Sometimes I start thinking about man's sinful condition and can't help but wondering why God saved us in the first place. Compared to Him, we are maggots that deserve nothing more than to be utterly destroyed, to be stepped on and forgotten.
Rom 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
The Greek word for wretched means "enduring toils and troubles" (Thayer). The one thing that characterized the Hebrews on their journey out of Egypt was their CONTINUOUS grumbling and complaining *(Phil 2:14). We are no better. We CONTINUOUSLY run from God and run to the devil. Not one of our works is even remotely good in the sight of the Lord, YET he sent his son to DIE ON THE CROSS for our salvation. WHY!!!? God does not need anything we have to offer. We did absolutely nothing to deserve it. The only thing we deserve is everlasting death and destruction in hell. Why did God sacrifice his son so that we could have eternal life. Its something I still don't understand, and I don't know if we ever fully will. All I know is that God deserves ALL of our praise; not just our praise on Sunday or our praise on Wednesday nights, but EVERY SECOND of EVERY DAY of our lives.
1) -We are nothing compared to God
-Our works are nothing to God
2) -God in his mercy saved us though we deserved none of it
3) -We need to be praising God with our every action, OUR ENTIRE BEING
-We need to be praising God with every second of our lives
Just something to think about
-A sinner
About Me
- Max Oehlertz
- Hi everyone. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska and I attend Indian Hills Community Church. My intention for this blog is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others and to encourage other believers in their walk. If you have and questions about the Gospel or your salvation, please contact me at my e-mail. This is for the praise and glory of the Lord.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Being Eternally Minded
I've been thinking lately about what God wants of my life, and what I want from my life, and the two are completely different. My human flesh says, "Go have a good time, blend in with your friends, ignore what your conscience says".
God says,
"1 Tim 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but {rather} in speech, conduct, love, faith {and} purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
So here I (and everyone on this earth) have a dilema: Our flesh and the infinite God are at odds; but for me, the choice is clear. Our flesh is frail, but God is our powerful: He created our flesh. So why do I continuously chose to do what my flesh wants. I know that all I'm doing is angering a HOLY God. (How stupid can I be)
2 Tim 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love {and} peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
So what do I do to resist temptations and flee from lusts?
Answer: Have an eternal perspective!!
If we are constantly seeking to "Store up treasures in heaven", instead of storing up worldly belongings, then we will constantly be seeking to defeat temptation and to please our heavenly father.
Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For me, this verse sums up what life is all about. Life isn't about us TRYING to appease God (and failing miserably), life IS Christ; to allow Christ to use me as an instrument in the preservation and spreading of the gospel. This doesn't mean we step back and expect Christ to make us perfect.
2 Pet 1:5-8 Now for this very reason also (because God has granted us grace), applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in {your} moral excellence, knowledge, and in {your} knowledge, self-control, and in {your} self-control, perseverance, and in {your} perseverance, godliness, and in {your} godliness, brotherly kindness, and in {your} brotherly kindness, love.
For if these {qualities} are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God says,
"1 Tim 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but {rather} in speech, conduct, love, faith {and} purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
So here I (and everyone on this earth) have a dilema: Our flesh and the infinite God are at odds; but for me, the choice is clear. Our flesh is frail, but God is our powerful: He created our flesh. So why do I continuously chose to do what my flesh wants. I know that all I'm doing is angering a HOLY God. (How stupid can I be)
2 Tim 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love {and} peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
So what do I do to resist temptations and flee from lusts?
Answer: Have an eternal perspective!!
If we are constantly seeking to "Store up treasures in heaven", instead of storing up worldly belongings, then we will constantly be seeking to defeat temptation and to please our heavenly father.
Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For me, this verse sums up what life is all about. Life isn't about us TRYING to appease God (and failing miserably), life IS Christ; to allow Christ to use me as an instrument in the preservation and spreading of the gospel. This doesn't mean we step back and expect Christ to make us perfect.
2 Pet 1:5-8 Now for this very reason also (because God has granted us grace), applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in {your} moral excellence, knowledge, and in {your} knowledge, self-control, and in {your} self-control, perseverance, and in {your} perseverance, godliness, and in {your} godliness, brotherly kindness, and in {your} brotherly kindness, love.
For if these {qualities} are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because God has granted us grace, and through grace the Holy Spirit, we are to be working in our efforts to be godly. Letting Christ work in our lives requires "all diligence".
SO:
1) -It is our sin nature to do exactly what God says we shouldn't.
2) -To resist temptation we need an eternal perspective of our lives.
3) -Resisting temptation and letting Christ work in our lives also requires work from us.
Just something to think about.
-A sinner
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