Choices are for the Living
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Timothy 1:5-9 says, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holly calling, not because of your works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began."
Paul is encouraging Timothy who at this point has a congregation of about 60,000 members in the church of Ephesus. Paul is reminding Timothy where he came from, the lineage of his mother and grandmother. Paul was telling Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, which was in parted by the laying on of Paul’s hands. Many of my readers have came from the same kind of back ground as Timothy, you have a Christian lineage that goes clear back to your great, great , great grandparents, but you have turned your back on the faith. You have lost sight of your purpose in life. I would say you have forgotten, but I know all too well that you have not. Oh yes, you remember the faith of your ancestors. You remember how your grandmother would rise early before anyone else so she could be alone in the presence of her God. Her God did not look like the God we have carved into our image in modern society, No, her God was a God who was rightly feared, her God stood alone, and there were no other God before Him. Her God is the God of the universe, who with His every word spoke the world into existence. Her God kept her through the tough times, He had written her name on the palm of His hands as Isaiah 49:16 told her he would, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."
When did you decide your walls were no longer before God? When did you stop believing in His existence? You might be thinking to yourself that was harsh, but really if you are not depending on Him then you’re putting your belief in you. We are taught in society that we need to believe in ourselves, that we can do anything we set our minds to. We are taught to reach for the stars, go for the American dream, climb the corporate ladder and kick whoever is in front of you off.
Galatians 3:3 O foolish Galatians!!! Who has bewitched you? Galatians 3:3 are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
What happened to make you turn your back on the one person who could help you? Are you so foolish that you think you can do a better job with your life than God? We work so hard in our society that we miss out on the only thing that will ever really matter for eternity, our relationship with our one true God. Do you want to know what you are taking to Heaven with you? Your relationship with God, that’s it, not your nice car, beautiful house, diamonds or furs, nor your golf clubs, fishing poles, or boats, No, all your taking with you is your relationship with your God. We are missing the point of our lives; our assignment is we are the assignment. Romans1:25 Paul is saying, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, (in Greek it says the lie), and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator who is forever praised. The lie is the lie spoken in the garden. ‘Did God really say?” We have doctored the word of God to fit what we are comfortable with it saying. For example; John 6:63 says, “It is the Spirit who gives life the flesh gives no help at all.” But we give the flesh all the glory and occasionally call on the Spirit. Another example; Matthew 22:36-39 says, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to them, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now we love God with only a portion of our heart, our leftovers if you will, only what we think we can afford to let go of, as far as our soul goes we let our soul wander aimlessly around in search of an improved more easily obtainable truth, and for our mind’s they are consumed with worry, discontentment, competition, and jealously, our minds are on the things of the world. Second is like it we shall love our neighbors as ourselves. Do you? Who is your neighbor? Is your thinking so shallow that you have resided that your neighbor is whoever lives next door to you. When you read this passage of scripture did you run to your dictionary to retrieve the definition of neighbor to make sure you didn’t love someone who did not make the list? Who does Jesus say your neighbor is? Go to your Bible and read Luke 10:25-37. Your neighbor is the man in the ditch, anyone who is in need. What about Matthew 5:44 it says, “But I say love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” The world teaches revenge the world teaches un-forgiveness. This is what I mean about doctoring the word to fit our comfort level, we have decided on our own theology and then invited Mr. Theo to slip into our bed of feathers with our electric blanket , to blend in the atmosphere of our choices, to accommodate the people who are not comfy with the unadulterated truth the written Word of God. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Paul was reminding Timothy where he came from. Readers, I understand that many of you did not come from such a lineage as Timothy, but if you are a born again believer you have the lineage of Jesus and I am reminding you, you were created for more, but yet you have found yourself being content with less. You have been easily satisfied with becoming your own doctor to the Word of God you have performed many surgeries to get the Word to say what you want it to say, and to look like you want it to look. Try reading the Word just as it is written nothing added or taken away and see what you believe. Choices are for the Living….Choose to believe…
For prayer or questions please email me at fbministries@comcast.net
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