As you can see I am in the book of Jeremiah. I just finished Isaiah,so the prophetic tone that I tend to cravitate towards rings strong right now. Do you like me, get frustrated and even angry when things in your life don't go the way you planned or as they are "supposed" to go? "God I am your child, and you aren't spoiling me, what gives?" A performance mode faith or an "entitlement perspective" Christianity leads us down a very dark and dismal path to confusion, disillusion, and indifference to the claims of God's word. I find it easy to drift into a self indulgent, self seeking manner or pseudo-blessing mode of living the life of faith that is a far cry from the real God anointed call our Lord requires of me. My tendency is to be hyper critical and stoic with a large dose of pharisaic legalism capped off with a dash of truth just to keep it interesting. I find it easy to hide my sin behind my sunglasses. This is a receipt for spiritual disaster.
Sin is easily disguised for the person whose life is full of busy, hurry and confusion. Seemingly good things, even "Christian" things can mask the truth of an individual. Be careful to call sin "trials", test your life to the word of God to see how well you line up, you will hopefully be surprised. (Either way). Don't you find it easy to blame the devil or "happenstance" for the difficulties you experince when in reality it is the result of your own wickedness and backslidden desertion of faith? I know that last statement sounds so "Old Testament" so "law" it couldn't possibly be anything relevant to me since I am not under the law but under grace. Remember, you are saved by grace through faith, but you still sin, still struggle with sin, still justify sin, and continue to allow sin to enter into your life. If you dont agree or believe I have simply "lost it", ask yourself the following questions and see where you might land.
Do you complain that your life should be going better than it is? Especially after all the good things you have done.
Do you just shrug off life's difficulties as uncontrollable circumstances or that it's just God testing you?
Do you find yourself indifferent when you read about a miracle in the bible, or hear about someone truly giving their life to Christ?
When you see something beautiful in creation or the simple fact that you have breath today, does it drive you to declare the awesomeness of God?
When you sin, do you treat it like a minor occurence instead of total disobedience to a holy and righteous God?
Make a list of the things you worry about. How does your worry replace the position of the almighty Jehovah Jirah (God is provider) on the throne of your life?
When was the last time you where in total awe of the living God?
Examine your life and compare it to the living word of God not the cultural fallacy of Christianity that expounds upon "cheap grace", love without holiness, prosperity as evidence of faith, with a dash of "self-everything". We don't forsake God, by making a verbal statement; we forsake God when we chase after other desires, other loves, other idols, other cultural Christian practices that are both powerless and mute. Discern with those in Christ if there is sin and to what depth that sin has taken root. Trust with total awe the holy and merciful God who can both reveal and remove such sin roots.
I end this lengthy writing with a true confession. I am wicked, backslidden and in many ways diserted my faith. I too, like Judah and Israel have forsaken the Lord my God, by becoming indifferent, calloused and numb to his awesomeness, His marvelous ways and a grace that's price is beyond comprehension. The only true response is repentance, not mere mental assent, but the life "transformation" that comes from the recognition of how my life compares to the Almighty God, His word and those who have lived it righteously.
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