Saturday, March 16, 2013

Conditional Christianity


My Utmost For His Highest

One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .” (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person. The deadliest attitude of the Pharisees that we exhibit today is not hypocrisy but that which comes from unconsciously living a lie.’ CHAMBERS
 
Have you noticed that if you see a problem but don’t do anything about it, after a while, you don’t see it anymore?  It becomes part of what you think of as normal and acceptable.  At first it bothered you, but over time, it lost its significance.  So it is with sin and our tolerance of it.  If you don’t deal with it as soon as you see it, there is a great danger that it will become part of you. If you live with it … tolerate it … you will be lying to yourself if you think that you can be spiritual at the same time.  You will have become a conditional Christian.  Meaning, I am a Christian but based upon my conditions .. my definition .. not God’s.  And more than that .. you will convince yourself, that “almost” is OK with the Lord.  What is it that you tolerate in your life?  Confess it and forsake it .. today.
 
What I am talking about is not a rare problem, but a common one.  Every day presents opportunities for us to choose poorly.  It’s only when we sharpen our spiritual vision .. heighten our spiritual awareness that we can recognize and stand against our flesh and sin.
 
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

No comments: