Convictions

I'm thinking about convictions. You know, the kind of personal convictions that Christians have on how God views things they do in their lives. Things like smoking, drinking alcohol, gambling, having sexual relations outside of marriage, observing a Sabbath Day, dancing, etc. Especially in today's culture, it appears to me that anything goes with the Christians I know.

 

Do you have any personal convictions that you uphold; in other words, is there anything that you would feel guilty about if you did them? I'm talking about those convictions that would violate a person's Christian belief system. I know people who love the Lord, very sincerely, and yet their convictions on issues differ. Different denominations have and enforce differing convictions. Some believe in abstinence from alcohol, and others don't feel that is an issue. I am wondering how this can be possible since we love and worship the same God, and read and study the same Bible. Is one person right and another person wrong? How can the Bible be vague on some issues? Does it really matter to God all that we do?

 

In my attempt to understand this, I feel it safe to begin with what the Bible requires of us. And that is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. - Mark 12:30 This is the first commandment, and by doing this, we can't go wrong in our convictions. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. When we love Him with all our energy, and have true faith in Him, we are given the Holy Spirit to guide us in our decisions and actions. The Bible is clear about some things, and not so clear about other things. It is clear that we are not to be sexually immoral, dishonest, to get drunk with alcohol, etc. But it isn't so clear on how exactly we are to honor the Sabbath Day, smoke, or gamble. Well, the Bible does say we are to be good stewards with the money God gives us. So gambling is out. The fact of the matter is, if we live our lives in such a way that we inquire of God whether we should be doing this or that, then won't He bring to us the right convictions?

One thing I must say: a professing Christian who is doing things that the Bible clearly says is wrong, is not really a Christian, otherwise he would be paying attention to what the Holy Spirit is telling him. It would matter to him whether he was obeying and pleasing God, instead of willingly turning his back against God and doing whatever he pleases. And the longer he ignores God's warnings, the farther away from Him he is getting. It's not good to keep ignoring God's warnings!

 

Our bodies are the temple of God, that is, He has given us our bodies for the Holy Spirit to dwell and to use for His service and glory. Because of this, we should take good care of them. Not to abuse them, contaminate them, mark them, or disfigure them. We should make every effort to live in a healthy way. Also, to allow the Holy Spirit to be in control, we should not take in anything that takes over our inhibitions.

 

In Romans 14 -15, Paul talks alittle about differing convictions between believers, and he says that if you don't feel a conviction on something that another person feels convicted about, and you want to be a living example of a Christ follower, than you shouldn't do those things that could make that other person stumble or doubt your faith. That can lead to people judging others whether they are truly Christians by what they observe in them. In other words, what would Jesus do?

 

The conclusion I have about convictions is this: to place God foremost in your life and to let Him take control. Having an intimate relationship with Him on a regular basis will make you sensitive to His voice. Then, when issues arrive, He will let you know what He thinks about them. After all, He has placed inside of us an awareness of right and wrong, and if we truly listen to His voice, we will know what we are to do.  

 

Heavenly Father, I come to You now

to ask for Your help. I want to please You.

If there is anything I am doing in my life

that You disapprove of, then please let me know.

Help me to be sensitive to Your voice,

and yield to Your will.

In Jesus' Name.

Amen.

 



Is There An Ark Being Built Now?

Today was one of those days when I was just thinking about Noah, what God told him to do, the people who were left behind to face the rain, and all that. If you're familiar with that story, you know that God was watching Noah. The story is in Genesis 6-8:

 

Noah was a righteous man,

blameless among the people of his time,

and he walked with God.

 

God also was aware of how the people in that day were living their lives:

 

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight

and was full of violence.

God saw how corrupt the earth had become,

for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

 

I don't know about you, but this is looking very similiar to what is going on now in our world! There seems to be more families being broken, more violence, more disrespect, and just plain corruption and disregard for morals. Schools aren't allowed to let prayers be said, and Christmas is being replaced with 'Happy Holidays' because there are people who don't want the name of Jesus to be said.

 

Let's continue with this story of Noah:

 

So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people,

for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

I am surely going to put an end to destroy both them  and the earth.

So make yourself an ark.

 

I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life.

Everything on earth will perish.

But I will establish my covenant with you,

and you will enter the ark - you and your family."

 

The Lord then said to Noah,

"Go into the ark, you and your whole family,

because I have found you righteous in this generation."

God also told Noah to include the animals.

Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.

 

Now, let's imagine how the people were responding to Noah building the ark. First of all, it had never rained before, so there hadn't been a need for a vessel that would float. They probably thought that Noah and his family were crazy. Maybe they laughed at them, poked fun of them, and gave them a hard time. Even if Noah tried to explain to them what God had told him, they may have not believed it. They wanted to continue on with the lives they were living, and thought nothing would change. They didn't try to stop Noah, and even when the rains started to fall, they still were blinded to what was going on.

 

Think about what Christians go through today. Some are being persecuted for their faith. Some are ignored and ridiculed. Media is starting to censor Christian articles. And it will continue with intensity. Obeying God these days is becoming more and more unpopular!

 

Now see what happens to Noah:

 

On that very day (the rains were falling),
Noah and his family entered the ark.

The animals going in were male and female.

Then the Lord shut him in.

 

Did you see this? The Lord shut him in! Noah didn't shut the door of the ark. God did! Kind of reminds me that when an airplane door is shut before take off, there's no turning back! It stays shut until you reach your destination. I wonder if people started to bang on the door when they realized they were going to drown. Did they beg Noah to open it, to let them in, to save them?

 

Here, God was upset with the men in the world. He wasn't going to tolerate it any longer, and decided to show his wrath to destroy them.  But He saved the righteous family of Noah and the animals for a new world. He told Noah what to do, he build that ark, God shut them in, the rains fell, and all the men and remaining life drowned in the flood. After the flood, the rains subsided, the ark settled, and Noah and everyone on the ark were able to start over in a newly refreshed earth.

 

The Bible tells us  in Matthew 24:37: "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Here, Jesus is talking about when He will return in the last days. No one knows when. But only His followers will know the time and the season, for the Bible gives us the signs. God gave Noah the signs too of what was about to happen. But the people didn't know, or care. After it started raining, it was then they knew, but it was too late. God had already shut the door. When the rapture comes, true believers in Jesus will rise up and be with Him, but unbelievers and evil doers in this world will be left behind. It will be too late. And as God showed His wrath on the evil doers in Noah's day, so will He also display His wrath on the evil doers of our day.

 

Friends, there is an ark being built right now! And this ark will rescue us from the wrath of God that is coming soon! Please take this seriously. Make sure you are ready, and have Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Believe in your heart that He died for your sins, and rose again, to give you a new life in Him. This is the real thing, not to be ridiculed, laughed at, or scorned. Because at the twinkling of an eye, as a thief in the night, when least expected, He will call His saints upward, and together we will be with Him forever!  And He will create a new heaven and a new earth, to establish His throne. The signs are here! The King is coming soon! Make sure you are on that ark!