Tag: judgement

Comparing: Deceptive Enlightenment

On June 26, 2015

You can not know light without knowing darkness, good without evil, love without hate, hope without sorrow, joy without hurt, or know mercy without knowing cruelty. We build our knowledge of life based on comparisons. What we think, believe, and know are the echelons of our faith.

His ways are higher than our ways!
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9)

When Peter asked Jesus about his follow disciple John, Jesus said, “21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” (John 21-22)

We can not compare ourselves with the ministry that Jesus calls other saints too. All of us have our own crosses to bear. We need to support each other, but never compare the work of God’s kingdom. Many saints judge themselves by the success/failure of others ministries. Inspiration and comparison are not the same. Any heart working within the will of God with the intent to bring about His kingdom is sacred. We must never forget it is all about His grace. “It will equip us for anywhere it leads us.”

22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22-24) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

If we are God’s workmanship, if we are working in the image of Christ, how can we compare
ourselves to anything? Let our actions focus on doing good — not on being good, on doing right – not being right. It is the intentions of the heart that God looks upon.

There is none like You! Oh Lord! Blessed is the Lamb of God! Jesus Christ!

Faith and Intelligence

By Marshall Mabry

On June 1, 2011

In Praise and Worship

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

This very definition of “Faith” rules out our exercise of intelligence. It tells us not to rely on our physical senses. Faith requires the absence of intellectual gymnastics like analyzing, rationalizing and deductive reasoning. Consider the temptation of Eve in the Garden. It demonstrates the struggle between what we know to be good and our curiosity to know more of what is unknown.

Gen 3:4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.
Gen 3:5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

This temptation is as real today as it was to Eve in the Garden. In our struggle with intelligence, our “need to know,” God tells us in Job’s story “Why do you question My authority?” When Job replies to God’s revelation this is what He says “
Job 42:3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

David shows his contentment within his station in life in this very simple Psalm:
Psa 131:1 A song of ascents. Of David. My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
Psa 131:2 But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psa 131:3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.

David gives us the beautiful Psalm 139 that speaks of how much more God knows us more than we know ourselves, furthermore, David touches upon God’s greatness:
Psa 139:5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Psa 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Psa 139:7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

I believe pride is the seed of all sin. Lucifer fell because of pride. He wanted to be like God. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God. We all want to be like God. It is our nature. We want to make our own decisions, choose our own direction, and follow our own path. Our pride in our intelligence and our own wisdom keeps us from submission to Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith.

Faith requires the daily choice of submission, submission leads to obedience, obedience to God’s commandments is worship, worship is our created purpose.

I believe in the security of the believer (“once saved always saved”), but not in the inclusive assurance of the “Sinner’s Prayer.” It is a tool to begin the work of salvation in a Believer. Paul said it this way:
Php 2:12 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

Our salvation is only offered through Jesus Christ and is only achieved by faith in Christ. It will be realized when we finish the race and and are in His presence.

Sometimes along our spiritual journey, we allow the world and our flesh to obscure and darken our vision of the Light. It is hard to get back into the Word, the Truth, the Way, when our faith has been tempted by our intelligence. Believe me, I would not be able to testify to these things if I had not experienced them for myself. Be strong in your faith in Christ! Believe with all your heart and not simply with your eyes or hands! His Word says He will complete the work He started.