"Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as "Lord" but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
I like this verse. I hate this verse.
I like it for the reason that there is a part of me (a very sick part) that whispers in my ear and points fingers at others saying,"They are not really serious about following Jesus! They're just playing at it." Then there is another voice (it's kind of crowded in my head) that asks questions to me....."Are you sure that your not playing? Are you really sure? Are you even saved?" Amidst all the bantering going on in my mind, a third voice quietly assures me of my salvation and that I need only to listen to what He is saying. I tend to lean toward that third voice as I recognize it to be God speaking to me.
I guess the one thing that I've come to realize in my lifetime, is the extent of the deceitfulness of the human heart (not one of us is exempt from this) . It possesses a power to delude, distract and deceive a person into believing things that are totally off the scale of what really is true.
I think the most deceptive belief that some people have is that which deals with the state of their salvation.
There have been men who lay claim to a relationship with Jesus that have no evidence in their life at all of having been saved. They are full of religious "jargon" and catch phrases. They raise their hands during a worship service, singing of the wonders of Christ, yet all the while their lives are a testimony to the extent of how far a life can be dragged down into sin. If you try to talk with them about their behavior.....they become angry and accuse you of being legalistic and Phariseeical. Yet it is very evident that they truly do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. As Jesus put it in Scripture, "They are white-washed tombs." Pretty on the outside....dead on the inside.
The one thing that scares me in all of this, is that the human heart possesses a power that is beyond the reasoning of any sane person. We, as a race or species...have the ability to stand in the face of God and say, "NO! Leave me alone." One of the things that I try to share with those who are still in active addiction is that if it were up to me, I'd love to have the power to change them and free them from their addiction. But such power does not lie within me. God alone possesses that power, and He will bring it to bear when a heart submits and opens to Him. That is why we teach that "you don't have a drug and alcohol problem. Drugs and alcohol are a symptom of something else that is wrong. You've got a living problem. It's called a broken relationship with Christ." Sin has separated us from the real source of life. Sin has created within me a tornado of toxic emotion that only fuels my desire to use."
Guilt...
Shame....
And a depressing lie that tells me "I am what I am, I cannot change...I am hopeless" becomes the mantra I say over and over in my mind.
Only the Holy Spirit of God can break through such a stronghold and bring the healing light of restoration and forgiveness that can set us on a right course.
John 15:5 and 7
"Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches." Understanding who God is, and the incredible gift He is offering me through salvation, keeps me focused on my place in this new found relationship with Him. A chance to grow........a chance to change......a chance at a real future.
God on you....
michael b.
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