Perilous Times

We seem to be going through perilous times in our world right now with Fiscal Cliffs, Marriages Assaulted, Churches shutting their doors, and growing churches just adding members from other churches who are running from God.  Which causes us to think, "What's happening and why aren't people turning to God anymore?"  Also I hear Christians say, "These are the end times!"  In the midst of all this turmoil we tend to think that since we are Americans this just can't happen to us.  Really?  If you actually read and see God's Hand moving in the midst of His people, you see His great desire, His command, for His children to follow His ways or they are shown the "highway."  I know it seems so negative to even think in these terms, but whether we like it or not, God is going to be true to His Word.  The Word that mentions destruction in the same sentence it mentions God's Faithfulness.  God is faithful and we can experience that faithfulness more and more in a positive way if we will just follow His Word.  A sure proof of selfishness is when we only take out the "good parts" of what His Word says and believe there is no retribution for turning our backs on Him.  I believe that just like we are working hard not to go over our fiscal cliff as a country, we as believers need to keep our eyes on the "spiritual cliff" that looms before each of us if we don't repent.  Uh oh.  I said that word didn't I? REPENT!!  We hate to see this word because it means we have to own up to the fact we may be (are) missing the mark and nothing we can buy or figure out in a computer program will make it right without repentance.  Man, this bit of reality really bites for us American Christians who profess that we have it all together and know all the answers.  Well, news flash.  Sometimes we don't have all the answers and the only way to those answers is by hitting our knees in repentance.  Usually proud hearts don't have much truth fruit, but repentant hearts open up a whole new way of thinking.  That's just the way it is and the way it will always be for those who follow Christ.  We have to be "all out" when it comes to our relationship with God and He will not allow prideful hearts to find any hope or answers in the midst of these tough times.  Sadly enough attending church will not generate any relief in our lives if we don't get honest before God when we are there.  If we think church attendance will make all things right with God, we are more in the Catholic mindset and that one day a week will be the amount of spirituality that is seen in our lives and that is not enough.  Christians used to look at the "lukewarm pond" and say, "That is not for me."  Now we are trying to tread water ourselves in the very same pond we used to avoid.  By the way, the water is fine!  It's just the kind of water that repulses our Lord.  So that's the good news.  What's the better news?

This is the cool thing about God.  With this current, unique, very intimate relationship made possible by Jesus, we can boldly come to God and say, "I'm wrong, I've been wrong, I repent"!  He sees the purity of our heart's cry and restores us like it never happened......with one change.  Our life is totally reloaded and made fresh again.  The past "cliff sliding" is replaced with our feet on solid ground and ready to stand like the day we accepted Christ. 

All because of Repentance.  Jesus said in Mark 1:15, "The time has come, He said, The kingdom of God is near, Repent and believe the good news."  You might say, "That was for those who needed to believe in Jesus." You are right......Getting back to who we are is found in making that relationship right and getting back to who Christ made us to be.  Saved and Serving...  His love is still there and we may not know everything, but we know this one thing, God is in control.  Look at what it says in 1 John 3:1-3  "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." As you continue to compromise the Gospel, keep this in mind, you aren't on the winning side.  You are sliding and the cliff is very high and destruction is at the bottom of it.  But when we repent, really repent.  All things are made new and life is seen for what it is, and all this stuff we have accumulated becomes secondary and our relationship with the Living God becomes our focus.  Today is the day!  Time to make things right.  I choose Christ!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren