your body to cover you. I promised to marry you and you accepted. I took an oath to be yours, and together we entered the marriage covenant, and you became mine. I remembered how I had found you in the field, washed off the blood, and anointed you with oil. Years later when you pledged to be mine, I gave you richly embroidered dresses, fine leather sandals and costly silk cloak for your shoulders. I gave you expensive ornaments - bracelets for your wrists and a chain of pure gold for your neck. I gave you small jewels for the side of your nose, earrings for your ears and a beautiful crown for your head. You were adorned with gold and silver. You had clothes made from the finest linen, expensive fabrics and embroidered cloth. You ate nothing but the best - bread made of the finest flour, the choicest honey and the purest olive oil. You became very beautiful and soon rose to be queen. The nations heard how perfect and beautiful you were. They saw that I had surrounded you with riches, and you became the most desired among them. But you put your trust in your beauty and used your international fame to entice many lovers. You became a prostitute and lavished your favours on anyone who wanted them. You took the beautiful clothing I had given you and used them to decorate the places you had built for your gods. You worshipped them and prostituted your body to honor them. Such things should never have happened. You took the expensive ornaments and the gold and silver which I had made especially for you, and made male idols which you worshipped, and you committed prostitution with them. You took the costly fabrics and embroidered dresses I had given you and made clothes to decorate your idols. You took the oil and incense I had supplied for you and offered them to gods. You took the food I had provided for you - bread from the fine flour, the choicest honey and the purest olive oil and offered it to your idols as a sacrifice. I , the Lord, your husband, saw all this. To make things worse, you took your infant sons and daughters whom you bore to me and sacrificed them to your idols, as if your prostitution were not enough for your gods. You placed my babies in the arms of these idols and then burned them to death as a sacrifice. While giving yourself to idols and prostituting your body for them, you forgot about your birth, when you lay naked in the field covered with your own blood. Woe be to you because of the evil you have done. In addition to all your wickedness, you built a pagan shrine in every public square to market your prostitution. Soon you has a pagan shrine in every street corner and offered your favors to anyone who passed by. You committed adultery with every lustful neighbour who wanted you, including the Egyptians and any others who came along. You shamed me with your increasing promiscuity. I removed some of your blessings and handed you over to the Philistines who came into your land. Their women were shocked at your open immorality and sexual lewdness. You committed adultery with the Assyrians also, but this didn't satisfy you. You also committed adultery with the rich merchants of Babylon, but you sill weren't satisfied. Yo have become a slave to your own passions. You're open and bold in your shameless prostitution. On every street corner and in every public square, you've built shrines for your gods. Your unlike other prostitutes because you offer yourself for nothing. You're like an adulterous wife who loves to have sex with strangers while letting her husband support her. All prostitutes offer their bodies for a fee, but you not only offer yourself for nothing, you give your lovers gifts and even bribe them to come to see you. You're different from other prostitutes. You run after your neighbours, and you end up paying your lovers for sex - they don't' pay you...."
I just thought I'd ask.. Why do we wait until the last moment to accept Jesus fully into our lives when we have full understanding of what the Lord asks of us? Why do we put on a face to hide our deceit and go home after church to our lives of sin, never changing or wanting a different life? This isn't just for the youth, it's for everyone I see whose missing the essence of Christianity. I wish so much that we would choose the heavenly in place of the earthly.
Amen ain't it;)
You know when I think about it, I'm reminded about the beauty of choice. Liberty is the opportunity to choose. God has put it there, no human can force that door nor would God force himself upon us. Isn't that beautiful? It is a gift from God. God has entrusted each of us with the is precious gift. And the greater the liberty He gives us, the greater is our responsibility and accountability.
I think it's beautiful because we aren't slaves even though we are such terrible people and made bad decisions in the past, God still thinks we're intelligent enough to make our own decisions.
It makes me think of God waiting patiently, knocking at the door. We should wait with him on the porch but we want to barge in. lol But all in all, there is something so beautiful about the divine courtesy of waiting on the porch.... :)
It makes me feel a lot better now.
I think it's beautiful because we aren't slaves even though we are such terrible people and made bad decisions in the past, God still thinks we're intelligent enough to make our own decisions.
It makes me think of God waiting patiently, knocking at the door. We should wait with him on the porch but we want to barge in. lol But all in all, there is something so beautiful about the divine courtesy of waiting on the porch.... :)
It makes me feel a lot better now.
Amen! I'd like 2 see results too lol in some people! But I must remember 2 practice patients because I too was blind until GOD removed the veil from my eyes! I know it looks like it's taking a long time to see change but GOD is an awesome GOD & he will deliver those that want to be delivered;)
I know April. I pray for him constantly but I'd like to see a little results. lol
You know what, though, tbabi? I truly believe that if we will stand in the gap for our loved ones and be faithful to pray for them that God will in turn be faithful to save them, even if it's on their death bed. I believe He never gives up on us. We just have to keep praying.
My mom said it took my dad 13 years of of her praying before my dad became born again. He also was a Lutheran, was baptized as an infant and felt like he was a good person (which he was, of course) but never really had that deep, meaningful relationship with Christ before. Through some miraculous events my dad turned around but it took a long time to get there.
So don't give up praying. Our loved ones depend on it! And prayer is powerful, so powerful. I truly believe that.
My mom said it took my dad 13 years of of her praying before my dad became born again. He also was a Lutheran, was baptized as an infant and felt like he was a good person (which he was, of course) but never really had that deep, meaningful relationship with Christ before. Through some miraculous events my dad turned around but it took a long time to get there.
So don't give up praying. Our loved ones depend on it! And prayer is powerful, so powerful. I truly believe that.
Yes April I know how that feels to want someone to accept Christ but it seems like a losing battle. My father is Lutheran but not practicing. He knows what he should do but doesn't know the whole reasons for everything and I think he's never given God a real chance. He keeps saying that he knows because he was an alter-boy but I think it means nothing. But there is knowing and knowing knowing if you know what I mean. lol
Anyways, I wish there was more I and we could do but when it comes down to it, it's everyone's choice. I would hate to see someone lose heaven like Judas who walked with God but missed the whole picture. I wonder how we allow that to happen...
Anyways, I wish there was more I and we could do but when it comes down to it, it's everyone's choice. I would hate to see someone lose heaven like Judas who walked with God but missed the whole picture. I wonder how we allow that to happen...
Yes, we should all be careful not to take advantage of His grace and mercy and appreciate it and be thankful to Him for it.
Bold, you made me think of a kind of funny (yet sad) story that happened to us some months ago. We had just got out of church and it takes awhile for all the cars to get out of the parking lot because it's a very large church, so everyone has to be patient and take their turn. Well, we were all in the car and were letting someone pull in front of us as we waited. That's what we're supposed to do, take turns letting cars in. Well, we let two cars in because one kind of scooted in so we were fine with that. We weren't in a hurry. Well, this one lady pulls up a long side of us and rolled her window down and said "Are you going to let everyone in?!" We were a little shocked but motioned for her to pull ahead of us since she seemed in such a hurry. She hurried on in front of us and I was sitting there shaking my head and wondering if she had listened to the message the pastor had just given us!
Bold, I have another friend who is helping launch a church and they are sharing the same building with another church so they often mingle and do things together. It's the pastor's vision to bring together everyone of every race, background, you name it. They noticed that there were many in this other church who didn't seem happy that there were white people coming in and even made some complaints, saying they didn't like the change, etc., but they've been patient and praying a lot about this and things have slowly been getting better between the churches and they are getting more used to each other.
None of that should matter if we are there to worship God but too many get caught up in how they think church should be or how the music should be or whatever. It shouldn't matter! We are all there to worship the same God who loves us all the same!
Just think how it will be in heaven! I can only imagine!
Bold, you made me think of a kind of funny (yet sad) story that happened to us some months ago. We had just got out of church and it takes awhile for all the cars to get out of the parking lot because it's a very large church, so everyone has to be patient and take their turn. Well, we were all in the car and were letting someone pull in front of us as we waited. That's what we're supposed to do, take turns letting cars in. Well, we let two cars in because one kind of scooted in so we were fine with that. We weren't in a hurry. Well, this one lady pulls up a long side of us and rolled her window down and said "Are you going to let everyone in?!" We were a little shocked but motioned for her to pull ahead of us since she seemed in such a hurry. She hurried on in front of us and I was sitting there shaking my head and wondering if she had listened to the message the pastor had just given us!
Bold, I have another friend who is helping launch a church and they are sharing the same building with another church so they often mingle and do things together. It's the pastor's vision to bring together everyone of every race, background, you name it. They noticed that there were many in this other church who didn't seem happy that there were white people coming in and even made some complaints, saying they didn't like the change, etc., but they've been patient and praying a lot about this and things have slowly been getting better between the churches and they are getting more used to each other.
None of that should matter if we are there to worship God but too many get caught up in how they think church should be or how the music should be or whatever. It shouldn't matter! We are all there to worship the same God who loves us all the same!
Just think how it will be in heaven! I can only imagine!
Amen good post tbabi! I see that a lot 2 now days! We had a topic on this the other day. So called Christians are playing church instead of being the true church that GOD has called us to be? It's funny because I don't have a problem with a non-believer because they don't know any better! But the believer I do have a problem with screaming shouting halleuah thank you Jesus! When it's watered down & I can see right through them! & they always use this crutch to lean on it's his grace & mercy on me! Only to do it again WAKE UP!!!
I hear you. I'm seeing my own husband do this. It makes me think, though, that he never fully committed himself to Christ or he wouldn't be able to act this way. He's allowed Satan to deceive him and has hardened his heart, which is worrisome to me. I can't change him, only pray for him. Sometimes I feel a little discouraged when I don't feel like this prayer is being answered yet (and this has been going on for a long time!) but I know God is faithful and I believe if we pray for our loved ones, we will see answered prayers. God has to work with our free wills too.
See how Satan deceives so many? He makes them think that sin is so much better, more pleasurable, than living for Christ. But there will always be unrest and no real peace until they can let it all go and give it up to Christ.
We have to run that race and not give up, even when we get weary, and sometimes we need our fellow brothers and sisters to encourage us and pick us back up again, but we keep running. And we must keep praying. The times are evil right now and it's only getting worse.
I wrote a journal a long time ago on here asking where all the true believers were? It was discouraging to me to see so many claiming to be Christians yet not showing any fruit. Not only not showing fruit but willfully sinning and grieving the Holy Spirit. I'm not talking about those who are trying and struggling, because they ARE trying.
We all go through trials and desert times and it is a hard place to be. But we have to hold on. This is when it's important for believers to pray us through these times.
Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him as wheat but that he had prayed for him. Then he said AFTER he had gone through that to go encourage his brothers.
What I read here is there will be hard times that God will allow Satan to throw at us but that Jesus (our mediator) prays for us to be overcomers, and that after we've gone through whatever trial we're going through, we can then help other believers who are going through the same thing and encourage them, because we, ourselves had gone through it! What better way to encourage someone else when you know what they're going through because you went through it! I love how God works. He uses our trials to not only help us and increase our faith but also to help others going through trials.
We have to keep praying and keep our eyes on the Lord.
See how Satan deceives so many? He makes them think that sin is so much better, more pleasurable, than living for Christ. But there will always be unrest and no real peace until they can let it all go and give it up to Christ.
We have to run that race and not give up, even when we get weary, and sometimes we need our fellow brothers and sisters to encourage us and pick us back up again, but we keep running. And we must keep praying. The times are evil right now and it's only getting worse.
I wrote a journal a long time ago on here asking where all the true believers were? It was discouraging to me to see so many claiming to be Christians yet not showing any fruit. Not only not showing fruit but willfully sinning and grieving the Holy Spirit. I'm not talking about those who are trying and struggling, because they ARE trying.
We all go through trials and desert times and it is a hard place to be. But we have to hold on. This is when it's important for believers to pray us through these times.
Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to sift him as wheat but that he had prayed for him. Then he said AFTER he had gone through that to go encourage his brothers.
What I read here is there will be hard times that God will allow Satan to throw at us but that Jesus (our mediator) prays for us to be overcomers, and that after we've gone through whatever trial we're going through, we can then help other believers who are going through the same thing and encourage them, because we, ourselves had gone through it! What better way to encourage someone else when you know what they're going through because you went through it! I love how God works. He uses our trials to not only help us and increase our faith but also to help others going through trials.
We have to keep praying and keep our eyes on the Lord.
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