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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Are you not a brood of rebels, the
offspring of liars?”
Isaiah 57:4b
This ends this
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Are you a rebel?
You may want to think a moment
before you answer that question.
Maybe we should look at the
definition of the word first. The dictionary would offer the following:
1. opposing or taking arms against
a government or ruler
2. disobedient
Perhaps both of these applied not
only to the people of Israel, who obviously behaved this way as evidenced by
our scripture verse from Isaiah 57, but to us as well in this present day when
it comes to our relationship with God. This is why rebellion against the Lord
is added to our list of indicators of wicked living.
First, when we look at the first
rendering of the word “rebel” we have to ask ourselves if we have ever behaved
in opposition to the One who rules and reigns over all of us. God is the Maker
and Master of all creation. All are to submit to Him as the King of kings and
Lord of lords. And yet, we so foolishly choose to follow our ways and desires
over His.
This isn’t akin to rebellions where
people have warred against those who have threatened their most basic,
fundamental freedoms. The Lord is not our enemy and He is the source of our
truest freedoms, now and forever. Thus, it makes no sense that we would act in
any way to fight or resist Him.
And yet we do.
We have done it since our earliest
years, right?
We seem to have trouble with abiding
with authority. We don’t like to obey the rules. We like to do what we want to
do.
In other words, we fall into the
second part of the definition of “rebel” because we are almost innately
disobedient in the way we carry ourselves. We fail to be a compliant people, no
matter what regulations, laws, or policies are imposed on us. We do our own
thing and hope that no one will detect us in the midst of our rebellious living
but there’s only one problem with that mindset.
God sees everything.
There is nothing hidden from the
sight of the Almighty Lord of all. He sees every action. He hears every spoken
word, even if whispered or simply mouthed without utterance. He is cognizant of
every thought.
With this, He knows every time we
rebel against Him, even if we just think about doing it. We would be better off
not even going there in the first place.
Friends, it’s time we come to the
realization that God requires not just a part of our obedience but all of it.
We are to submit fully unto Him, surrendering our will for His in all that we
do, say, and think. Nothing short of this is acceptable.
Rebellion against the Lord is an
indicator of wicked living. That’s the message from the word of God to us all.
But there’s also a message of hope
as well and it comes when we consider complete avoidance of rebellion and full
submission to the God’s will and way. You might think that’s an impossibility
for any person who is born into sin but I am here to tell you that with the
Lord, all things are possible, even transforming someone from a rebel to an
obedient servant.
How you might ask?
It all starts with Jesus.
Remember when our Savior said these
words:
“I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
You see, Jesus, the only One who
has lived a perfectly obedient life, is the One who is the way and the truth
and the life. If we want to live a life of perfect obedience, we need to live
as Jesus did. Thank goodness that God’s word tells us how He lived so we can
model it. The Holy Spirit sent to be our Great Counselor until Jesus returns,
always guides us to live as He did. All we need to do is submit to its leading.
In the end translation, Jesus was
always about His Father’s business and through following His lead, we can be
too. If you’re a Christian today and rebelling, you are not onboard with the
program and it’s time to repent and get back on the right track. If you are not
in Christ today, then you are rebelling against God and you need to change
immediately, accepting Jesus as your personal Savior and committing from this
day on to live as He lived. It needs to be your number one priority. Period.
God is going to judge those who
choose to live apart from Him, those who live in rebellion. Don’t be counted in
that number but instead live in a way that places you in His favor, a way that
is pleasing in His sight.
Live like Jesus in all that you do.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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