Gtcotr/ws081617
Our
focus this evening will be on the children of God, those who have already been
born again by the grace of God when they first believed in and called upon
Jesus to save them. Many souls who have been saved are yet unhealthy, unhappy
and disconnected from the House and from the Family of God.
Life
presents common pressures and problems to all. Some children of God get
disappointed, disillusioned, distracted, detoured or defeated by the enemies of
their soul and drift away from the will or the work of God. Caught up in their
own pursuits or pain they begin to live a life apart from the Family table of
the Lord.
As
time goes by and almost without notice they settle into a routine of life that
belies the salvation they once received. Many exempt themselves from joining
with others to praise and worship the Father and they refuse to offer
themselves to help in the work He is doing to build the Kingdom they will one
day inherit. They feel they are ok with just them and God.
Church
does not get old to God any more than school for our growing children gets old
to us. When our child feels school is just too much trouble, too boring, too
bothersome and they don’t want to get up and go, what do we
say? God feels much the same way about His children … only it’s not just about
getting a good education so they can get a better job … it’s about people
missing an eternity in hell and handling the hell of this life.
Some
of God’s kids however are just rebellious and feel they are old enough to make
their own decisions and that their Heavenly Father is just too old and out of
touch. They say things like, “It’s my life … I’m going to do whatever I think
is best for me.” Or, “I’m taking a break for a while.” And then they begin to
drift away from Church and away from God. Added to this problem is the fact
that they often influence their family and friends to go along with them on the
drift. Unfortunately many are lost in the drift and never find their way home.
How
can we remedy this or insure it does not happen in our lives? Let’s see what
God has to say on this matter.
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we must
give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
When
the Bible uses the word “therefore”, we can look just above that word and see
what the word therefore is there for.
In
the preceding chapter, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to realize that God never
grows old and that His values never change. Once again I’ll say that God has a
plan and His plan is the same today as it was 5000 years ago and will be
forever. For this reason, the Holy Spirit instructs us to be ever vigilant to “give more earnest heed” to the instructions given to
us in the Bible.
The
Bible paints a clear picture of God’s will for each one of His Children. When
we begin to substitute our worldly motivated goals for His heavenly motivated
goals we begin to drift and soon our priorities and values get all mixed up.
This is the process of becoming entangled in and conformed to this world.
The
Apostle John admonishes Christians that they should avoid falling in love with
the world and all it promises.
1 John 2
15 Do not love the world or
the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him.
16 For all that is in
the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Paul
helps us with some practical instructions when writing to the Born Again
Believers in Rome. He said:
Romans 12 NKJV
1 I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
3 For I say, through the
grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to
each one a measure of faith.
We
should not think that we can or that others can do it alone. The Apostle
continues to describe our place in the Body of Christ which is the Church.
We
need realize that the world endeavors to creep into our lives through thoughts
and the activities offered promising to make us rich, happy, without pressures
and problems, free and able to enjoy life without family and life without restrictions.
That however is an empty promise. When we allow ourselves to be enticed or
controlled by the lust of other things above the plan of God for our lives we
begin to drift away.
Perhaps
we would all do well to look at our life values and prioritize them by making a
list of our top five life values. This will help us to discover if we are
scheduling our values or if we are perhaps drifting away from the plan of God
for His Children. I have made my list – yours might not be exactly like mine
but allow me to tell you my values and how I schedule the priorities of my
life.
1. Family
2. Faith
3. Finances
4. Future
5. Friends
Other
things like Facebook, snapchat, golf, hunting, TV, worry and weekends can
always find time after I have scheduled my values each week. A life in order,
God’s order, makes a difference. It keeps us from drifting away!
