Sacrilegious
: committing or characterized by sacrilege : having or showing a lack of proper respect for a sacred person, place, or object.
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary
This is long, but my passion regarding this subject has long tired my patience.
Sacrilege ... it's an uncommon word in our day, but one that could unfortunately be applied almost endlessly ... even among some professing Christians. It's a word whose meaning may bring a sober reckoning on the day of the Lord's accounting - the day that He'll do justice to His own reputation and divine majesty. And if we're not concerned about committing the meaning of that word now, ... we will be then - when we can't change what we could have done differently when we had the chance.
There are some who only entertain service to God in order to satisfy a nagging obligation they feel connected to - either not realizing or purely discounting God's ultimate authority, power and His unending, life changing potential. I wonder: How does He see those that only seek out the bible's pages in the hunt for alleged inconsistencies or those people who search primarily seeking weapons to use disparagingly against others who might believe? What might He think of those who take pleasure in cherry picking snippets of His word to use to their own advantage or status, perhaps even twisting them to form arguments better serving their own purpose? And how about those that neglect it altogether? God's word to men - graciously given and intended to bring life, treated with contempt and disrespect ...
"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable." Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT)
Of course, none of this disgusting response to Father God and His word is new. The disrespect, degradation and discounting of scripture has endured for almost as long as scripture has existed. The divine truths of it give some people reason to revile it primarily because it points out their errors and failures against God's standards and labels some of their favorite pastimes as sin - bringing conviction that they refuse to submit to. People don't like to be told that they're wrong or made to feel the weight of conviction. It becomes a dart that stings the consciousness and wars against the accommodation of some things that they enjoy. So for some, it becomes much easier and more self gratifying to either ignore it, attempt to confound it, or simply reject it as fairy tale. But the problem with this will become far too obvious to them in time.
The looming problem for the utterly disrespectful is that for all of this there are consequences, but since they're either obliviously unrecognized in the present or haven't yet provided the pain of devastation, for now they're easy to ignore. Those consequences will show themselves though - if not now, when it's too late to correct course and the unalterable truth is undeniably revealed on the day of God's reckoning with them.
As a species, some humans have continually found ways to create intellectual delusions to cloud the divinely established truth - to hide what's actually true behind preferred beliefs - ones more consistent with their own lusts and preferences. The disrespectful mortal is continually challenging the sovereign immortal to cede itself the right to define its own destiny and truth. But the truth is also immortal and established beyond the mortal's ability to change it. So the predictable result is nothing short of self deception on the part of the mortal because the truth remains untouchable by any man. We either accept and embrace the truth, or condemn ourselves to the consequences of being deceived.
"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. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism." Romans 2:6-11 (NLT)
The perishing have their own excuses for their own choices. But for those of us who should know better, I have another case to protest. When on a day that we've set aside as a special opportunity to give thanks to God for His kindness to us, we allow in our own hearts and homes that day to become overridden with focus on the feast and the blue light specials of black Friday rather than sincere thanks to God, we've lost our way. When the day we've set aside to celebrate the birth of our very own savior, Jesus Christ - come to redeem us from eternal death, becomes an opportunity for overriding focus on commercial enterprise, the giving and getting of gifts, feasting and other things than Jesus and Father God who sent him, first and above all else ... we've lost our way. When our observance of Easter, those 3 days of our victory won for us by Christ, becomes an exercise of bunnies, eggs, candy and other worldly intrusions rather than the Holy sacrifice and resurrection of Christ ... we've surely lost touch with the reality of God in our lives and have lost our way.
This may sound a little off to some but I personally pray, with persistence when I feel that I'm losing my focus, for God to make Himself real to me because He certainly is and because the worldly world has such potential for contaminating influence. He honors such a request from an honest heart every time. We live in a powerfully deceived world and we don't dare chance becoming a part of it. Our call is to stand apart from it - not to become absorbed by it. If we're not certain where we stand ... we need to be. If we're too easily tolerated by the world we're passing through, then we may have need to question where our feet are.
"Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?" 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NLT)
We need to answer God by showing our sincere belief by how we live out what claim to be the truth. We dare not shrink away from the truth in any fear of the world ... because the truth is watching ... and this world is perishing, headfirst.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable." Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT)
Of course, none of this disgusting response to Father God and His word is new. The disrespect, degradation and discounting of scripture has endured for almost as long as scripture has existed. The divine truths of it give some people reason to revile it primarily because it points out their errors and failures against God's standards and labels some of their favorite pastimes as sin - bringing conviction that they refuse to submit to. People don't like to be told that they're wrong or made to feel the weight of conviction. It becomes a dart that stings the consciousness and wars against the accommodation of some things that they enjoy. So for some, it becomes much easier and more self gratifying to either ignore it, attempt to confound it, or simply reject it as fairy tale. But the problem with this will become far too obvious to them in time.
The looming problem for the utterly disrespectful is that for all of this there are consequences, but since they're either obliviously unrecognized in the present or haven't yet provided the pain of devastation, for now they're easy to ignore. Those consequences will show themselves though - if not now, when it's too late to correct course and the unalterable truth is undeniably revealed on the day of God's reckoning with them.
As a species, some humans have continually found ways to create intellectual delusions to cloud the divinely established truth - to hide what's actually true behind preferred beliefs - ones more consistent with their own lusts and preferences. The disrespectful mortal is continually challenging the sovereign immortal to cede itself the right to define its own destiny and truth. But the truth is also immortal and established beyond the mortal's ability to change it. So the predictable result is nothing short of self deception on the part of the mortal because the truth remains untouchable by any man. We either accept and embrace the truth, or condemn ourselves to the consequences of being deceived.
"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. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism." Romans 2:6-11 (NLT)
The perishing have their own excuses for their own choices. But for those of us who should know better, I have another case to protest. When on a day that we've set aside as a special opportunity to give thanks to God for His kindness to us, we allow in our own hearts and homes that day to become overridden with focus on the feast and the blue light specials of black Friday rather than sincere thanks to God, we've lost our way. When the day we've set aside to celebrate the birth of our very own savior, Jesus Christ - come to redeem us from eternal death, becomes an opportunity for overriding focus on commercial enterprise, the giving and getting of gifts, feasting and other things than Jesus and Father God who sent him, first and above all else ... we've lost our way. When our observance of Easter, those 3 days of our victory won for us by Christ, becomes an exercise of bunnies, eggs, candy and other worldly intrusions rather than the Holy sacrifice and resurrection of Christ ... we've surely lost touch with the reality of God in our lives and have lost our way.
This may sound a little off to some but I personally pray, with persistence when I feel that I'm losing my focus, for God to make Himself real to me because He certainly is and because the worldly world has such potential for contaminating influence. He honors such a request from an honest heart every time. We live in a powerfully deceived world and we don't dare chance becoming a part of it. Our call is to stand apart from it - not to become absorbed by it. If we're not certain where we stand ... we need to be. If we're too easily tolerated by the world we're passing through, then we may have need to question where our feet are.
"Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?" 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NLT)
We need to answer God by showing our sincere belief by how we live out what claim to be the truth. We dare not shrink away from the truth in any fear of the world ... because the truth is watching ... and this world is perishing, headfirst.
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJ)
I would so much rather be considered a fool for believing the truth too seriously ... than one who failed to embrace it enough - because a sincere life in relationship with and through Jesus Christ is our only way to success in this life - back to Father God and the wealth of His presence, in His glory.
For our own sake, we need to be sure that we're on the road less traveled. If we're not sober in our belief and relationship with God now, we may find ourselves exceedingly sober when we find ourselves face to face with Him.
We are NOT the world and we can't afford to act like the world when what it does is an offense to Holy God. Sacrilege - disrespect toward God and the things of God - do we dare? We need to be vigilant and respectful of Him always.
“You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands." Deuteronomy 5:6-10 (NLT)
To enjoy life is our gracious privilege - a gift from God, but doing so with God first and foremost in all things.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
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