1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (NKJV)
Chosen to do what?
Recognise our relationship to God and each other through Christ, and praise Him!
Supposed to live how?
Live like this world is not our home, like we are aliens/visitors, rejecting the desires of the flesh, in order that we might display the glory of God to those who don't know Him!
Does this sound like our own walk with God?
Does it describe the corporate life of our church?
Could many years of, "God is just so happy if you accept His Son" type messages, have led us to a point where many just can't conceive of God asking any more of us as His people?
The truth is, if we realise we were in darkness and we have been brought into His marvelous light, totally by His mercy, we want to praise Him and live for His glory. Could it be that many may have responded to those "God is just happy to have you messages", without ever recognising the darkness they were in and truly coming into His light?
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
I think the “God is just happy to have you messages", suggest that we had something to do with Him “having” us. I know I believed for a long time that I had made the right “choice” by accepting Jesus. This thinking affected how I believed about a lot of things concerning my “faith”. I wasn’t in the Word really at all. I read the Bible at church. And by read I mean followed along while the pastor read. It wasn’t until I started reading the Bible that God showed me the darkness I was really in, and how awesome He really is.
ReplyDeleteRomans 3:10-12 says: There is NONE righteous, no, not one; There is NONE who understands; There is NONE who seeks after God. They have ALL turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is NONE who does good, no, not one.
Romans 3:23-26 says: For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD, being justified freely by HIS grace through the redemption that is in CHRIST JESUS, whom GOD set forth us a propitiation by HIS blood, through faith, to demonstrate HIS righteousness, because in HIS forbearance GOD had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time HIS righteousness, that HE might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in JESUS.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says: For by GRACE you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Once God showed me what a wretch I am, that I brought nothing to the table and that he is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) it helped me to see that I owe Him all the praise!! The very faith it took to believe is a gift from Him!! I wish my life reflected more on any given day how truly amazing He is.
I do think a lot people are deceived by the "God is just happy to have you messages", but I think another big problem is that people are just not in His Word. Romans 10:17 says: So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It really is so important to be in His Word!! -- Tori
Amen to that Tori, about how important it is to be in His Word. I was a Bible college graduate and a missionary, yet, had never actually read or studied the Bible for myself. But when I finally did, it changed my life--and continues to.
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