Why Do We Drive Him Out?

Why does the world drive God out of His own house?  Why does God let us?

The second question is easier to answer than the first.  He lets us because He wants us to have the free will to do the right thing and invite Him back in.  It is, after all, His house.  (I’m speaking of creation, of course – the habitation which He made for us.)

The answer to the first question is that we’re ungrateful.  This pattern of ingratitude keeps repeating itself.  At Christmas time, we hear the story about how there was no room at the inn for Mary, Joseph, and the baby to come.  All these years and there’s still no room in the inn.  We haven’t made room because we don’t want Him around, telling us what to do.  In other words, the answer to the second question is His love and the answer to the first question is our selfishness.

The good news is that we can repent of our selfishness and imitate His love.  We can lovingly invite Him back into His own house and recognize that He is present wherever we are – and everywhere else, too. 

Acknowledge Him in every situation and He will show you how to handle it.  Acknowledge Him in every day and He will show you how to live it.  Don’t drive Him out of your mind with worries, pleasures, lusts, and unforgiveness of others.

Let No One Disturb Your Peace

When you have peace with God, it doesn’t matter if the rest of the world is at war with you. 

On the other hand, if you don’t have peace with God, it won’t matter if the rest of the world loves you.

Jesus came to be our peace with God.  He died so that you could inherit that peace.  He Himself is the guarantee – the proof – that the peace is yours.

Since you have that peace with God, don’t let anyone disturb it.  Don’t even allow yourself to disturb it.  Ask Him now how He wants you to live today.  He will guide you.  And you can be peaceful all day long.

Altering the Title of This Blog

Up until now this blog has been titled “Blog for the Lord Jesus.”  Today I’m revising the name to “A Nonchurchgoer’s Guide to Jesus.”  This doesn’t indicate any change in content or purpose.  It just seemed a more descriptive and suitable title. 

(The URL will remain the same because that is simply the way that WordPress blogs work.  That is, the title can change but the URL remains the same.)

P.S. In July 2010 I added the words “and His Kingdom” to the title because it seemed a more effective way to make the point.  Drawing attention to Jesus does no good unless the attention results in His being obeyed.  He did not die on the cross to be a mere figurehead.

He’s As Close As the Mention of His Name

How do you make contact with God?  Actually, you don’t even have to know His name.  Just speak to Him and He’ll hear you.

The advantage of using His name is that 1) His name helps convey to you what He’s like, and 2) it boosts your faith to have that clearer perception of the Person upon whom you’re calling.

The name Jesus is the Hebrew name Joshua, which comes from a word combination that means “God saves.”  Or you could actually say, “God answers.”  Therefore, His very name gives you assurance that He is hearing you when you talk with Him.  All He asks is that you believe you are being heard.

Therefore, He is no farther away from you than the utterance of His name.  Believe it…and then let Him respond by working His grace in your heart while you remain still for a few moments.

For more, see Call on His Name.

See also Everyone Is Going to Heaven

Judgment Is Upon Us

Seeking the Kingdom of God Instead of Church

 

The Necessity of Conscience

When people do bad things in the name of religion it is because they have abandoned their consciences.  This is true regardless of the name of the particular religion.  Some religions actually teach people to do bad things, but even religions that teach only good things can be perverted by individuals who are unwilling to be governed by their conscience. 

Some of the worst evils perpetrated on earth have been done in the name of God.  It’s still happening today, as you tell from the daily news.  Because of this, some people reject all religion.  They are, of course, throwing out the baby with the bath water.  Such people are neglecting to notice that it is not the presence of religion that is causing the problems (no matter how zealous it might be), but rather the failure of conscience.  Indeed, a failed conscience is always present where there is sin…even when no religion is involved.  Rejection of conscience is therefore the root problem.  If anything, observers should be noting the inability of religion to control sin. 

Our consciences, essential as they are, however, are not entirely sufficient to protect us from doing evil.  This is because our consciences can become weak and defective through misuse, abuse and non-use.  For this reason we must constantly walk with God and listen to Him.  His presence restores your conscience.  He heals it as He abides in your heart and mind.  I am not talking about religion.  We’ve already seen that religion can’t protect against sin.  God is not interested in what most people call religion.  He’s interested in righteousness – loving Him and loving each other.

We must daily walk with God, returning to Him again and again, asking Him to cleanse our consciences.  Otherwise, they can’t give us the complete protection He intended – whether against religious sin or against sin that has nothing to do with religion.

You Don’t Have to Only Imagine

Some people imagine what they will do one day when they see Jesus.  They wonder if they will leap for joy or bow in reverence.  Even though they don’t know which they’ll do, they still look forward to the day.  That is a good thing…but they are denying themselves a present reality.

If they have received Christ by faith, why can’t they walk with Him by faith?  They are postponing until an uncertain time in the future an experience which is available to them in the present.

Why only imagine what you can experience?  Jesus is here today.  His presence fills the heavens and the earth.  Therefore, you can go ahead and decide now whether you want to leap for joy or bow in reverence.  You probably feel like doing both, but you obviously can’t do them simultaneously.  Take turns.

Do you think you have to wait until you see Jesus before you can experience these things?  You can see Him now…by faith.  That’s what faith is – eyes to see what your physical eyes cannot see.  Faith is not less certain than physical sight – it’s more certain.  Faith remains when all that is physical has fallen away.

Do not put off until tomorrow the peace and joy that is available to you now.

Jesus Saves – From What?

Perhaps you’ve seen the words on a billboard, or on a tract, or somewhere else:  “Jesus Saves.”  Sometimes it just seems creepy, but you can still wonder what the words mean.  If Jesus does save, what is it that He saves from?

For one thing, Jesus saves us from ourselves.  Many times, we are our own worst enemies.  We run our lives but do a terrible job of it.  By accepting Jesus’ lordship, we give over the direction of our lives to someone who knows what He is doing.

The more fundamental way of explaining what Jesus saves from is that He saves us from our sins.  Without God, we are prone to sin.  The reason for this is that we were made to live with God, and when we don’t, sinning is a natural consequence.  It’s like operating an engine without lubricating oil – it just won’t work properly.

Perhaps you thought I was going to say that Jesus saves you from hell.  Indeed He does.  That, however, would just be focusing on one of the consequences of sin.  I assume you don’t just want to avoid the consequences of sin.  Rather, you want to avoid the sin itself.  Sin is a breakdown in the moral order of the universe.  No matter how small, it chips away at the love God designed to permeate all of life.  Thus, to redeem us from our past sins and to keep us from sin in the future is to redeem the universe one person at a time.

Serving Jesus as Lord will save you…from your sins.

The very name “Jesus” means “God saves.”

Repent, for the Kingdom of God Is No Longer at Hand

If the kingdom of God was “at hand” two thousand years ago, it is certainly here by now.  And, indeed, the kingdom of God is among us, in our midst.  It is here and now.  It has been here and now for some time…and always will be.  For more, see  The Kingdom of God Is Here and Now )

Therefore, we have all the more reason to repent.  Repent of what?  Of living without God.  Of ignoring our Creator.  Of acting like He has no business in our daily lives.

How do we repent?  Call upon His name.  What is His name?  His names are many, but, most notably, it is Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah of Israel.

When we repent, what will He do?  He will forgive us of our sins and give us the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts, words, and deeds.  Through the Holy Spirit we will be aware of God’s thoughts toward us.

And what will we do then?  We will stop living selfishly and instead give our lives in love to those around us.  We will not seek our own good, but the good of those around us. 

And what will God do then?  He will be very happy every day that we live this way.

Whatever Became of Jesus Christ?

When you read the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the biggest thing on people’s minds – at least among the people who were sending and receiving the letters that comprise the New Testament.  What happened?  Why isn’t He as big a deal today as He was then, at least among people who call themselves Christians?

And what about you who call yourselves Christians?  (I’ll return to those who don’t at the end below.)  Is Jesus Christ as big a deal to you now as He once was?  What happened?

Since He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He has not changed.  It is we who have changed.  And what has become of us?  We have drifted away from the awareness of His glory.  We have sought our own way in the world.  We now live just as the rest of the world lives, striving for all the things for which they strive.  Yet we do keep Jesus around…but on a shelf. 

In the currents of life, however, there is no standing still.  We are either constantly centering our lives on the Lord, or else we are drifting away.  If He’s on the shelf, His shelf space is steadily, if imperceptibly in the moment, decreasing.  Only over time can we see how much He’s receded in our minds.

And now, for those of you who don’t call yourselves Christians:  It is hard for you to come to know Him, when those who already know Him act like it’s not such a big deal.  Nonetheless, I assure you that Jesus Christ is a very big deal – the biggest deal of all.  Look past those of us who give Him a bad name and see for yourself.

Why Does God Allow So Much Rebellion?

God has created a world which allows a great deal of deviation from His standards.  You can not only disobey God, you can live a life in wanton rebellion and defiance of Him.  I’m not suggesting it would be a pleasant life – only that it’s obviously possible.  You probably know people who are doing it.  Perhaps you have yourself.  Why does He allow this? 

For the answer, take a look at communism.  This form of government says “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”  Not only does that charter sound innocuous, it sounds as if it’s consistent with God’s will for humanity.  After all, we know that God has given us differing abilities and He expects each of us to do our best with what we have been given.  It’s also obvious that He expects us to share what we have, to be generous with others.  No, the problem with communism is not with its intent, but rather with its application.  That is, communism coerces these behaviors and outcomes.  A rich person is not actually allowed to be generous because his goods are confiscated from him.  There is no liberty in communism.  And since there is no liberty, there can be no generosity – no love.

God doesn’t make people do the right thing.  If He did, then people would not have been made in the image of God.  Because we have been made in the image of God we have choices.  And depending on those choices, we come out looking like God or like wild animals, or like something in between. 

Knowing that you have the opportunity to not love God, I hope it makes you even more determined to love Him…with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind, and all of your strength.