This Week's Focal Passage:
"And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
Revelation 5:13 (NKJV)
Saturday, Glen and I had a few errands to run in the city. We were in a hurry, but one stop we needed to make was at the mall. As we rushed the children in, my mind was focused on getting the one item we had come for and then dashing off to the next errand. We got to the store of choice and headed inside. I busied myself finding what we needed and was ready to head to the register when I notice Corbyn becoming more and more uncomfortable. About that time, I heard Eden say, "Mommy, these pictures are gross!"
Glen and I both stopped and began to look around. We had never been inside this particular store before but we had heard in the past about some of their advertising. As we scanned the walls and tables, we were shocked. Glen told the children to look at the floor and took them out into the mall. By the time we got to the van, Corbyn was in tears. He said, "Mommy, I did not like that store and I never want to go in there again!"
Well, I don't need to tell you how horrible we felt!! Glen and I are their parents and we are to guard them against such images; however, we were the very ones who took them into a store that used sexual images to draw teenagers and young adults inside. (No, we were not at a lingerie store.) Glen apologized to the children and explained that those images are not what we need to put in our minds. They are desirable to the flesh; however, our spirit should be highly offended by such things. At that moment, the Lord God convicted my heart. There are so many lessons within that one trip to the mall for me, but the one I would like to share with you is this…As children of God, our spirits should be utterly offended by sin! Corbyn's heart was broken that he had seen such things and his spirit spoke LOUD and CLEAR to his conscience.
The question for me is "Why did I not stand in tears over the sin that hung on those walls?" The answer lies in the sin that I have allowed to creep into my life slowly but steadily. I am ashamed to say it, but I have not always guarded my heart, mind, and body. I have made choices in the past that allowed sin to inch its way into my life through TV, movies, unwise talk, and sinful choices in relationships, just to name a few. When I saw those images, I was shocked, but my heart was not broken nor was I moved to tears!! If Corbyn had not been so upset, I do not think I would have realized just how vile those pictures were. This is what happens to us, My Friend, when we allow just one ounce of sinful information/images to penetrate our hearts, minds and bodies. We begin to dumb down our awareness of the sin. We begin to accept that sin in our lives as just a "little thing" and we lose the ability to see sin for what it truly is…A total rebellious act against the One True Living God!!! Forgive us, Father!!
Our focal passage is Revelation 5:13 "And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" What a powerful picture!! Christ alone sits on the throne and HE is the Judge who will rightly judge our sins. Sin separates man from God and sin is what placed Christ Jesus on the cross. We live in a "Me-Centered" culture. By this, I mean, that our world today encourages us to be our own god, to live life in a way that centers around us and presses us to fulfill our fleshly desires on a consistent basis. Nothing is off limits…Live life to the fullest…If it feels good, do it…I may not be right for me, but if it is "right" for you, go ahead!!
My Friend, this is a dangerous way to live!! Our eternity is at stake!! God's Word says, "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me." (Isaiah 46:9) The nation Israel lived in rebellion against the Lord God and HE allowed them to be taken captive for many years. In that captivity, HE was with them and HE continually brought their hearts, minds, and souls back to a pure worship of Him, but in the midst of that captivity, there was much anguish. God loves us enough to do the very same thing!! HE will allow us to be taken captive by our own flesh and suffer greatly in order to draw us back to Himself. I love what Beth Moore says in her study of Daniel, "We are princesses (princes) but not in the kingdoms of this world." (p. 77)
Praise the Lord God who sits on the throne and DOES NOT ALLOW me to sit on the
throne!!! Our flesh is evil, wicked, and deadly. Left to ourselves, we would follow our flesh right into the very depths of Hell!! The Lord God calls His children back from the flames. HE creates in us an awareness of Him and HE allows us to turn from death and destruction and enter into His presence. There is none like Him and HE alone is worthy of all honor, worship, and praise. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If not, you are headed for an eternity of separation from the Lord God. Pause a moment, consider God's truths.
Our lives are truly not worth living if we do not live for Christ alone!! This may sound ridiculous to some ears, but consider this a moment. The world can offer many things. Those "things" are not always bad. For example, wealth, fame, popularity, material possessions, a beautiful house, the best car, successful careers, family, and friends. All those things are enjoyable and make life exciting. But remember, the average person lives about 70 years or so. Is 70 years of satisfying your flesh worth living all of eternity separated from the One True Living God? Is there anything on this earth that will matter once you stand before the Lord Jesus and give account of your life? When your knee bows and your mouth confesses, "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne And to the Lamb, forever and ever," where will you be?
Our earthly life is but a vapor and our purpose is to live a life that honors and glorifies the Lord God. A life that points other to the cross where they too can find forgiveness, cleansing, healing, hope, peace, contentment, salvation, and lasting joy. At the foot of the cross, is where we meet the Lord God and HE gives us life eternal and that life will surpass anything we have ever hoped or imagined. Nothing of this earth will matter at all except those things done for the kingdom of heaven. "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Revelation 4:8) You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power, For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created." (Revelation 4:11) Amen!!
