Monday, February 1, 2016

Grieved

I am abysmally grieved over the fact that the world has infiltrated and influenced the Church more than the Church has infiltrated and influenced the world. I do not know how full our Lord's cup of iniquity is.  I firmly believe in His unconditional love. I firmly believe that we have been imputed with God's righteousness and that we stand before Him, blameless in His sight because of the shed blood of Christ and His finished work in our behalf on the Cross.

There is a disconnect here somewhere or there would not be so much compromise of absolutes among evangelicals. As the lines between right and wrong become increasingly smudged, the work of discipleship has become far more difficult than it was a generation ago. We will be called "legalistic",  "self-righteous", "judgmental", "intolerant", "grace-less",  and other soul-wrenching words...by even the Christians if we live in obedience to such scriptures as:

"I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people. I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves."   I Corinthians 5:9-13. Whew! God said it. I didn't.

There is always a consequence to be paid for any sin we Christians willfully commit. The whole Body of Christ suffers and the worst consequence is that our precious Lord's Name is discredited. The world watches us, as it should. Our Lord is judging our nation. Think about it: When we who are born from above compromise with the world and it's sinful ways,  do we think for a minute that our Lord looks the other way? He is kind, but He is not soft. It is His Name at stake. ...and His Name is being mocked in this country that was founded on Biblical principles. In the future we may not be allowed to even speak His Name or gather in His Name without severe punishment or even death.

The "Woman at the Well" was offered a "spring of living water that would never run dry." She was so excited that she ran into the town to tell everybody about Jesus. This woman was God's Plan of Evangelism for Samaria, but don't suppose for a minute that the townspeople were quick to believe that she could be trusted. I look forward to meeting David so much. ...but did people forget that he bedded down another man's wife and murdered her husband to cover up his sin? Did he ever gain the credibility and respect he had had before. No, he didn't.

Paul's conversion was spectacular. ...but did people forget that Paul had been the "hatchet man" for the Sanhedrin?  Of course not. For this reason he always gave his credentials at the beginning of the Books he penned  (except for Hebrews and we don't know who wrote that.):  "I, Paul, an Apostle BY THE WILL OF GOD."  NObody trusted him. ... not the Jews, not the Gentiles, not the Apostles. Dear Barnabas came alongside him and whisked him back to his home town to "cool his heels" awhile. Paul had to earn the trust of people. Was that his "thorn in the flesh"? We are not told, but possibly it was.

Every one of us who are God's children wrestle with the "biggie" of forgiveness. ...especially now that compromise with the world has smudged the lines of absolutes. All of us are stretched to the max as our families and churches are affected by the "new morality"....which isn't "new" at all as we study history and the demise of every empire before us. The process of forgiveness for the behaviours we have to forgive cannot be hurried.  Please don't lay on anyone your time table for forgiveness. Encourage your Christian brothers and sisters, pray for them, but leave the timing for forgiveness to their Lord. Wounds run very deep, Only our Lord and His Word can go that deep into our souls and heal them.

Meanwhile:

Search me, O God, and know my heart today.
Try me O Saviour,  know my thoughts,  I pray
See if there be some wicked way in me.
Cleanse me from every sin  and set me free.

Lord, take my life and make it wholly Thine.
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride.
I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

Love,  Jo

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