In the same vein as yesterday I was reminded in our reading today that the follower of Christ that is seeking to pursue Jesus with a heart that is white hot with passion, to seek HIM, know HIM, love HIM and share HIM will at times feel like Elijah. Remember in 1 Kings 19:10, Elijah tells the LORD just before he hears HIM in the still small voice...I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life. Later God will inform Elijah that actually there are 7,000 that have not bowed the knee to Baal.
Regardless, at times it seems that there are so few that are truly going hard after God. You expect opposition from those outside the church, but not from your own brothers and sisters in the Lord. The struggle that can become the most discouraging to the child of God is the internal struggle. I become incredibly frustrated with myself with how often it seems as though I am simply going through the motions, complacent...lukewarm! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Don't you just love God's Word? There is an incredible transparency throughout God's Word. The people of God are never portrayed as even close to being a perfect people. Don't you just love Paul? Romans 7:24-25 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Paul makes a profound statement in 2 Tim 3, he teaches us that there will be many in the last days that are evil and they actually hold "to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power." We are warned to avoid such men. See if the description fits our culture.
2 Tim 3:1-7 “Difficult Times Will Come”
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
I know you are shocked to know that the true child of God will not attain sinless perfection in this life...if ANYONE SAYS THAT THEY HAVE THEY ARE A LIAR! Check out 1 John chapter 1. What you can say for the true child of God is that when they do sin they will repent and ask for forgiveness. If they continue for a period of time in sin, not yielding the prompting of the Spirit, then the Father WILL TAKE THEM TO THE WOODSHED! You will be disciplined! If you are praise God...why? Because it means that you are a child of the most high God. Anyone that is able to continue in sin is not a child of God!
Back to the thought of feeling alone. It has always amazed me how few Kings "did what was right in the eyes of the LORD," and how many did "what was evil."
1 Kings 15:34 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of Jeroboam and the sin he had caused Israel to commit.
1 Kings 22:52 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He walked in the way of his father, in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin.
2 Kings 3:2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made.
2 Kings 8:18 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab’s daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
2 Kings 13:2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
2 Kings 13:11 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.
2 Kings 14:24 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from all the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:9 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:18 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. Throughout his reign, he did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:24 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 15:28 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.
2 Kings 17:2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
2 Kings 21:2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the abominations of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.
2 Kings 21:20 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight as his father Manasseh had done.
2 Kings 23:32 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestors had done.
2 Kings 23:37 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestors had done.
2 Kings 24:9 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight as his father had done.
Shortly following the fall in the Garden of Eden those that sought after the Lord God with singleness of heart have been greatly out numbered. How often does it say "Jeroboam son of Nebat?" THAT IS NOT THE LEGACY AND INHERITANCE I WANT TO LEAVE MY CHILDREN AND MY CHILDREN'S CHILDREN!
2 Kings 14:3 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.
2 Kings 15:34 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Uzziah had done.
2 Kings 18:3 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done.
2 Kings 22:2 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn to the right or the left.
Matt 7:13-21 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
The Word of Jesus that follow out to strike fear in the heart of every human being. Jesus teaches us that on the day of judgement many preachers will be cast into hell...yes preachers!
Mt 7:22-23 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Father in heaven,
By YOUR Spirit enable us to love, worship, pursue YOU in a manner that matches YOUR excellent worth...in a manner that reflects that YOU are our greatest treasure! Father enable us to be like YOUR servant Apollos..."powerful in the Scriptures."
Work this for YOUR glory and our joy in YOU!
love,
m