Dear friends,
How do you find your balance between the world and the kingdom of GOD?
Or let me re-phrase the question: how much carnality and worldliness do you allow in your life?
Where do you place yourself on the scale between fleshly and holy?
How hard do you push yourself to resist worldly and carnal temptations?
This is not to judge anyone, GOD forbid, I would have to judge myself even more… but I think this is something we need to talk about, reflect upon… so I am just sharing my thoughts and findings with you, because I think we all need to take decisions in this area and find our place… do you?
Of course and first of all, we all know the commandments.
And what they command and demand.
At the same time, none of us truly obeys all of them.
DO we?
None of us can NEVER lie, never covet, never be angry.
Perhaps YOU can – me, I can’t.
I can’t even refrain from other sins every once in a while.
And then what?
Me, I do what David did, I repent, I seek MY FATHER’s face, I seek HIS forgiveness.
I don’t allow myself to sin deliberately, because I don’t believe that salvation is a blank cheque for sinning… at the same time, there are areas in my life where I am not yet holy and perhaps will never be…
What to do with that?
Does that mean I won’t go to heaven?
Me, I don’t believe so.
And I also don’t think it is biblical to believe that.
At the same time, as I said, I also don’t believe that all we need to do is to say the sinner’s prayer and then everything is and will be fine with our soul, no matter what we do or don’t do in our life on this earth until we return home to glory…
Why else would THE WORD OF GOD then recommend that we work out our salvation with fear and trembling?
At the same time, it is also a promise in the bible that we are saved by grace.
For me, they are not really contradicting themselves, but both is true for me.
My personal solution is I do my best.
Every day, in every situation.
But I am only human.
And sometimes, depending on my strength on that day, depending on the intensity of the temptation, on the amount of fear or discouragement or frustration or desire I have towards what the temptation entails, I am sometimes unable to resist.
Even though I know that it is wrong.
Even though I want to do the right thing.
I am not perfect.
ONLY JESUS was perfect.
There is no person described in the bible that was perfect or fearless or without sin.
Many of the heroes and heroines in the bible were a lot closer to perfect than I am or that I will ever be…
And yet, the promises of the bible are for ALL of us who BELIEVE.
Not just for the perfect and holy ones.
I don’t like any extreme doctrines spread by any church groups or denominations about this.
I don’t like it when they preach that we are saved no matter what we do.
But I also don’t like it when they try to scare us all the time that we won’t make it to heaven.
In my personal theology – and please don’t think I am considering myself to be knowledgeable, far from that!, it is just my own personal conclusion, which I have reached by studying the bible every day for a few years, watching sermons, seeking GOD honestly and earnestly and reading a few Christian books as well, not too many, because I like to have my own conversations with MY FATHER, but this is what I have come to – and perhaps you have made some similar findings or perhaps yours differ from mine…?
- when I have a question about what GOD wants me to do (or not), I seek and ask HIM, I do research on the internet and I sometimes try different ways of honoring HIM in that area, try my way between the “strictest” and more liberal positions and stay in communication with HIM and ask for HIS advice and for HIS reactions
- when what I believe HE wants me to do is too hard for me, I pray for strength and to deliver me from ungodly desires
- I fast and pray more
- when it is still not working, I ask for wisdom and ask HIM to help me explore the origin of these desires and help me remove hindrances for obediance
- but I also pray and ask for “practical” solutions, for help to live my life here on this earth and get by, help for navigating this earthly experience, help for being in the world, but not of the world, help for being worldly enough to still be able to reach others and live together with them and at the same time finding the right amount and most of all, the right way of being separate from them in a way that would attract them to the kingdom.
- I do my best to stay close to GOD, to speak to HIM daily, to ask of him, not just things I need or want HIM to help me with, also what HIS opinion is or HIS will for me
- I accept that I fall short of HIS glory and that I need HIS help and need to repent often and at the same time, I am not complacent or happy with disappointing HIM after what HE has done for me
- but I am also honest and open with HIM and speaking to HIM about my shortcomings and failures, not pretending they didn’t happen and also not promising they will never happen again, because HE knows…
And I remember JESUS’ prayer for US:
John 17:15-21 KJV
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Like I said, I am not perfect.
But my personal belief is that as long as I am doing my best, seeking GOD earnestly, giving all my strength into obeying and listening – and then, if I still fall, I don’t believe that MY FATHER will stop loving me or take my salvation from me… HE may punish me – and HE has!!! – but HE will never leave me nor forsake me. I think this is the promise that the people who preach too much fear are forgetting.
Also, HE said that whosoever believes in HIM will have eternal life:
John 3:15
That whoseover believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Aren’t those who preach the fear forgetting this promise?
Isn’t this our privilege as children of THE MOST HIGH? Compared to unbelievers?
That we will go to heaven?
Doesn’t the bible say that only the unforgivable sin is going to make us lose our salvation?
At least this is what I believe and how I believe GOD has explained these things to me… that doesn’t mean that I will stop trying or that I am sitting back, relaxing and sinning as much as I want.
But it means that if I fall, MY FATHER will forgive me and will keep loving me – just like HE has forgiven so many people in the bible so many times.
What do you believe about this, my friend?
I hope and pray that this article will inspire, encourage and bless you.
And that THE LORD will bless you abundantly in all areas of your life, that HE will keep you and shine HIS face upon you and bring you peace.
In JESUS’ name I pray.
AMEN.
Photo credit: crosswalk.com
Witness for Jesus 