There is a topic that I have felt pressed to write about several times, but tend steer away from again and again. Not because I don't want to admit where I have struggled with this, but because I know it is going to step on some toes of some who may read this. The topic is living a "double life". Or you may even say a "nondedicated life".
For many years of my life I would say my heart, my mind and my actions did not fully line up with God's word. And it wasn't until nearly a year and a half ago that I allowed God to fully bring this to my attention. I let him rip me apart on the inside and show me things about myself that He was not pleased with. Things that I did on a daily basis, and knew that I did. These were not things that I was oblivious to. And now that I have let him work on me and in me about this topic for well over a year now, it is a topic that He has placed on my heart for others. It is kind of like that concept of...you never see a blue Honda Civic until the day you go buy one. Then all of the sudden you see them everywhere you go. Why didn't they stand out to you before? And the answer would be...you never had a reason to see them before. Well that is how it is when God works something out inside of you. You didn't want to see it in yourself before, so you certainly weren't going to point it out in other people lives. Because you know if you do, God is going to point that finger right back and you and say look at your own life....and then you either have to look at yourself, or you have to learn to ignore the problem even more.
Today the problem I am talking about is huge in the social media world and it does not anger me at all, but it breaks my heart. I will see posts on Instagram or Facebook of people cursing, talking bad about someone else or talking about the partying they did last night....and then just a few posts or pictures later it will be something Godly, some way they need God to show up for them or how they are off to some church function. Again, I am not bashing anyone that may post like this, I am simply saying is this really the way you think God wants you to present what a relationship with Him is like? Where is the discipline? Where is the part where your life that is supposed to look different than the rest of the world? Where is the part where you are pointing others to Jesus? Have you stopped and thought that your posts or the way your living just may be the reason someone doesn't want to find out how Jesus can help them? If they are looking at your life and thinking "Jesus did nothing for that person. They say they know Him and their life looks just like mine, if not worse." I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm really just trying to speak truth there. And I am only trying because like I said, there was a time when my mind, my heart and my actions were not lining up with each other or God. What changed that?....Me letting Jesus point things out in me..and then giving Him permission and access to change me. And No that did not make me perfect, but it did make me different. It did make me stop and think "I want to point people to Him....never have someone look at me and reject Him because of what they see in my life when I supposedly call myself a follower."
This is the example that came to my mind as I thought about this post...If you went to work ever day and said how great your marriage was, but then flirted with, hit on or even were physical with some of the people you work with, would people believed you have a great marriage? Or would they look at you and say "He/She is a fake". Would they say you present one thing, but live another? Would they think you commitment to your spouse is a joke? If you get that example, then you will get that people can look at your commitment to Jesus and think the same thing. They can think "if that person loves God, and a relationship with God is changing or has change their life, then why do they still curse, speak trash about others, drink, party, sleep around....(you fill in the blank)?
Revelation 3:16 is the words of God talking about how because we are neither hot nor cold He wants to spit us out of His mouth. Lukewarm is not what He has called us to be. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways." And James 1:8 says that a double minded man is unstable in all of his ways. All of these are very serious statements and very bold and blunt statements......"Pick a side(Me or the world), stop acting like a child and become stable in your thoughts and actions". Why is this important... because you say you love God, and the world is watching you! You are either going to point someone to Him...or possibly push them away from wanting to know Him. What are your words, actions or lifestyle doing?
God, Thank You for Your words today! I can only pray that this message will be received in love as it is intended. Do not let the enemy rise up anger or defensiveness in anyone who reads this blog today. Please help us to examine our hearts through your eyes. Do not allow us to buy the lies of the enemy that tells us we're ok because at least we are doing better than someone else we know. Let us see that the ONLY standard we are to measure ourself against is the life of Jesus. Help us strive daily to be as much like Him as we can. He came to point everyone He came in contact with to You....help us do the same. In Jesus name, Amen.
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