Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Addicted to our flesh, not God

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.  These are the ways of the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world”.       1 John 2:15-16 (New Century Version)

No matter how clean we try to appear on the outside, if the heart remains unchanged we will return to what we came from and once more be filthy both inside and out.
The city of Nineveh, after Jonah preached salvation, the entire city repented and then returned back to sin.
God is slow to anger and does not move rapidly in order to give many chances to repent.  Through His mercy and grace He sends warnings, dreams, maybe a word and His prophets.
The city of Nineveh believed one prophet, Jonah, and repented of their evil ways and God spared the judgment He said He would bring.   However, they fell from their repentance by returning back to their former ways.
This is one of the most terrible things that man can do.  Having turned from their evil, they went back to what they had said they would forsake, and this is what evokes the judgment of God.
The Bible tells us that if a man loves his sin and holds on to it at all costs, refusing the grace of God, then he becomes identified with his sin.   It is time to restate that God has a capacity for anger and it is time again to warn people to flee from the wrath that is to come.
Separate from sin and the things of this world.  Live as a citizen of God’s Kingdom and let His light shine forth to draw others to Christ who lives in you.
“….through fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.”   Prov. 16:6(b)

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