God is Alive and CALLS us to Himself, if We'll Hear...
8/11/2009
God is Alive and CALLS us to Himself, if we’ll Hear.....
It IS a war for each person’s heart and mind and strength....
You know, I’ve said this before...if anyone believes any foolishness based on what they read online on any topic, they SHOULD be allowed to believe it. They should. God expects more from people than that they should be foolish.
A Brother and I were talking a couple of days ago and he was telling me about reading in Matthew and noticing how much Jesus expected of people. (Which got me started listening to Matthew on MP3 this morning).
Anyway, just in the first few chapters, look at how much God expected of people, in terms of what He held them accountable for:
1. He expected Joseph to believe that Mary was pregnant by the “Holy Spirit” (who, if I’m not mistaken, would have been totally unknown to Jews, having never really been properly introduced in the OT).
2. He expected the wise men from the East to find Jesus and worship Him, based on nothing more than a star to go on.
3. He expected people to go out and be baptized by John with nothing to go on there, either (and if they didn’t, they missed God’s will for their life).
4. Jesus expected Peter and Andrew and James and John to just stop what they’re doing and follow him, without question, though they have no idea who He is.
And later on in Matthew He expects them to not be afraid of a storm while He’s asleep in the boat (Matthew 8), He expects Peter to walk on water without doubting (Matthew 14) and He expects the disciples to be able to cast a demon out of a boy without Him there (Matthew 17), etc., etc. etc. There are MANY, MANY more examples throughout the book.
The point being that God EXPECTS us to know His voice, to know what’s true, to turn to Him with our fears and questions. There is NO EXCUSE.
Jesus expects MUCH MORE from us than that. And if anyone CAN be deceived, they should be. It is proof of who they are and want to be, at heart. God said they are “without excuse.”
The sheep Know the Shepherd’s voice.
Christianity as it REALLY is—is amazing.
-Tim