When we start following our own will in the “secular” parts of life, we tell ourselves that we won’t let these “other things” get out of hand. But we are deceiving ourselves. We have let something else sneak back onto the throne of our hearts.
Wonder of all wonders, God is willing to forgive us of our treason against His rightful rule over us. But His grace requires that we begin doing what we have not been doing: obey His will. He must become our Master, our Ruler . . . our LORD.
Very people few are willing to “seek first the kingdom of God,” even among professed believers. Especially in the modern culture of so-called “Christian nations,” very few do more than add a little “Christianity” to their busy lifestyles.
Confession of sin comes from “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17), and it hurts. But the joy of forgiveness is on the other side of this sorrow, and the process of confessing our sins and properly grieving them should not be rushed through.
Are we willing to accept God in general matters like love and faith, but when it comes to His instructions in the Scriptures about how these principles are to be carried out, do we balk? If we truly trust God, we will respect His means and methods.
As creatures living in a world broken by sin, we have never experienced what it is to be a human being — not fully and perfectly. But God does not plan to leave His masterpiece broken. In Christ, He proposes to bring us all the way back to life.
It is only in Christ that we can be refreshing in the ways that people most seriously need refreshment. We should see being a Christian not only in terms of what we can get (being refreshed) but also in terms of what we can give (refreshing others).
It’s a huge step in our return to God when we acknowledge that our sins against Him have been deliberate. If all we can say is, “What I did was inadvisable, but I couldn’t have done otherwise,” we’re a long way from seeing our need for forgiveness.
Christ’s kingdom can’t be measured by any of the criteria the world uses to judge how powerful something is. And because it is spiritual, Christ’s kingdom is not vulnerable to any of the threats that earthly kingdoms have to worry about.
If we have not accepted the lordship of Christ before the day of judgment, it will be too late for an acknowledgement at that time to save us. In reality, Christ IS the Lord. But will we ACCEPT His lordship? That is what the gospel asks us to decide.
