Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Amos 4-6; Galatians 1.
Scripture -
Galatians 1:10 - Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Observation:
Paul was talking about people who were preaching a different gospel - one to please men rather than preaching the truth. Do we water down the things in the Bible that we don't like or that we think others won't like in order to make it more palatable? If so, then we aren't doing them or ourselves any good.
Application:
We can't pick and choose the verses we like best and ignore the parts of the Bible that say things we don't like. We can't follow church leaders who tell us that as long as we accept and believe, we can live any way we please because we'll be forgiven. We can't tell people that God loves them so much that just being a "good person" or going to church will get them into Heaven because He would never condemn a good person to hell. We can't believe that all bad things happen as a direct consequence of sin and all blessings are rewards for good behaviour (this is sometimes the case, but not always). We know from the Bible that these things are not true. Sooner or later, as Christians, we have to commit -- if the Bible is true, it is all or nothing.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, we thank you for the Word of God. We thank you that we have it in easily accessible, written, audio, video, and other forms so that we are able to learn more about you -- who you are, what you've done for those who've come before us, what you've promised us as your children, and how to live in such a way as to bring honour and glory to you. Forgive us if we have taken it for granted or been dismissive about the message you've given us, and forgive us if at times we have been less than committed to the truth of what it says. I pray that as we read your Word each day that we would learn more, appreciate more, strengthen our faith, and live it out better in our families and our communities. Bless our time with you and each other. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Tomorrow's passage: Amos 7-9; Galatians 2.
5 comments:
Your post matches another I read tonight: http://nikonsniper.blogspot.com/2011/07/do-you-know-christ-today.html You might enjoy it.
Great post. It made me think of this segment that I heard on the radio and when I googled it I actually found it:
http://www.lifelinepro.com/MP3/Vol_3/The_Erasable_Bible.mp3
I think it fits perfectly with your point that "Sooner or later, as Christians, we have to commit -- if the Bible is true, it is all or nothing."
Great post Miriam. I think often the gospel has been watered down a lot!
Debbie, a great post totally on the same topic. I love the quote by John MacArthur.... "In fact, no major orthodox movement in the history of Christianity has ever taught that sinners can spurn the lordship of Christ yet lay claim to Him as Savior." Wow - that is strong!
One thing I noticed about our Amos passage was all the "acts of God" used as warnings for the Israelites of their impending judgment if they continued to turn away from God. I sometimes wonder if the apparent increase of "acts of God" in our current age is a similar warning....
Another great segment Pam (it's quite short for anyone debating about listening to it, just a minute or two). We cannot cherry pick verses out of the Bible, or erase the ones we don't like or that make us uncomfortable. It's either all true, or all false - there is no middle ground!
Great post! Thanks. Also, love the add-ins by all you others. This is a great group... :)
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