As Christians we acknowledge our sins and our need for Christ to be our Savior. By faith, upon asking His forgiveness, accepting His sacrifice for our sins and asking Him to be our savior we have salvation. But is our salvation really just beginning at that point? I agree that our souls are saved, but is there more to it? More to be saved from? I'm convinced there's a lot more to it!
We're born into a world that has had centuries of satan's negative influence. It pervades so many aspects of the world's thinking and it has a lot of influence in limiting Christians, and in some cases completely robbing them of their identity in Christ. We learn the facts of life - things that just are. These are the laws of nature and reality in the world that as we grow - we come to know as limitations that we are bound by. If you do this one thing, that will happen every time. What goes up, must come down. It's the order of things in the world, it's the reality of life. We've learned so many things and our knowledge of the world in this age is vast. We've visited the moon and sent spacecraft to Mars. We've learned to use the power of an atom and harvested many of the sources of energy and power that we've discovered in the earth and believe that we know for the most part how they work.
But, there's a problem ... the God that we know created all of these things, wrote natures law into existence ... but He's not limited by them. Nor is He limited by our knowledge. OK, so what's the problem? I would suggest that our intellect is the problem. What we know limits what we know. We either know too much or too little. I know, I'm sounding a little crazy, but consider this: until we "know" beyond any limitation of other thought that our God can do anything in spite of the laws of this world or of nature - we are incomplete in our realization of the truth. I have to ask this question of even myself, so please don't be offended - have we become so arrogant in our knowledge, that we now have to struggle to believe the real truth of what our God has told us?
1 Corinthians 3:18-19 says this; 18 Stop fooling yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world's standards, you will have to become a fool so you can become wise by God's standards. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, "God catches those who think they are wise in their own cleverness." 20 And again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are worthless." 21 So don't take pride in following a particular leader. Everything belongs to you: 22 Paul and Apollos and Peter ; the whole world and life and death; the present and the future. Everything belongs to you, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. and Matthew 18:3-4, 3 Then he said, "I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Now why would God want us, the intelligent and knowledgeable beings that we've become, to become as humble little children? -Because they're not so full of worldly intellect that they can't believe what they're told by the God of Heaven who's not limited by what we learn in this world! They have faith to believe!
Question: Does nature rule itself or is nature created and ruled by God? Of course, we know that nature is not only ruled by God, but was created by Him. So nature obeys God. Given this, does not God have the power to change or create miracles in nature? Who were we created by, and who rules even the nature of our bodies? Does He not also then have the power to change even the most intricate details of them? What can limit His power to heal or deliver us from disease or physical devastation? Nothing. So then why doesn't He just fix everything? Perhaps because if He did, we'd learn - Nothing.
Am I limited by what I know of this world? Do I "know" too much? - posses too much of the intellect of this world, or maybe too little of the truth of what God has said? Are we so contaminated by the intellect of this world that we're not able to have the simple innocent faith of a child in our Father?
Why are we here? Is it simply His purpose that we live in this world to entertain the God of the universe? Is it so that we can enjoy everything that He created in this planet we inhabit? Maybe to get everything we can in this life - so that in the end, he who has the most wins? I believe that in great part, we live in order to learn to know our God intimately - to have relationship with Him and trust (have faith) in Him and what He tells us. We demonstrate the truth of what we've learned in the way we live.
The word faith is referenced at least 200 times in the New Testament so it's importance to Him is obvious. Our lack of it is eternally dangerous - even our very lives will be saved by it, or lost by the lack of it. Luke 18:16-17, 16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God."
So how much do we truly trust our God and what He's said? What is our attitude and condition before the Lord. Is my posture before the Lord and among His church one that evokes the faith and innocence to believe as a child or am I too full of the "wisdom" of the world? How much do we truly believe? Where is the evidence of it in our lives? We must all pray fervently for the renewal of our minds and the restoration to child-like faith in our God!!!
Matthew 21:21 Then Jesus told them, "I assure you, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and it will happen.
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe ; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
John 14:12-19 12 "The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it! 15 "If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans -- I will come to you. 19 In just a little while the world will not see me again, but you will. For I will live again, and you will, too.
Are we satisfied with where we are in our maturity as Christians to stand content?
Or are we really still so young in our faith that we're merely at the beginning?
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