Part 1 is below this article.
It's funny how those who claim to be real Christians sort of put God and their relationship with Jesus on the backburner of their lives. Yeah, they say they believe and are very faithful about attending Church but that is about as far as it goes.
It only takes a casual familiarity of the New Testament to see how dangerous this belief is. Jesus says in Matthew 10:37-39 that our relationship with Him takes precedence over even our relationship with family members and loved ones. The rewards for doing so in this life and the one to come are greater than any unbeliever will ever experience.
I am always amazed when Christians say they are surprised when a non-Christian celebrity, sports hero, musician or whomever, descends into some kind of calamity or premature death. "He had it all, how could this happen?" they ask. The answer is obvious, there is just so long that all the fame, money, sex, alconol and drugs will satisfy that deep spiritual longing for the true God which exists in all of us. If a Christian doesn't know this they really haven't been studying their Bibles.
So, the question again becomes: who is the god or gods in your life who have been pushing the real God into the background?
For me, it was my involvement in athletics, more specifically running. I did it for many decades.I competed, I coached, I trained faithfully and diligently. It was the focal part of my life for a long, long time. Priority wise, it was family,running and God, in that order.
Fast forward many decades, after three meniscus surgeries on my now arthritic knees, I was still running.
Then it happened, a mysterious ailment to both legs suddenly developed. Initially I dismissed it as the result of an increase in the number of hours working on what is basically a cement floor. A trip to my orthopedic doctor revealed what I had been once told, keep running and you will be looking at a knee replacement within 5 years. He had no explanation for the problems in my legs and neither has the physical therapist I have been seeing.
So, as far as running, what am I left with? Lots of good memories and some medals and plaques that I have no clue where they are.
Isn't it funny how when we have a crisis or problem come up in our life we suddenly reach out to that God we've placed on the backburner? I know I did.
Here's what I found: the truth of Matthew 10:37-39 for starters, that Jesus must be at the forefront of your life, He demands it, the reality that we are not to have any other Gods but Him; that means not only pagan gods but making gods of anything that takes pre-eminence over a relationship with God (my running for example),the realization that God allows us to suffer and may or may not deliver us from it( consider the Apostle Paul),we should not complain and fight against adversities but instead use these tribulations to draw closer to God.He WILL get us through.
The New Testament is loaded with what I will call quotes to support what I found above, I just never gave them a whole lot of thought.Everything was going so good.
I would urge everyone, don't wait for tomorrow to reset your priorities. Our Lord says if we do, He will give us what is needed to achieve happiness, true happiness.
It's funny how those who claim to be real Christians sort of put God and their relationship with Jesus on the backburner of their lives. Yeah, they say they believe and are very faithful about attending Church but that is about as far as it goes.
It only takes a casual familiarity of the New Testament to see how dangerous this belief is. Jesus says in Matthew 10:37-39 that our relationship with Him takes precedence over even our relationship with family members and loved ones. The rewards for doing so in this life and the one to come are greater than any unbeliever will ever experience.
I am always amazed when Christians say they are surprised when a non-Christian celebrity, sports hero, musician or whomever, descends into some kind of calamity or premature death. "He had it all, how could this happen?" they ask. The answer is obvious, there is just so long that all the fame, money, sex, alconol and drugs will satisfy that deep spiritual longing for the true God which exists in all of us. If a Christian doesn't know this they really haven't been studying their Bibles.
So, the question again becomes: who is the god or gods in your life who have been pushing the real God into the background?
For me, it was my involvement in athletics, more specifically running. I did it for many decades.I competed, I coached, I trained faithfully and diligently. It was the focal part of my life for a long, long time. Priority wise, it was family,running and God, in that order.
Fast forward many decades, after three meniscus surgeries on my now arthritic knees, I was still running.
Then it happened, a mysterious ailment to both legs suddenly developed. Initially I dismissed it as the result of an increase in the number of hours working on what is basically a cement floor. A trip to my orthopedic doctor revealed what I had been once told, keep running and you will be looking at a knee replacement within 5 years. He had no explanation for the problems in my legs and neither has the physical therapist I have been seeing.
So, as far as running, what am I left with? Lots of good memories and some medals and plaques that I have no clue where they are.
Isn't it funny how when we have a crisis or problem come up in our life we suddenly reach out to that God we've placed on the backburner? I know I did.
Here's what I found: the truth of Matthew 10:37-39 for starters, that Jesus must be at the forefront of your life, He demands it, the reality that we are not to have any other Gods but Him; that means not only pagan gods but making gods of anything that takes pre-eminence over a relationship with God (my running for example),the realization that God allows us to suffer and may or may not deliver us from it( consider the Apostle Paul),we should not complain and fight against adversities but instead use these tribulations to draw closer to God.He WILL get us through.
The New Testament is loaded with what I will call quotes to support what I found above, I just never gave them a whole lot of thought.Everything was going so good.
I would urge everyone, don't wait for tomorrow to reset your priorities. Our Lord says if we do, He will give us what is needed to achieve happiness, true happiness.
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