ALL – Psalm 84:1-12
ALL – Proverbs 25:15
OT – Jeremiah 23:21-25:38
NT – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17
Interesting passage for the day: He will completely fool those who are on their way to hell because they have said “no” to the Truth; they have refused to believe it and love it, and let it save them, so God will allow them to believe lies with all their hearts… – 2 Thess. 2:10-11, The Living Bible
Thought: We like to think we’re pretty decent people, not rebels-at-heart. God wants to bust that myth. So here’s an issue of myth-busters for us:
Myth: We disobey God because we don’t know any better and haven’t been given a chance to believe Him.
Truth: The reason we disobey God is not that we don’t believe God; the reason we don’t believe God is that we disobey God and rebel against Him.
At least, that’s what this passage teaches. A deceiver is coming who will fool a bunch of people. But what people will he fool? He will fool people who are “on their way to hell because they have said ‘no’ to the Truth.” They heard the Truth, but they rejected it. They “refused to believe it and love it.”
Do you see? The problem people have with the Truth is not that they can’t understand it. It’s not even that they can’t believe it. It’s that they don’t want it. They rebel against it. They refuse it and reject it and hate it.
The result of this willful rebellion against the Truth? “God will allow them to believe lies with all their hearts.” Deception. Deception is made complete as God permits them to believe the lies they themselves have chosen to prefer over His Truth. The rebellion comes first, and then the unbelief.
Isn’t that how it was with Eve, when you really think about it? She HAD the truth. God had made it plain to her that she was free to eat from every tree except one. When the serpent questioned her on the limitations God had set up, she made it clear that she knew exactly which tree was off limits. And then the serpent lied to her. At that point she had a choice to make between obeying God’s instructions and following the serpent’s suggestion. How did she make her choice? “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it” (Gen. 3:6, NIV). She chose to go with her desires and the serpent’s lie rather than to trust God’s words. She had believed God up to that point, but then she rejected His words and rebelled against them. Before she could believe Satan’s deception, she had to willfully reject God’s Truth. Rebellion came first in her heart, then unbelief and outward disobedience.
Every human being on earth is the same. We have all rejected God’s Truth before falling into disbelief. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20, NIV).
What came first? The disbelief or the rebellion? The answer is clear: the rebellion. In my heart and yours. The gospel is God’s power for saving those who believe—who stop rebelling and instead bow humbly before His Truth. As a former rebel, I beg everyone out there to stop choosing to be fooled by deceivers and instead to submit to God’s Truth. Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins. You know the Truth. Why reject it?
Question: If you reject the Truth, I would be interested in knowing why you want to reject it. What is it that you want to have or to do that you think you would lose if you believed and submitted to God’s Word?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Showing posts with label rejection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rejection. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Saved Heretics?
ALL – Psalm 38:1-22
ALL – Proverbs 21:28-29
OT – Job 8:1-11:20
NT – 1 Corinthians 15:1-28
Interesting passage for the day: But tell me this! Since you believe what we preach, that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that dead people will never come back to life again? – 1 Corinthians 15:12, The Living Bible
Thought: Let’s get past the main point of this verse quickly, because there’s a related issue that I think we need to talk about a bit. The main point of this verse is that it is precisely because Christ rose from the dead that we can know that people rise from the dead—that we can have a legitimate hope of our own resurrections.
But what intrigues me about this verse was that Paul was writing these truths to Christians—Christians who didn’t believe in their own coming resurrection! He was correcting a falsehood that they were teaching. We would call that falsehood a heresy. And as he corrected it, he did so without making the assumption that these heretics were not Christians.
These heretics believed that Jesus had died for them and had risen from the dead—an orthodox teaching, the central teaching of Christianity and the core of the gospel. And yet they mistakenly denied the coming resurrection of anyone else.
We are right to focus on teaching the truth. Paul certainly took the time to correct falsehood. But I think that we often assume that people with serious false beliefs like the one mentioned here are unbelievers destined for hell. Perhaps we should continue to view them as brothers so long as their false beliefs do not compromise the heart of the gospel. I’m not saying that we should not worry about them or that we should leave them to keep believing and promoting lies (unknowingly, perhaps, but still lies). But perhaps we should not be so quick to view them as outsiders to our faith.
It would require discernment. As some point a refusal to accept the godly and plain truth of the Scriptures becomes a reason for concern and even discipline among those in the church. But this perspective is also a reason for hope. Christ’s grace is enough not only to cover our sins, but even some of our stupidities, misunderstandings, poor thinking and misguided stubbornness. We’ll probably see more Christian heretics in heaven than we expect.
Question: If not every false belief will keep a believer out of heaven (these Christians who didn’t believe in their resurrection would still experience it, for instance), how should we deal with the false beliefs we encounter among brothers and sisters?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 21:28-29
OT – Job 8:1-11:20
NT – 1 Corinthians 15:1-28
Interesting passage for the day: But tell me this! Since you believe what we preach, that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that dead people will never come back to life again? – 1 Corinthians 15:12, The Living Bible
Thought: Let’s get past the main point of this verse quickly, because there’s a related issue that I think we need to talk about a bit. The main point of this verse is that it is precisely because Christ rose from the dead that we can know that people rise from the dead—that we can have a legitimate hope of our own resurrections.
But what intrigues me about this verse was that Paul was writing these truths to Christians—Christians who didn’t believe in their own coming resurrection! He was correcting a falsehood that they were teaching. We would call that falsehood a heresy. And as he corrected it, he did so without making the assumption that these heretics were not Christians.
These heretics believed that Jesus had died for them and had risen from the dead—an orthodox teaching, the central teaching of Christianity and the core of the gospel. And yet they mistakenly denied the coming resurrection of anyone else.
We are right to focus on teaching the truth. Paul certainly took the time to correct falsehood. But I think that we often assume that people with serious false beliefs like the one mentioned here are unbelievers destined for hell. Perhaps we should continue to view them as brothers so long as their false beliefs do not compromise the heart of the gospel. I’m not saying that we should not worry about them or that we should leave them to keep believing and promoting lies (unknowingly, perhaps, but still lies). But perhaps we should not be so quick to view them as outsiders to our faith.
It would require discernment. As some point a refusal to accept the godly and plain truth of the Scriptures becomes a reason for concern and even discipline among those in the church. But this perspective is also a reason for hope. Christ’s grace is enough not only to cover our sins, but even some of our stupidities, misunderstandings, poor thinking and misguided stubbornness. We’ll probably see more Christian heretics in heaven than we expect.
Question: If not every false belief will keep a believer out of heaven (these Christians who didn’t believe in their resurrection would still experience it, for instance), how should we deal with the false beliefs we encounter among brothers and sisters?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
What a House! I Mean, Except For...
ALL – Psalm 29:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 20:26-27
OT – Ezra 5:1-6:22
NT – 1 Corinthians 3:5-23
Interesting passage for the day: Don’t you realize that all of you together are the house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in his house? – 1 Corinthians 3:16, The Living Bible
Thought: Some people’s houses are a mess. You walk into them and your very soul compels you to help your friend redecorate—mostly by removing all the trash and untasteful decorations you possibly can! Some houses are even worse than that. As soon as you step inside, you’re ready to step outside, tear the whole place apart and rebuild!
But no matter how much you think your friend’s house needs to be emptied, purified, rearranged, or rebuilt, you don’t touch it. You don’t even try. You might offer hints and suggestions. You might make it your personal mission to convince your friend that his house needs a facelift. But beginning the project yourself, against your friend’s will? That’s off limits. That’s transgressing. That’s overstepping your boundaries. It’s not your house! What you don’t own, you don’t remove, redecorate, or rebuild. You have no right! Keep your hands off!
You are God’s house, if you live by faith in Jesus Christ, His Son. You are God’s house. And He is very particular about His house. He doesn’t want anyone to remove you. He brought you into His house, He made a place for you, and He wants you to stay. But don’t get too comfortable yet! You have to understand that God feels the same way about every single person in His house—even the people you can’t stand! That strange guy who makes you feel creepy, that uppity woman, that snotty brat of a kid. The church micro-manager, the church crybaby. That lady who thinks she’s so smart, That guy who makes the most embarrassing jokes. The town hypochondriac, the village idiot! God wants them, even if you ache to throw them out like trash! God loves them! God treasures them! Jesus Christ died on the cross after excruciating punishments, and do you know what His reward was? His reward was to build His house. He picked the materials. He picked the decorations. He included the parts of the house that look fantastic to you, and Jesus included the ugliest knick-knacks in His house, too.
When you’re in God’s house, don’t go looking to reject anyone you find there. You don’t get to redo, redecorate or rebuild. It’s God’s house, and you’d better get used to it. In fact, you’d better learn to love it.
Question: Do you have a hard time accepting some of God’s people? How can you move your heart from where it is now to loving and cherishing all the people included in God’s house?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 20:26-27
OT – Ezra 5:1-6:22
NT – 1 Corinthians 3:5-23
Interesting passage for the day: Don’t you realize that all of you together are the house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in his house? – 1 Corinthians 3:16, The Living Bible
Thought: Some people’s houses are a mess. You walk into them and your very soul compels you to help your friend redecorate—mostly by removing all the trash and untasteful decorations you possibly can! Some houses are even worse than that. As soon as you step inside, you’re ready to step outside, tear the whole place apart and rebuild!
But no matter how much you think your friend’s house needs to be emptied, purified, rearranged, or rebuilt, you don’t touch it. You don’t even try. You might offer hints and suggestions. You might make it your personal mission to convince your friend that his house needs a facelift. But beginning the project yourself, against your friend’s will? That’s off limits. That’s transgressing. That’s overstepping your boundaries. It’s not your house! What you don’t own, you don’t remove, redecorate, or rebuild. You have no right! Keep your hands off!
You are God’s house, if you live by faith in Jesus Christ, His Son. You are God’s house. And He is very particular about His house. He doesn’t want anyone to remove you. He brought you into His house, He made a place for you, and He wants you to stay. But don’t get too comfortable yet! You have to understand that God feels the same way about every single person in His house—even the people you can’t stand! That strange guy who makes you feel creepy, that uppity woman, that snotty brat of a kid. The church micro-manager, the church crybaby. That lady who thinks she’s so smart, That guy who makes the most embarrassing jokes. The town hypochondriac, the village idiot! God wants them, even if you ache to throw them out like trash! God loves them! God treasures them! Jesus Christ died on the cross after excruciating punishments, and do you know what His reward was? His reward was to build His house. He picked the materials. He picked the decorations. He included the parts of the house that look fantastic to you, and Jesus included the ugliest knick-knacks in His house, too.
When you’re in God’s house, don’t go looking to reject anyone you find there. You don’t get to redo, redecorate or rebuild. It’s God’s house, and you’d better get used to it. In fact, you’d better learn to love it.
Question: Do you have a hard time accepting some of God’s people? How can you move your heart from where it is now to loving and cherishing all the people included in God’s house?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Get Off My Back
ALL – Psalm 128:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 16:31-33
OT – 1 Kings 7:1-51
NT – Acts 7:30-50
Interesting passage for the day: And so God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected by demanding, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” Moses was sent to be their ruler and savior. – Acts 7:35, The Living Bible
Thought: We don’t like authority, even authority that’s put in charge of us for our own good. And we have a really hard time, for some reason, discerning between men who just want to run our lives and men appointed by God to care for and lead us. We give them all the same response: “What gives you the right…?” The Israelites responded this way to Moses. People are still talking back to Jesus this way. Children say this to their parents. Adults say it to policemen. No one wants to submit.
Question: Whose authority are you rejecting? Are you rejecting their authority for God-given reasons, or just because you came up with things you don’t like about having them in charge? How can you show proper respect to authorities?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 16:31-33
OT – 1 Kings 7:1-51
NT – Acts 7:30-50
Interesting passage for the day: And so God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected by demanding, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” Moses was sent to be their ruler and savior. – Acts 7:35, The Living Bible
Thought: We don’t like authority, even authority that’s put in charge of us for our own good. And we have a really hard time, for some reason, discerning between men who just want to run our lives and men appointed by God to care for and lead us. We give them all the same response: “What gives you the right…?” The Israelites responded this way to Moses. People are still talking back to Jesus this way. Children say this to their parents. Adults say it to policemen. No one wants to submit.
Question: Whose authority are you rejecting? Are you rejecting their authority for God-given reasons, or just because you came up with things you don’t like about having them in charge? How can you show proper respect to authorities?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Friday, January 15, 2010
On the Other Hand, I Don’t Want to Be Denied.
ALL – Psalm 13:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 3:16-18
OT – Genesis 31:17-32:12
NT – Matthew 10:24-11:6
Yesterday I contemplated Jesus’ warning that loyalty to Him means we should expect hatred from various people in my life. The good side was that, if we endure their hatred, we’ll gain His salvation.
Today’s more about what happens if we don’t endure the world’s hatred. What happens if we cave in to people’s pressure? How loyal does Jesus want us to be. Is Jesus ok with us loving Him, but not really letting anyone know it? Here’s what He says:
If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend, I will openly acknowledge him as my friend before my Father in heaven. But if anyone publicly denies me, I will openly deny him before my Father in heaven. – Matthew 10:32-33
So yesterday we were struggling with whether we were ready to endure other people’s hatred. Today the question is whether we want Jesus to deny us before His Father. I’m not sure I’m ready for that, either, you know?
Those who read the Bible find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Because the Bible is honest—Jesus Christ is honest. He lets us know what to expect, no matter which way we turn (unlike advertisers, who tell us only the benefits of following their advice and never the downfalls). We have two choices: on the one hand, we can follow Jesus and be hated by at least some of the people who don’t follow Him; on the other, we can deny Jesus and find that He denies us before His Father in heaven. In other words, there’s no escaping some sort of pain. If we follow Jesus, we’ll experience the pain of people’s rejection. If we deny Jesus, we’ll experience the pain of God’s rejection.
Some people take these words as if Jesus is threatening us. I don’t. I take these words as a loving warning and as wise advice. Jesus wants our good. In yesterday’s reading, he promised salvation to those who endure people’s hatred to follow Him (Matt. 10:22). In today’s, Jesus promises to let God know that we’re His friends if we publicly acknowledge Him as our friend throughout our lives (Matt. 10:32). In terms of pain, we’re caught between a rock and a hard place, and there’s going to be some kind of pain in our lives no matter what we choose. But Jesus lets us know that life isn’t ALL pain and rejection. He has good things in store for us, things the people around us simply can’t offer.
So yesterday we struggled with whether we were ready to be hated by other people, and today we find out that the alternative is to be denied by Jesus Christ. The question isn’t really whether we’re ready for either. One of them is coming our way, whether we’re ready or not. The question is really whether we trust Jesus to give us the salvation and friendship He promises if we’re faithful to Him. If we trust Him, we can make our decision.
I pray that you join me in trusting Jesus. He’s faithful and good.
In what ways do you struggle with trusting Jesus? Have you trusted Him anyway? What have you learned?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 3:16-18
OT – Genesis 31:17-32:12
NT – Matthew 10:24-11:6
Yesterday I contemplated Jesus’ warning that loyalty to Him means we should expect hatred from various people in my life. The good side was that, if we endure their hatred, we’ll gain His salvation.
Today’s more about what happens if we don’t endure the world’s hatred. What happens if we cave in to people’s pressure? How loyal does Jesus want us to be. Is Jesus ok with us loving Him, but not really letting anyone know it? Here’s what He says:
If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend, I will openly acknowledge him as my friend before my Father in heaven. But if anyone publicly denies me, I will openly deny him before my Father in heaven. – Matthew 10:32-33
So yesterday we were struggling with whether we were ready to endure other people’s hatred. Today the question is whether we want Jesus to deny us before His Father. I’m not sure I’m ready for that, either, you know?
Those who read the Bible find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. Because the Bible is honest—Jesus Christ is honest. He lets us know what to expect, no matter which way we turn (unlike advertisers, who tell us only the benefits of following their advice and never the downfalls). We have two choices: on the one hand, we can follow Jesus and be hated by at least some of the people who don’t follow Him; on the other, we can deny Jesus and find that He denies us before His Father in heaven. In other words, there’s no escaping some sort of pain. If we follow Jesus, we’ll experience the pain of people’s rejection. If we deny Jesus, we’ll experience the pain of God’s rejection.
Some people take these words as if Jesus is threatening us. I don’t. I take these words as a loving warning and as wise advice. Jesus wants our good. In yesterday’s reading, he promised salvation to those who endure people’s hatred to follow Him (Matt. 10:22). In today’s, Jesus promises to let God know that we’re His friends if we publicly acknowledge Him as our friend throughout our lives (Matt. 10:32). In terms of pain, we’re caught between a rock and a hard place, and there’s going to be some kind of pain in our lives no matter what we choose. But Jesus lets us know that life isn’t ALL pain and rejection. He has good things in store for us, things the people around us simply can’t offer.
So yesterday we struggled with whether we were ready to be hated by other people, and today we find out that the alternative is to be denied by Jesus Christ. The question isn’t really whether we’re ready for either. One of them is coming our way, whether we’re ready or not. The question is really whether we trust Jesus to give us the salvation and friendship He promises if we’re faithful to Him. If we trust Him, we can make our decision.
I pray that you join me in trusting Jesus. He’s faithful and good.
In what ways do you struggle with trusting Jesus? Have you trusted Him anyway? What have you learned?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
