Many misguided people are under the mistaken idea that Christianity is a matter of giving. Give up your sins. Give up your will. Give up your rights. Give up your identity. Give up your bad habits, etc., etc.
Would you be shocked to learn that God does not ask an unbeliever to give up anything -- not even his sins? Instead God not only forgives a person his/her sins but also gives him the ability to live a life victorious over sin, bad habits, etc. All the unbeliever has to do is accept, or receive God's love, God's power, God's blessings, God's eternal life. The song writer says, "Eternal life, begun below, now fills my heart and soul."
Salvation is not subtraction; it is addition. It is not taking from; it is adding to. God is the Giver. We are the receivers. He never asked humanity to give up anything.
God knows the poverty of mankind. I'm talking about spiritual poverty, not material and financial poverty. And He sees that the only things we could give would be things for which He has no use -- our pride, our selfwill, our stubbornness, and the like.
No, God does not ask us to give up anything. But He does ask us to receive something -- receive His love, His forgiveness, His strength, His plenty, His peace, His joy, His presence, and His redemption, His friendship, His protection, His care, His riches, His fullness, His abundance, His life. The list goes on and on.
Such truth is so far beyond us that we cannot fully grasp our privileges in Christ Jesus as sons and daughters of the Almighty God.
John 1:16 points out, "Of his fulness have we all received and grace upon grace."
Stop trying to "give up" this and that, and start receiving His boundless, unlimited blessings! It will change your outlook on life.
Preacher's Kid
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment