Diligent to the End

"With flattery he will corrupt

those who have violated the covenant,

but the people who know their God

will firmly resist him."

Daniel 11:32

"A lot of churches have not moved with the times."

"It's God's will for you to live in prosperity not in poverty."

"If you want financial blessings you need to sow financially."

"You can make some mistakes but that doesn't make you a sinner."

These are some quotes from a popular pastor and author.  He is very charismatic and his message sounds good on the surface.  For those who are following Jesus and rooted in His Word, however, red flags are waving madly in the air.  There is something off. It isn't quite right.   I must be careful.

I am inundated with positive and inspiring messages on a daily basis.  I am told I can have my best life now, that God is just waiting to send over a truckload of money if only I would believe, and that my destiny is in my hands if I would only follow my heart.  It is easy for me to get off track and start following a belief system that is contrary to God's Word.  The message may be attractive and appealing, it may help to make me feel better about my life, or even serve to bring me out of a time of struggle, but if it's not the truth then I should not be adhering to its principles.

As I read the Bible, I learn that I will be faced with many false teachers in the end times.  It is important for me to be capable of recognizing the falsehoods so that I will be able to resist accepting their teachings as truth and stay diligent to God's ways to the end.  

Rightly Related

I used to own one of those hose reels that conveniently keeps the outdoor hose rolled up on a wheel.  There is a small section of hose that hooks to the faucet and then the longer length of hose connects to the reel.  If that small section is not lined up perfectly with the spigot, it will leak like a sieve, spraying water all over the place.  But, if I carefully align the hose with the spout, it spills not one drop of water. 

In a similar way, I must be rightly related to God in order to receive the flow of living water.  Many times, though, I get off track by following other people, fertilizing an area of sin in my life until it grows so large that it blocks the light of my Savior, or neglecting to pay attention to Him. Placing Him in the proper position as Lord of my life means that everything else will fall into place.  At least it will end up the way He wants it, not the way I imagine it should be.


Lining my life up with God's means desiring Him as my highest priority.  There are many times in my life where doing things for him becomes more important than hanging out with Him, but as Martha found out, "Only one thing is needed." (Luke 10:38-42)  That "thing" is making Jesus my most desirable pursuit. 


How effortless I find myself sliding into a state of perpetual toil for Jesus' sake instead of sitting at His feet.  It is important that I remove all things that distract me from simply living in right relationship with my God.  As Oswald Chambers said, "If you want to be of use to God, get rightly related to Jesus Christ and He will make you of use unconsciously every minute you live."


Living my life connected to the Source is important; not only for production of His fruit, but also for strength to stand strong against deceptive teachings. 


Keeping myself aligned with God gives me the strength to stay diligent to His ways until the end.

Seek to Know Him 

I recently read that employers are utilizing social networking sites to help in their quest to hire quality workers.  Sometimes a perspective employee looks good on paper and in person, but their personal life leaves much to be desired.  The way a person lives their life tells a lot about their values and integrity, inspiring human resource personnel to do a little research.

Much in the same way, if I want to know about God, I need to spend some time doing some digging.  He makes it easy by providing the Bible with all it's teachings and guidance.  Even more, though, God is available to us as followers of Christ.  He does not play games with us, but is readily available to those who are truly trying to find Him.  As He told the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)

In order for me to truly know God, I must trust Him, live my life in tandem with Him, or as David said,  taste Him and see that He is good.  Henry Blackaby, pastor and author of Experiencing God, put it this way.  " You will never be satisfied just to know about God.  Really knowing God only comes through experience as he reveals himself to you."

Although employers vicariously become a part of perspective employees lives through the Internet, I cannot do the same in my relationship with God.  Rather, it is my calling to concretely and tangibly invite Him into every part of my life, melding Him into my being so that His Spirit and mine are indistinguishable.  

Seeking to know God intimately is important in my quest to please Him and stay true to Him to the end.

Do What He Says

A professional student is one who loves learning so much, he stays in college indefinitely, earning degree after degree without ever embarking on a career path.  The security of their life as a student is comfortable, making it tempting to continue the learning forever.  Studying and learning new things is wonderful, but it is always with the intention of using the knowledge in some tangible way in the future.  

James talked about the importance of not remaining simply a student of God's Word, but to also put it into practice.  "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says." (James 1:22)

God's Word is useful for many things: teaching me, reprimanding me, correcting my ways and training me in His ways.  (2 Timothy 3:16)  These are all action words, propelling me into deed, not simply an exercise in intellect.  My mind processes the lessons and my body carries them out.  In order for this to happen, I must be fully committed to Him; anything less and I will argue my way out of it, find an excuse to wait until later or justify my present condition.  

Sometimes its easier to do things for God and call it good.  That reminds me of the time a king made a sacrifice to God in order to make up for his disobedience.  When the priest arrived, God gave him the following message: "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22)

In order to please God, I must take Him seriously and follow His ways faithfully.  Then I will be able to distinguish between His and counterfeit teachings.

Doing what God says keeps me too busy in His Kingdom to get distracted by false teachers.

Resisting all the phony messages from teachers who claim to follow God is important in this day and age.  To do so, it is vital that I stay rightly related to God, that I spend my life seeking to know Him, and that I don't just learn but put His lessons into practice.  Then I will be able to firmly resist the corrupt and stay diligent to Him to the end.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will be able to stand firm against all the alluring, ungodly messages inundating my mind.

In what areas am I most susceptible to influence?

When do I seek to do more for God rather than seek to know Him?

Religion vs. Relationship

"Religion that God our Father accepts as

pure and faultless is this:

to look after orphans and widows

in their distress and to keep oneself

from being polluted by the world."

James 1:27

Religion carries a negative connotation in our world. Wars are fought in the name of religion.  Hurting souls stay far away from God because of the pain experienced at the hand of religious people.  Innocent bystanders die at the hand of religious zealots.  Entire segments of society are ostracized by the judgment of religiously pious individuals.  

John Lennon wrote a song about imagining a world without religion. . . and how we could live in peace as a result.  He might have had something there. . .

Religion is defined as a group of people who adhere to an agreed upon set of beliefs and practices. Religion can easily become something hurtful and ugly when man adds to the law instituted by God and puts himself in the position of judgement and of wielding power over others.  Religion then becomes a tool used to control the lives of others.

The First Century believers must have experienced these same kind of issues as demonstrated by today's verse.

What is the difference between following a religion and cultivating a relationship with Jesus? 

Heart

God is all about my heart.  David was considered to be a man after God's own heart due to his desire to please God in all things.  Even though he failed miserably in many ways, and committed horrific sins, his heart was focused on following and obeying God for most of his life. 

A heart inclined toward God desires to obey God and God alone.  After being exposed of his sin, David repented and asked God to, " Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

My heart can get me in trouble.  When I am focused more on the law and how it applies to others, my relationship with a living God is replaced with religion.  If, however, I seek to please God above all things, my devotion to a set of beliefs and practices turns into a devotion to God. This is why David knew a pure heart was essential to his ability to please the God he loved.

Just as the Lord told the nation of Israel how he tired of their meaningless offerings and adherence to rituals, He gives me the same message of real worship.  God desires not a religious follower, but a child who's heart is inclined toward Him and who's greatest desire is to obey Him. 

As a follower of Jesus, my heart must be fully devoted to Him as my Lord and Savior.

Actions

While my heart is the center of God's focus, my actions betray the condition of my heart.  Anyone who has studied the book of James knows that I can't get away with just reading and knowing God's Word, but I must also put it into action.  God reminds me in James 1:22 to, ". . .not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

If my heart is wholly devoted to obeying God, I will act in a way that is in tune with His law, loving God and others.  Simply following the law, however, as a code of conduct outside of a committed relationship to God, leads to a brand of religion in the ugliest form.  The Bible then becomes a weapon used to cut others down and keep them away from God.

I recently met a young man who had, "religion shoved down my throat," as a youth.  Now, as a self-professed gay man, he is struggling to find his own spirituality.  Out of fear of the way his lifestyle conflicted with God's law, many well-intentioned religious people drove this image bearer from the very God whose love he craves.  

In order for my actions to line up with God's Word, my heart must be wholly devoted to God.  

Shield

As a believer who is living in a fallen world, I am constantly bombarded with worldly viewpoints and beliefs.  In order to keep from becoming just like the culture in which I live, I must guard myself intentionally against the thought patterns that so easily creep into my consciousness.

When presented with a crisis or an issue of some kind, what is my first reaction?  Do I immediately go before the Lord for comfort and guidance, or do I talk to others and get their advice and counsel?

While consulting with trusted friends and family is not wrong, this should not be my first response.  I have to admit, I desire to hash things out with someone who is right in front of me and whose voice I can clearly hear.  When I talk to God, I don't always get an answer right away and I certainly don't hold an audible conversation with Him! 

Taking in lots of advice from others, though, poses a threat.  I am flooded with all kinds of beliefs and ideas and I must then wade through it all to find the truth.  I am susceptible to falling for a worldly viewpoint which may make complete sense to my own understanding, disregarding God's plan. 

It is important that I go to God first to in order to find my grounding before sharing the problem with others.  Even though I can't audibly hear His voice, He supernaturally guides my thought patterns toward the truth.  Then I will be putting into action Proverbs 3:5-6.  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

In order for my heart to stay committed to God, I must shield myself from the principles of this world.

I am not a religious person.  I do, however, claim to follow Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  As a believer, it is important that I devote my heart to pleasing God which will lead to actions that line up with His Word.  It is also vital that I protect my heart from the thought patterns of this world in order to stay committed to God. 

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that my only concern will be to please God.

How do I try to lean on my own understanding instead of trusting God in all things?

When do I run to people with my problems instead of falling on my knees before my Lord and Savior?