Redeemed and Rewritten - Part II
Scripture:
“He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.” Romans 2:6-8 NLT
Observation:
It’s tempting for all of us to pick and choose which parts of our Bible we read, taking the scriptures one verse at a time, focusing only on the good, positive, or easy. All too often, we stop reading when we come to the “but” part. It would be more comfortable to read Romans 2:6-7 and go on living our lives, thinking we’re all set to make it to heaven based on our good deeds. When we don’t continue reading through to verse 8, we miss the part about God’s punishment for those who refuse to follow truth; and we, therefore, walk a dangerous line.
This past year, God exposed an area in my life where I had been ignoring scripture and living for myself. I had grown up in a non-Christian home, and had fond memories of celebrating Halloween. I looked forward to the tradition of costumes and trick or treating with my own kids. Even though our kids have been raised Christian, I justified celebrating Halloween as a way to connect with our neighbors.
When God began to reveal His truth about what Halloween stands for; all in the name of fun and candy, we made a decision as a family. No longer would we be a part of it anymore. Instead, we invited our friends over for a night of worship. Together, we sang songs about Jesus loudly in the yard for the entire neighborhood to hear. On a night that is so dark, our home became the light that our neighborhood desperately needed.
This experience opened my eyes to see the silent judgment I had for other worldly things I no longer partook in, all while making my own set of rules for what I thought was tolerable. Talk about hypocrisy!
Application:
Paul’s letter is addressed to you, to me, and to each one of us. Let’s not make the mistake of judging others and thinking this is written for “them.” Instead, let us look within ourselves, and ask what sins we have accepted in our own lives. What do we deem as tolerable, and what do we base our judgment of others on? Paul makes it clear that all will be judged. Not merely by outward actions, but also by the posture of our hearts.
At the same time, we must remember that non-believers are looking at us as the example. Are we truly living according to His Word, or are we bending the gospel to fit our own pleasures, beliefs and values?
As Pastor Julius encouraged us on Sunday, embrace the Bible as your gospel. It is written for you, but it’s not meant to be edited by you. Take these words and write them upon your heart, so nothing can replace them. What’s in your heart will show on the outside. This allows us to reflect the Son, and make the room (or neighborhood, work place, grocery store) brighter when we walk in!
Prayer:
Father God, look into our hearts! Reveal to us any areas that we need to surrender to You. Thank You Lord, for Your kindness towards our past mistakes; Your forbearance for our present shortcomings, and Your patience for our future sins. Let us be a God-fearing church, and live according to Your gospel, not our own. Thank You for challenging us to be more like You! Lord, expose any secrets of the heart that we may harbor, and forgive us for our hypocritical actions. Allow us to move from a place of pride and judgment, to a place of humility and repentance. We want to be a living reflection of your Son, and to let our light shine wherever we go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.