Judgement

Judgement is God's way of assessing out lives and how successful we were at carrying out the commands of the Bible. "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10) A lot of people say that the Bible is just a big book of rules and that it's impossible to follow. But if you think about it, it tells us a few things we can't do, and then the rest we are allowed to do! Wouldn't it be way more difficult if the Bible was a list of things we were allowed to do on earth, and whatever wasn't mentioned in there was off limits? God is so good to us. But still we fall short. Every day we fail to uphold His commands. So that is why we will be judged at the end of times. It is not the correct motivation to do good in fear of God's wrath during judgement, but I would be lying if I were to say that I haven't thought that way before. We should do good out of our love for God, not out of fear of punishment. But in Philippians Paul talks about those spreading the gospel, saying some do it out of the pureness of their hearts and some do it for selfish gains, but the most important thing above all is that God's wonders are being told. So fear of judgement isn't the best motivation, but it is motivation. Do you do good out of fear or out of love? Do you even think about judgment on a daily basis? It is vital to have a kingdom mindset and think about the eternal implications of our actions; if we don't, we will get caught in the quicksand of the monotonous society and our focus will be about acute, fleeting pleasures.

 In my quest through Psalms, yet again I am challenged to live a life that is focused on the Kingdom. We are on our best behavior when we are conscious of analysis. We know when we can get away with things and when we can't. How often do we do this? We choose the dark over the light because we are comfortable in the dark. We get what we want without anyone knowing. But the righteous man has nothing to hide! On the day of judgment, the righteous man arrives in the absence of quivering knees or elevated heart rate. David is a perfect example of this. He wasn't just ready for judgment, HE ASKED GOD TO JUDGE HIM. How bold! Psalm 82:8 "Arise, O God, and judge the earth." I have to honestly admit that I would not ask God to judge me, because I know how short I have fallen. What would I have to change in my life to start living a in a manner where I boldly ask to be under scrutiny? It all starts with the integrity of character. Take some time today to assess your life through the lens of the Scripture and see what needs to change so that we may boldly approach the throne (Hebrews 4:16) and have our Father say "WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT".

Restoration

Psalm 78 resonates way too closely with my life. Reading it, about how the Israelites rebelled over and over again, inherently elicits emotions of anger and frustration. STOP SINNING!!!! I've always wondered why God chose the Israelites to be His chosen people, until my eyes were opened to the intense similarities between their journey and my/your journey. Day after day God longs for intimacy with Him and He longs to provide for us. "But again the continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved...When He struck the rock, water gushed out and streams flowed abundantly. BUT, can He also give us food? Can He supply meat for His people?" (vs. 17-20). God gives us water, and we complain because He didn't give us a fat juicy steak to go with it. We are no different from the people of this time. We gyrate through valleys and mountains and continue on in a perpetual cycle of disappointment, repentance, forgiveness, and disappointment. After several thousands of years of experience and history, how have we learned nothing? "Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power..." (vs. 41-42). So how in the world are we supposed to combat this addictive and destructive lifestyle? How and why is God even trying anymore? Ah, but now we reach Psalm 80, and that glorious and incomparable word comes into play...RESTORATION. In His sovereignty, He has the power and desire to restore us to our former glory as we had in the Garden of Eden. Without restoration, we would be marred and rotten and less valuable than dust in the wind. Take the time today to ask God to restore you. Ask Him to wipe your slate clean and to forgive you of your trespasses. We will never be fully restored until the Day of Second Coming is upon us, but God is desperate to restore us daily. All we have to do is fall to our knees and ask.

Slavery to Justification

Christians are the best in the world at justifying sin. No matter what the situation is, and no matter how firmly we believe in righteousness, we find a way to sin and push our convictions aside. This is true of every person on the planet every day of their lives. How do we stick to our convictions and resist the ploys of Satan when he is attacking us in our weakest moment? We are all slaves. When you are obsessed with something, you can't stop talking about it and you find yourself intertwined with our master constantly. Lovers are slaves to their affection. Gluttons are slaves to food. Addicts are slaves to their addictions. They cannot help but act out of submission to their master. How do we become slaves to Christ? How do we become so enamored by His love and mercy that we cannot help but act out of our obsessive state? So far, my best guess is find a way to experience the magnitude of God and taste the kingdom. It is like Edmund in the Chronicles of Narnia, when he ate the turkish delight he could not stop eating. He got lost in his desire to continue eating. Once we experience the power of the kingdom we will not be able stop pursuing it to its fullest extent. How have you experienced the kingdom and what have you done to become a slave to Christ?