CHANGED HEARTS

 

CHANGED HEARTS

Rom. 2:29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God. NLT

All throughout the Scriptures we see God's special love and favor upon the Jewish people. It all began with Abraham who was found to be righteous in God's eyes because he believed and trusted in God without reservation. God honored the heart of Abraham by promising him that his descendants would inherit the Promised Land and would be so great in number that they could not be counted.

Although God made it clear that His promise was to be kept through the nation of Israel, we discover that this promise was not confined to the Jewish people. God's promise of blessing is for all whose heart is right with God. All who know Jesus as Savior are part of the fellowship of God that He had with the Jews. For in God's eyes, a Jew is one whose heart has been made righteous by the shed blood of Christ at Calvary. God promises are for all who are His children.

No one is excluded from God's promises and blessings whose heart has been changed by God's Spirit at Calvary. We are an anthem of praise that ascends unto God. His glory is seen in all who are His. He takes delight in His children and they are a living testimony of God's grace and mercy for all to see.

WHAT GOD WANTS

 

WHAT GOD WANTS

Rom. 2:18 Yes, you know what he wants; you know right from wrong because you have been taught his law. NLT

Very few people can honestly say that they have no clue as to what God wants from them. Most, if not all, people have a moral code they live by that originates in God. They know what they ought to do and what they ought not to do. Now, whether or not they do what they know is right or not is another story. Everyone makes choices of whether or not they will do what they believe to be right. God holds everyone accountable for their choices.

The more knowledge we have of God, the more responsible we are for abiding by His laws. Knowledge of God raises the bar of responsibility. No one can claim ignorance when it comes to living in obedience to righteousness. All righteousness flows from Calvary.

Jesus is our righteousness. He alone can make us acceptable to God. He alone can stand between God and man and bring us together. Jesus clearly has shown us what is right and wrong. Without His righteousness, no one will see God. Jesus is our shield from God's wrath. He makes it possible for us to be good enough to be in God's presence. But, in order for us to be found to be righteous before God, we must confess our sins to Jesus and forsake them. We must believe that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day and is now seated in heaven at God's right hand.

You know what God wants from you. He wants you to accept Christ as your Savior and live life in Him. It is what is right before God, and all who live in Christ will never go wrong. If you haven't turned to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins yet, you are making a choice right now as to whether you will or not, and God holds you accountable for your choice.

The right thing to do is to take God and your relationship with Him seriously. He commands you to be holy before Him. Nothing else will do.

LIVING FAITH

 

LIVING FAITH

Rom. 2:13 For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God’s approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God’s sight. NLT

It’s not what you know that will get you to heaven; it’s who you know. If you have been in the Church for any length of time at all, you probably get confused with this point. Christian education is very important for our spiritual direction and growth, but often times we are more focused on learning than we are on living. We can know all the right answers and still be lost. We can talk knowingly and at great length about faith, but if we are not living it ,we are nothing more than a bunch of windbags.

The Lord gives us opportunity to live so that we will put into practice what we learn. The lost world doesn’t need to know what we know; they need to know who we know and how to live in Him. God will judge us by how we live, not by how we think.

If your knowledge is not backed up by your living, you are a fool. Only the righteous in heart will see God. Only those who are living in and by faith will make it to heaven.

Biblical knowledge can be an asset and it can be a liability. It is not an end in itself; it’s merely a means to an end. Let us be careful that we don’t forget to live out what we learn. God will acknowledge only those who practice what they profess to know.

We don’t put faith in what we know. In and of itself, what we know is dead. Hell will be populated with people who know the truth but never lived it. Faith that gets us to heaven is living faith.

KNOW AND OBEY

 

KNOW AND OBEY

Rom. 2:13 For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God's approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God's eyes. NLT

Most of us know enough about the Scriptures. We are exposed to them enough so that we are fairly familiar with the Gospel and how it should impact our living. The more our exposure is, the more knowledge we gain. Some of us are well-versed in the Scriptures. The problem with us is that we often confuse our knowledge of the Scriptures with our knowledge of God. We tend to rely on what we know as being our passport to heaven. We think that just because we know and understand truth that Truth lives in us. Nothing can be further from the truth than that. What makes us right with God is living the truth, not knowing it.

All knowledge is dead to our souls until Christ breathes life into us. Life is about living in relationship with Christ, not trying to figure Him out. It is about letting Him control and influence our thinking and living. Knowledge is important, but it is not an end in and of itself. Be careful that you don't fall in love with what you know instead of Who you know. Knowledge alone is deadly for the soul.

Hell will be full of people who know about God. In fact, everyone in hell will know about Him, for the Scriptures declare that every knee will bow before Him and declare that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Yes, what you know may very well get you into hell. Be sure that you know the Lord and not just about Him.

If Jesus is not your Savior and Lord today, open up your heart to Him today. You will be glad you did both for now and all of eternity.

FROM THE HEAD TO THE HEART

 

FROM THE HEAD TO THE HEART

Rom. 2:13 For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God's approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God's sight. NLT

Knowing and doing are two entirely different things. There are so many who were taken to Sunday School and church early in their lives who have chosen to not live what they learned. They may be able to recall and sing the songs they learned, they may be able to recite some of the more well-known Scriptures that they memorized, they may even be able to understand what it all means, yet they have chosen to not live it.

It is good that one learns the simple things of the Gospel. It is good that people have the truth ingrained within them. It is good that we know that Jesus loves us and wants to have a relationship with us, but none of it will do us any eternal good if we don't take it to heart and let Jesus be our Savior and then Lord.

What we know does not make us right with God. It may influence our lives and help us to live "good" lives, but it will not get us into heaven. God is not impressed by what we know, no matter how well we know it. He does not accept those who do not accept Him.

Only those who accept Jesus as their Savior and strive to live righteous lives will make it to heaven when they die. God declares righteous those who live righteously before Him.

We must get what we know in our heads into our hearts if we are going to have eternal life with God.

ARE YOU LISTENING?

 

ARE YOU LISTENING?

Rom. 2:5,6 But no, you won't listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world, will judge all people according to what they have done. NLT

Are we listening? We better be. There is coming judgment from God for all those who do not listen to Him. God knows those who are listening and those who aren't. For those who stubbornly refuse to listen to God, certain judgment is coming.

Most people are so stubborn when it comes to the way they live life. They prefer to live in sin and its momentary pleasures than listen to God and repent. Most have no intention of changing their behavior. They would rather be a part of the crowd than stand on their own two feet and do what is right before God. Most know better, but it doesn't seem to matter to them that judgment is coming.

Because of the nature of a sin-darkened soul, most would even deny that there is coming a Judgment Day. Most don't give it a thought and live like they will live forever here on earth. If they do believe in the eternal, they figure that they have plenty of time to repent before they die, not looking at the reality that eternity is but one breath away for any of us.

Most people do not have a sense of urgency regarding their soul. Yet, God makes it very clear that there is a price to pay for living in sin. Listen to what God says before it is too late. If you don't pay attention to Him now, you will later, but then it will be too late. Now is the day of salvation. Turn to the Lord today while you can; your day of judgment may begin tomorrow.

SLOW TO JUDGE

 

SLOW TO JUDGE

Rom. 2:1 You may be saying, "What terrible people you have been talking about!" But you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you do these very same things. NLT

The things this verse is referring to are listed in yesterday's verses (Romans 1:28-32). The point that I want to make today is that we must be careful how we judge others. It is so easy to get on our self-righteous soapboxes and point out the sin in others. It is another story for us to look in the mirror and see our own sin. None of us is innocent when it comes to sin. We all are guilty of it and we must first look inward before we can look outward.

In God's eyes, we forfeit our right to point fingers at others when we harbor sin in our own hearts and refuse to acknowledge it or do anything about it. Repentance begins at home. We must fight the desire to be self-righteous and point the finger at others who sin. Only God has the right to judge and condemn the heart. Only God can see the heart through the lens of a holy love.

Before you judge another guilty of sin, look into your own heart with the expectation of finding something there. What sinful thoughts, attitudes, or activities do you need to confess today?