Not the Will Of Your Father

On Tuesday I wrote Let Them Alone.  The essence was that there are some that won't be saved.  We need to give it our best shot but if they decide not to believe  we need to move on.  Well I ran across this Scripture today, also from Matthew, that seems a bit contradictory.  But is it?

Matthew 18:14(NKJV)

14Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

In this case they are talking about the little children but I think since little ones grow up, by extension we can assume God is referring to all human beings.  Quite simply it is God's wish that each and every person be saved.  The reason it isn't contradictory is that God allows each and every one of us the free will to over ride His wish and do our own thing. 

So in each and every case where someone isn't saved, the unsaved person made the decision to over ride God's wishes for their life.  I don't see any contradiction in that at all.  Right up until the day they die they are free to change their mind, accept Jesus, and God will accept them with open arms. 

So have you accepted Jesus yet?  Why not do it right now?  Jesus knows what you need.  Open your heart and have a conversation with Him.  "Dear Jesus….".

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At the Time!

1 Chronicles 17:1-6(NKJV)

1Now it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.”

2Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

3But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 

4“Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. 

5For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. 

6Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’ 

Interesting story.  David is incredibly grateful for all that he has.  He sees that he lives in better accommodations than God's Ark of the Covenant.  He thinks to himself "I'm going to build a house for the Ark."

David is acting out of all the right reasons and yet look what God says.  "Don't do it.  That's not my plan". 

A great warning to all of us that even though we may be doing something for all the correct reasons, if we don't check with God before we act instead of after, we could be acting against God's plan, and we know that's not a good thing!

Talk of all His wondrous works!

 

1 Chronicles 16:7-11(NKJV)

7On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:

8    Oh, give thanks to the Lord!      Call upon His name;     Make known His deeds among the peoples!

9    Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;     Talk of all His wondrous works!

10    Glory in His holy name;     Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

11    Seek the Lord and His strength;     Seek His face evermore!

What a beautiful passage.  This passage really describes much of my prayer time.  I have a hard time spending much time asking for things.  I figure I asked God to guide my life, He knows way in advance what I need, even before I do, so I find myself just being extremely grateful in my prayer time. 

Just spending time thanking Him for being on the job and marveling at how He does it.  How over time I can look back and see how seemingly unconnected events fit into God's plan. 

The other thing I liked about this passage is that I think it has one of the keys to witnessing hidden within it. 

Make known His deeds and talk if His wondrous work ; as it relates to your life.  In other words share what God has done for you in real terms.  Not some vague "you get to go to heaven someday" but how being a follower of Jesus Christ has impacted your life in a real, tangible way here and now!

Let Them Alone!

As so often happens when you have been studying the Bible as long as I have, I ran across a verse that said something that I had never noticed before.  

Matthew 15:13-14(NKJV)

13But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 

14Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

We've often heard that Jesus would like nothing better than to see everyone saved and I'm sure that's true.  And it seemed to me that there was a sense that we had to do "absolutely everything we could possibly do" to see that all were saved.

This Scripture seems to me to be saying something a bit different.  It's saying make a reasonable case to those that you are trying to save and then if they reject Jesus, move one.  Leave them alone.  Don't badger them.  Continue to pray for them if you want but leave them alone and move on.  God has already told us that not all will be saved.  To expect that all will seems to me to go against God's plan to me.

Walking Life's Tighrope.....

Do you have faith like this?  Wow!!!

Click here to see video!

"If the Household is worthy" - Doesn't That Require a Judgment?

Here is another Scripture that directly challenges one of the most often quoted Scriptures. 

Matthew 7:1(NKJV)

1“Judge not, that you be not judged." 

You see this verse quoted a lot especially by non-Christians, to deflect any sort of analysis of someone's behavior or beliefs.  Many people seem to think that this Scripture is a flat out prohibition on judgment of others.   If that is so then how do you explain this next Scripture, also taken from Matthew. 

This Scripture is Jesus talking directly to the disciples and giving them orders.

Matthew 10:11-15(NKJV)

11“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 

12And when you go into a household, greet it. 

13If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

14And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. 

15Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

Jesus tells them to determine if a person or a household is "worthy".  How are you supposed to do that exactly without making a judgment? 
 

As I've written many times, the Bible is a book of balance.  Let the Holy Spirit be your guide as you seek wisdom from God's book!

Bearing Fruit Is The Standard We'll Be Judged By (After We Accept Christ That Is)

I recently wrote about the fact that we will all get different rewards in Heaven.    That kind of goes against what most seem to think Heaven will be like.  While we are all saved by grace so we can all get into Heaven, Scripture clearly tells us that we will receive different rewards, we won't all be equal in Heaven. 

Here is another Scripture that I found today that illustrates that. 

Matthew 10:40-41(NKJV)

40“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 

41He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 

Notice that there is a differentiation between the reward for a prophet and the reward for a righteous man.  I believe that it is the same here and in Heaven.

Now the question becomes, what standard is used to determine our reward in Heaven?  Obviously the first step is accepting Jesus as your Savior.  Have you done that yet?  If not why not do it right now?  Have a conversation with Jesus.  Simply ask Him to come into your life and take over.  "Dear Jesus….".

I'm sure that there are many things that are used to determine our rewards in Heaven.  One of the cool things is that it won't be our sins.  Scripture tells us that we all must face the Judgment Seat for our sins.  But that is where Jesus steps in for those of us who have accepted Him.  Jesus intercedes and tells God He has taken the punishment for this person or that person.  The slate is wiped clean! 

 Our sins won't be held against us.  That was the whole point of Jesus wasn't it?  He took the punishment for our sins.  So what standard is used?

Matthew 13:21-23(NKJV)

21yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 

22Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 

23But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

I believe that this will be one of the key metrics used to determine each of our places in Heaven.  Did we bear fruit?  So as we go about our daily lives let's make a point of taking every opportunity that we can find to bear fruit for God!