First I want to lay out some scripture and then I will follow it with my thoughts and what I have learned.
(Matthew 7:13-29)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."
If you notice, Christ always teaches in a way that we can understand. He loves us and doesn't sugar coat anything. He flat out tells us that we always have 2 choices....one leading us toward the life we were meant to have that glorifies Him, and one that leads to destruction. Plain and clear He states that the road that leads to Him and to walking in obedience with His Word is the road less traveled...the more difficult path. It REQUIERS something of us. It demands CHANGES that are not easy or comfortable all of the time. He calls us to the harder path. It is always easier not to go our own way, but we cannot expect blessings to flow into our lives if there is a sinful foundation. We can proclaim God's Word all we want, but it holds no value and even offends God....and it does not impress Him, if our LIFE does not reflect our WORDS.
You cannot expect to start down an ungodly path and remain on it, hoping to detour to the right path later on. YOU HAVE STARTED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!! You have to turn back, and walk the opposite way down the road you have started and make things right, and change things along the way...and only then, can you find your way back to where you have started, and walk bravely down the right path. Making sure your foundation FROM THE BEGINING was solid and strong.
I personally know, that in my life everytime I started something...be it a relationship, a friendship, serious life choices, etc...that when I did things MY WAY, or according to WHAT I WANTED or thought was best, and they were not lined up with the Word of God, and obedience to Him...EVERY single thing I did FAILED. It may have failed quickly, and it may have taken years...but either way, there was no real peace, and heartache was sure to come.
Only the times that I have surrendered my needs and wants, and everything to God, have I ever been truly able to see His face, and His willingness to carry me, to love me, heal me, care for me, and protect me. And He has been faithful everytime.
God loves us. He doesn't want us to hurt. He knows that when we go our own way we are seperating ourselves from His blessings and protection. And although He states that HIS WAY can be hard, He wants us to have His promises and covering...and we can't have that if we are not following Him. The RIGHT PATH is hard because it forces us to change things we don't want to. It can cause us to sever relationships/friendships that we don't want to. It holds us accountable to someone for what we do. It causes us to die to self. And that is not easy. That is why so few choose to do it!!!!
He also gives us, in the Scripture above, an example of 2 trees. This represents the people and things we allow to influence us in our lives.
Listen, there are people, and things that appear to be what we want and need, but they can really destroy us....in many ways. A person can be seen for what they really are by the fruit that they bear. NOT by how they appear, or what they say....but their fruit. This means to take a look at WHAT THEY DO in there lives. Not to be judgemental...we are to always show kindness and be merciful because people do change (and we have all fallen short at some point), but it's important to notice what they are CURRENTLY like, so that with wisdom you can decide if they are good for you or not. You can always uphold them in prayer, and care for them....but how much influence are you going to allow them to have in your life? They can be self decieved and not even realize the wrong of their ways (genuinely thinking they are good for you), or they can be wolves in sheeps clothing....knowing fully that they are setting you up to harm you. God wants BETTER for your life. He want to protect you from these things, but if you are not making the right choices, how can He? Look for people to have in your life that do the HARD, but RIGHTEOUS thing. Not people that will lead you to compromise. Not people that use God's name, but do not reflect Him in their lives. It is FAR better to be friends with a person who does not follow God, never claiming to.....than to invest into someone who proclaims the name of God, and show nothing of Him in their life. I know that my unsaved friends have often proven truer and better than the " Christian" friends who said "JESUS" and lived for self.
I'm telling you, that my life is richly blessed because the people I have in it are REAL!!!! Whether they are Christian or not....I have been able to take a look at their heart, and their lives, and know fully that they bring positive, and good things into it. I have a very big heart...and for so long I lingered with people I loved dearly....but they were not good for me. GOD is NOT a liar. And HE knows what is best, and sometimes it is letting go. I know that I have learned the hard way several times that people you have in your life that are not good for you always leads to hurt, heartache, and drama. And in that painful reality, it taught me that God knows best, and that even through the pain He was teaching me that He had a better way, and a better plan than I could understand at the time. Letting people go is HAAAAARD, especially for me because of my nature, even when they have hurt me! BUT....when I released them, and let God have His way...I got to see what truth there was to His Word.
And it helped me realize that before I rededicated my life to Him, that I should have been concidered NOT good for some people, because the fruit in my life wasn't good either. I now desire to BE a positive influence, and HAVE positive influences in my life. And like God says, it took HARD choices, and BiG changes. But I reversed the path I was on, made the changes and started over....God's heart and love for me has been revealed in ways I never thought possible. He holds my hand every step I take...where before I was walking alone.
Do not fool yourself with your own words! Not every man who proclaims God's name is truly connected to God. It isn't what you say....it what you do that reflect whether God is truly the foundation of your life. Are you doing the will of God??? Being a believer in God is different than being a follower of God. And this effects not only you, but the people in your life....people can see your fruit. Your family, friends, children....they all observe you. And it's not what you say that they SEE. There are TALKERS and there are DOERS. Most people have the right words and answers, but that doesn't cut it. It's the intention of your heart that GOD can see. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes, but where is your heart?
When you fall, WHO do you run to? Every storm in your life is a gift of grace. It allows you to find out where your trust lies, and if you are grounded in Christ or not. It allows you to decide whether or not your are willing to come under the authority of Jesus in your life or not.
It's trials that remind me everyday that I want to leave this world and the people in my life with a rememberance of positive things they saw in me, that I am only able to reflect by coming under the authoirty of Christ. It's not about MY glory...it's about HIS. And for those people who were in my life while I wasn't living right, I can only reach out to make things right, and leave it in God's hands. Forgive myself and move forward. To pursue inner character formed through obedience and testing.
7:24 "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
7:25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
7:27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
What is your house built on? And when the storms of life come...are you grounded in a soild foundation?
You can fool people...but storms will come. And people will see where your foundation lies. I know this is true because I had a house built on sand and now it is built on the rock. And when trials come, God faithfully is able to sustain me, where before I was destroyed.
BELIEF IN CHRIST WORKS ITSELF OUT IN YOUR LIFE....IT PROVES ITSELF.
We will all be accountable in the end to Jesus... For He is our final judge. And His judgement will not be on works, and on words...but on our hearts, and in our reflection of Him.
It's easy to say "It's never too late to change"....but life is short and unpredicatable, and that simply isn't true. We get one life, and one chance. And we have to live with the choices we make.
I encourage you to walk the road less traveled. xx
No comments:
Post a Comment