Oblivious?

I like Brad Paisley. I liked him way back before I really even knew who he was... (there was a song called "who needs pictures") He is an very talented musician, song writer and performer. I respect him and the work that he does to hone his talents. On his cd 5th Gear there is a song called "Bigger Fish to Fry." The first time I listened to it, I was on a road trip to western NC. I listened to the words and I thought it was a bit sac-religious, but I had heard worse. I mean, on the same cd is the song "When We All Get to Heaven"~
But the more I heard the song, the more I got to thinking about the words...


"I said a bad word when I was a kid and momma said that I'd be sorry for the sin that I did. My daddy whooped me and the preacher said shame and I tried like h*ll to change. I cuss, I smoke, I laugh at dirty jokes. My minor vices, man I know them well. I've closed down bars. I've lusted in my heart. My exes think I ought to burn in h*ll... But the devil, he won't notice when I die. Ya, don't you figure he's got bigger fish to fry..."


Really think about those words. You know what I hear? I hear a major misconception. These lyrics paint the picture that you can do bad things, but you'll be ok- you'll still go to heaven because the devil won't even notice you're death. There are people worse than you... I think this song is a good summary of the way that a lot of people view life and the after life. 


Well, it most certainly is not up to the devil whether or not you go to hell. In the Old Testament, the Bible says that there is not one "good" person; Not even one. The book of James in the New Testament says that to be guilty of one sin is to be guilty of all sin. Kind of a complicated thought but to summarize: sinning makes you a sinner. Simple as that. And in the book of Romans, it says the "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That means Everyone. We are already guilty of breaking God's law and deserving of death ("for the wages of sin is death") 


But back to the lyrics:
Yes, the sins we commit are bad - murder is not the same sin as lying, though both are sins. It is not a matter of who is the worst sinner. We have All done it. It doesn't matter who has a "bigger fish to fry" - it is not to be determined by that fallen angel and his followers. 
The Bible says that it is appointed for man once to die and after that comes the judgement. And who will be judging us? God of course! If He, this perfect, loving, just God of ours finds us guilty of even one sin, then by His perfect law, we are guilty of all and deserving of hell. Don't get me wrong, the devil will be there too; he takes great pleasure (his Only pleasure) in the misery of others. I'm reminded of the scene in The Shawshank Redemption (awesome film) - when Tim Robbins arrives at the prison and the prisoners are shouting and carrying on, eager for someone else to know the pain and misery they are undergoing. In Isaiah 14, it describes the kings of this earth; miserable and waiting for the "prince of babylon" to join in the nasty, horrifying, eternal, unquenchable thirst that is hell. 


How simple would that be though? "Well, Im a pretty good person. When I die, I'll go to heaven because God is good and loving and forgiving." He is. That is So true, but He is also just and perfect. And because of His perfect justice, we humans, we, His favorite of all His creations deserve eternal punishment for our sins. And Oh, how it breaks His heart! So He made a way- He gave us an option to choose Him and spend eternity in His presence, instead of apart from Him! He loved us so much that He sent His son to die, taking on the full weight of the sin of All of us. He took on our sin and died an unimaginably painful death. But on the third day, He rose, defeating death, for good! But it wasn't just that He did it. That was the huge first step. The next part is in our hands individually. We sinful, imperfect humans have to see our sin. We have to see our filthy, corrupt hearts and understand how it hurts and offends God. We have to recognize the incredible sacrifice that was offered on our behalf. Then accept Him. Thank Jesus for dying in your place and ask HIm to be the Lord of your short life. If you do, He will! You will no longer be a slave to your sins and inhibitions. Your life here on earth and in eternity after will be spent in His perfect, beautiful, glorious light. 

Jehovah Jireh

I'll never forget when my mom became a Christ follower. People had come to our door with pamphlets and asked her confusing questions. She was just so curious to know God on a more personal level. She was hungry for His word and they came with their watchtowers and filled her mind with question after question. Then came along our neighbor. She took the time to talk to mom. She answered her questions Biblically and invited her to Bible study. Mom began to introduce us, her children to the real personal relationship She was experiencing with Jesus...

I remember her driving us around town, running the many errands of the day. We (as children) had no say in the channel on the radio station. We would listen to what mom wanted to hear. Today, a familiar song from that time period popped into my head. It went like this:

"Jehovah Jireh, my Provider; His grace is sufficient for me

My God shall supply all my needs - according to His riches and glory.

My God shall supply all my needs...."

And isnt that true? I can tell you that I Know that it is. He is So faithful. He loves us so much (though it's still unclear to me why). The best way I understand it is... because He wants to! He's God and He can do what He wants and that's what He wants- to love us. 

And not just to love us, but to love us So Very Much that He sacrificed Himself - His precious, perfect life - that we might have the chance to say "yes!" to Him. 

Have you said yes to Him? 

Have you understood the fact that you, me, Every single person on this planet has broken His law, the 10 commandments? Do you understand that because we have sinned, have wronged God and we are doomed to an eternity apart from Him, in hell- a justified punishment for breaking His heart?

Is it clear to you that there is a way out of that eternal torment and separation from our loving Maker?

All you have to do is believe that Jesus was who He said He was. Thank Him for dying in your place so that you would have a choice. Trust Him and accept His gift to you. Have confidence that you dont have to have any fear of death. He defeated it! It's done. Take His gift to you and run with it. Live your life completely for Him. 

Jehovah Jireh- means provider. And it's true. His grace, His provision is sufficient for me. Whatever He wants to do, whatever He wishes to give me or relieve me of, I will trust it. I will trust His perfect will.

Trust

This has been a recurring theme for me.
God wants me to trust Him.
Why would I not listen?
What could I possibly gain from ignoring His voice of truth.

The thing is, I know that He loves me. I belong to Him. I gave Him my life.
But so many times, I find myself having to make difficult decisions. I am learning more and more everyday how to handle these...

It seems so simple and yet everyday I fight for the control. It's like I say, "Hey, God, I wanna give You my everything- but I wanna keep this..." Like a scene from The Jerk... "I dont need one other thing... I need this..."

It should be the easiest thing in the world to take a deep breath and humbly say to God, my Creator, my Savior, My Kinsman Redeemer... Lord, Dad, I love You more than anything and I trust you implicitly with my life.