Tuesday, April 14, 2009

why


Why? (Part 1)
Have you ever wondered why God had to bring salvation in the way he did? After all Jesus, his very son, said “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (John 22: 42) He also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14: 6) If there was any other way for God to free men from Sin why didn’t he take it. That means that every claim of Buddha, the Hindus, Muslims, Atheist, or Agnostic throws out is either a Lie, or what we believe is a Lie, and I assure you that is not the case. That means God has no tolerance for any other belief system, because if those could lead to him, then he wouldn’t have tortured and killed his own Son. He wouldn’t have put him through the worst pain imaginable if there was an alternative. I know this because God says Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and The father are one and the same. (1 John 5: 7) There is no logical reason for God to torture himself if there is any other way.


Another question would be why Did God even care to free us from our Sins. We know there is no other way that we can be saved except through Jesus Christ, (Acts 4:12) but that doesn’t explain why he did it.(this is must be understood to understand the first question) The only reason I can find is Love (John 3:16). I find no reason why, but only the effect of it. You see we disobeyed and rejected God from the beginning, many of us have cursed him, and forgotten him in most every area of our lives, but the fact still remains God loves us. (Psalms 103: 11, 17).
The only way that it makes since is God is Love, God is the author of Love, Gods very nature is love. In fact the two greatest commandments that fulfill all the law are built on the foundation of Love.( Matt 22: 37-40), and all the law is fulfilled by the law (Rom 13:10). Then In Gal 5:22 is describes the Fruit, or Character of The Holy Spirit (God himself), and the first on the list is Love. There is no other reason for Why God would go to such lengths to save those who would reject him, who would curse him, who would ignore him, and place other gods in his place, other than Love. “Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” God was willing to Die for those he loved, for those who would come to him, for he calls them friends. He didn’t care that they weren’t his friends yet, but he knew what would happen if he went through with his plan.


So back to the original question Why Did God have to bring salvation in the manor that he did? Some have said its because “Sin is so strong that God couldn’t speak it out of existence” and others have said “So we can choose”, but both answers are wrong in essence. For one Scripture says that God is capable of doing most anything so long as its not against his nature. (Jer 32:17,27, Heb 6:18) So why couldn’t he just speak it out of existence. We know that Sin causes all suffering because Sin leads to death ( James 1: 14-15) So Since God is loving (Psalms 103: 11, 17) Why doesn’t he just take the easy way out and stop having us suffer?


The answer to that is God is just (Deu 32:4), but that within its self probably doesn’t make since. First off lets define what the word Just means. “To receive what is deserved”. That means If I’m owed 100 dollars then I get 100 dollars nothing more and nothing less. That is perfect essence. So lets apply that to another every day situation. Say a man is caught speeding at 55 MPH through a blind children’s convention at the park with a set speed of 15 MPH and with it there is a 25,000 Dollar fine, and there is no way you can pay that fine. Well if the Judge is doing his Job then he would say sorry buddy, but you have to pay the price, and we would have to pay that 25,000. If the Judge just says well ok I’ll let you off this time, or change it at a whim then he is no longer a good judge. We would say to him he deserves to pay the same price as that the murder, rapist, or who ever else he let off should have Got because he’s just as bad as that person.


Of coarse God is merciful and Mercy means to be given more than we deserve in a positive way For example you’re a snot nosed brat who doesn’t respect anything, but your daddy buys you a corvette for your 16th birthday. Well you don’t deserve it at all, but its given to you, and that is a simple form of Mercy. The thing is were not only unworthy of mercy, but to give us Mercy would be unjust and wicked if our price, that has done so much, is not paid for.
God being both Merciful and Just in nature he must fulfill both properties. So how in the world Can a Just Person be merciful to a wicked being and still remain true to their character, because to turn from that character would make them a liar and God is no liar. (Heb 6: 18) So Before the world began, knowing that everything would Go wrong he had it planned out how he could be merciful to those who were wicked and remain Just himself.( 2 Tim 1: 9-10)


It goes kind of like this. A boy is brought before his father, who is a judge, for the crime of involuntary man slaughter, and the price is 10 years in prison with no bail, or 100,000 dollar fine. The boy looks at his father and says “Well, there is no way I can pay that Pa”. He and his father both know that the Judge has to do the right thing and that means the fine or the time must be paid. If The father doesn’t do as he’s supposed to then he’s just as guilty of the crime as his son. So with the great love and mercy of a father he comes down from his place of authority and coming before his Son he say’s “I can pay it son” and the son accepts it. The debt is paid, the law is kept, the father is still just and merciful, and the wicked receives that mercy. It all works out.


The same thing had to happen with us. The price for Sin is death, and the consequence is Eternity in Hell. I’m sure your aware of this, so please understand I’m not pushing that fact beyond need. So we can either pay the price which is an innocent life, or pay the time which I have already mentioned. The problem is the price is death and so to pay that price we need to live innocently but we only have one life and even if we had an eternity worth of lives we would never come out as innocent, our only option is to pay the time. God knows this and says I’ll pay the fine. I’ll take your crimes and have them paid for, I’ll blot out your transgressions so that you can have eternal life. God gives his life for us, knowing that he himself is innocent he takes the price of the guilty and pays it with his own life. (John 3:16)
It is for the fact that God is the perfect Judge, and is perfectly just, while being perfectly merciful, and the author of love that God has no other way that he can remove our sin.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Glory



Father, how I mourn for you. You are the sovereign God worthy of all praise, and all Glory. You deserve it more than anyone, and receive it not. The angels sing to you, but the creation, made in your image, denies you of the honor you are due. This weakens my heart Lord. As I write this, humans give their worship to everything in this world accept you; placing their mind upon everything that appears right in their own eyes; Worshiping other Gods, Idolizing self image, and the works of man. You allow this for now out of your great mercies, giving them one more breath to possibly accept you. Then you have your children here on earth who shame you; who allow the dammed to remain as they are without speaking the truth that can free their soul. How you must weep, my Aboni, at the sight to behold when you look at this oasis in the midst of a dangerous land.You have made everything as it should be, to protect us from hostility of are seemingly limitless environment. How the heavens show only a part of your glory! we look at them, and are marveled by what we find, captivating our mind. These celestial bodies are only your creation, and yet far beyond human comprehension. God, how worthy you are of so much more than I could give. Then you raise it further beyond our imagination by giving yourself to us. How unworthy I am to even speak your most indirect name. This wretched body of death, worthy only of hell in you presence; attempting to praise you in the only way it finds its self able; by relying on his pathetic excuse of literature that you have allowed him.Thank you for pardoning my unworthiness of such an act that many take for granted, not showing proper reverence. Humble us lord, and show us how to worship you in spirit and truth.

Monday, April 6, 2009

2 Tim 3: 1-7


This post will also be short. I only have ten minutes left at this moment. Anyways I have to say I'm agitated beyond all need because of my first hour class today. There I am trying to do my home work and the only thing anyone wants to talk about is what their doing their senior year. Well that’s all fine and dandy until they start talking about all the wonderful Vices that they all are swallowed up by, without a second thought. It made me so sick to think that people I have known for the last few years are so consumed by their own lusts. That the same kids who go to church every Sunday are the same kids who are described in Verse 4 "Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God."
I don't see how they can be so short minded and forgetful of everything. How they can claim to be something and be everything but that Monday through Saturday.I know I'm guilty of my own sins, my own vices, but they seem to take pride in them, or as the verse say "High minded" over their sin. I curse myself for the crimes against God that I have made, because I know that by such things I placed my king upon the Cross.Thanks be to God that I'm not guilty of the list that is in these seven verses of the activates "in the last days perilous times shall come", I just don't comprehend it.
What is it that sets me apart from all of them? We all claim to believe in the same God but I don't have any of the same desires of sneaking into Kansas to get drunk and then going to Las Vegas because of legalized prostitution, or making a Joke out of who's going to be the first person to have a Kid in our class. Its all vanity and they are all consumed by it.Don't they understand that this life is just a vapor, its here and then its gone. Then as we pass away we enter eternity. Why should I waist my life pleasing myself, and in reality destroying myself, causing myself more hardship than I need, all in the name of Fun. When I can do things the way they are to be and receive the blessing that come with it.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Reflection


My first post in this blog will be rather minuet. I apologize for that, but for the sake of time I must make this quick.

2 Cor 13: 5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Je'sus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

This verse is saying stop and take a look at yourself. Are you really what you claim to be? Are you really a child of God, a servant of the most high, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Such questions might offend you and you'll say "who is this boy to question my devotion to God?" The truth is I am no one, and you'll probably never meet me, but I’m not the one questioning that fact. I want you to question that fact, because I would rather have you come to the conclusion that your dieing and going to hell while you still have a chance at repentance, than to believe you have "fire insurance" and end up separated from God.

I know such a saying is harsh, but look at the reality of it. Jesus Christ himself said "...It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."In essence to see if you are not a reprobate which means "one who fails the test" look at the scriptures.

Look at the words of Jesus, and see if you bare fruit (john 15). Look at Galatians 5:22 and ask yourself if any of those traits are evident in your life. Read over 1st John and be entirely honest with yourself. For it is better to check and make sure than to be naive and die apart from God.