Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Three weeks ago, I outlined seven things the Apostle Paul mentions about humanity.
- People knew God perfectly well.
- Refusing to worship him.
- They trivialized themselves.
- There was neither sense nor direction.
- They were illiterate regarding life.
- They traded the glory of God for cheap figurines.
- They were living in a pigpen.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about this.
- Worse followed.
- They forget how to be human.
- Sexually confused
- God quit bothering them
- It’s not that they don’t know better
Last week I wrote about this.
- Those people are on a dark spiral downward.
- If you think that leaves you on the high ground, think again.
- Did you think he’d let you off the hook because he’s such a nice God?
- Real life for those who work on God’s side.
- Those who insist on getting their way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!
The basic reality of God is this.
You are created by God, and he loves you beyond comprehension.
You are created for great things, not to wallow in a human pigpen.
You are created for eternal things, and your training is now.
There is also an adversary—the devil—who hates God beyond comprehension. Since he is incapable of directly attacking God, he uses humanity—God’s prized creation—to get back at God.
There is enough material to write books (and many have) about this. But suffice it to say that humanity is in the devil’s crosshairs.
The difference is he attacks non-Christ-followers and Christ-followers who do not understand their authority in the King and his kingdom at his pleasure.
For example, my daughter is subject to nose bleeds. The other night, as she was readying for bed, her nose began to pour blood. As she addressed the issue, a thought rolled across her mind, saying, “This is an attack.”
She spoke out loud (not shouting), “devil, this is an attack, and I am not putting up with it.”
Immediately, her nosebleed stopped.
What a coincidence, or was it?
Of course, it was NOT a coincidence.
God the Holy Spirit spoke to her, and she heard him as a thought. She perceived the thought (her spirit aligned with God the Holy Spirit) to be from God, which caused her to act by speaking to the attacker.
You are created by God, and he loves you beyond comprehension. You learn this by praying with him in the Bible and being around other like-minded Christ-followers.
Because humanity has turned its back on God, it fails to realize the great potential it possesses. The adversary uses this lack of knowledge to lead them to a sub-human standard of living. This is what the Apostle Paul referred to as a pigpen.
Christ-followers who do not understand their authority through the King and his kingdom are led down a similar path. They will either live in a poverty or kingdom now mentality.
The first ties them to a pigpen style of life, while the second puffs them up with pride. Both mindsets cause these uneducated Christ-followers to miss the mark of God’s greatness in their lives.
The Christ-follower who understands their place in the King’s kingdom realizes that this life prepares them for eternal life, where their true greatness is revealed.
God is loving but not blind.
God is forgiving, but consequences follow.
God is gracious but righteous.
The Apostle Paul paints a vivid picture when he says,
You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others, you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard?
Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Romans 2, The Message.
I imagine a person being caught with their hand in the cookie jar. The surprised and embarrassed look on their face tells the story. God is nice and loving, but he sees your hand entering the cookie jar.
It is like someone having sex outside of marriage and realizing they are caught when a baby is on the way.
God indeed forgives the sin, but the consequence is undeniable.
Carrying the illustration a step further, God’s grace is seen when he showers the pair with baby gifts.
It is a powerful lesson.
Forgiveness is given once it is asked for; however, it does not negate the consequences. The consequences do not forfeit the Lord’s blessings on a repentant heart.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead provides you with living hope. It is a living anticipation full of expectation of something good happening.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. As I learn, I will pass it along so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.
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