07/15/2019
Are we occasional Christians? Are we occasional in our worship of God? Do we straddle the flaming rift between heaven and earth not knowing which foot to pull up, and which way to lean? Well our God is not a sometimes God, He desires our all, gives us His all, and as the chasm between heaven and earth continues to widen we will reach a point in which we will fall into the pit unless a choice is made. Which will we choose, or will the choice be made for us?
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
We all remember this scripture, but we remember it as “pray without ceasing,” yet there are three parts to this scripture and all three are to be continuous... Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks. Then in the following four verses this theme regarding continuous faith goes on...
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 ESV
And if we do these things the Lord has a promise for us. He promises to be continuous in it too... He says that He will sanctify us completely, to keep us blameless until Jesus returns.
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV
We hear the forever promises of God in His Word, and are reassured of them through Jesus Christ. We hear him as He tells us that He will be with us always...
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
Jesus says the same to us...
“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."”
Matthew 28:20 ESV
And the Holy Spirit is also our promise forever...
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”
John 14:16 ESV
Our God is a forever God, and desires for us to be forever with Him. As we read earlier he desires us to be forever rejoicing, praying, thanking Him, and being with Him continuously in every way. This should be our desire, our song, and our prayer, just as we hear it in Psalms 23...
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Psalms 23:6 ESV
So I ask again, are we occasional Christians, or worshipers of God? Do we walk alone until those times when it suits us to call on Him, or disaster strikes? Do we straddle the rift between heaven and earth thinking that we can continue to stand there without falling? Well, a choice must be made, and we can’t serve two masters. Only one of these three options leads to eternity with God, and all of His promises. Are we ready to keep the fire of worship burning in our heart which is the altar of our faith?
“Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.”
Leviticus 6:13 ESV
“Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord.”
Romans 12:11 NIRV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your patience as we stand astraddle the rift between good and evil. Thank you for the mercy and grace you have offered to redeem us through the suffering and sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ. Help us Holy Father to make that faithful decision to choose good over evil, heaven over earth, light over darkness, and eternal joy over the torment of the fiery pit. You have never abandoned us Father, and are with us always. You see us as we vacillate between what is right and what is wrong, and between choosing your eternal and perfect love over the cheap imitation that the world offers us for a day. You are indeed long suffering, and your tolerance of our indecision is great. You stand ready to forgive us despite the fact that we turn our backs to you... you are the loving father that runs to greet the prodigal Son, and you embrace us... forgive us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God forever, who waits patiently on us. Great is your love for us, that even in our wanderings from faith you are with us always; waiting for the slightest hint of our return. We give you all praise and glory to your mercy and grace! You help us in our choice of faith, and you call to us from the darkness... “come to me!”, and “Abide in Me always!” We lift our left leg Father that we might fall right into your waiting arms.
“The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, 'Destroy.' So Israel lived in safety, Jacob lived alone, in a land of grain and wine, whose heavens drop down dew.”
Deuteronomy 33:27-28 ESV
Rich Forbes