"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Isaiah 29:13
For the most part denial is denying anything is wrong when the evidence makes it apparent to everyone else you are wrong to some degree. I am not talking about our cat that knocks things onto the floor and then he appears to express what are you looking at me for? Anyone who has a cat isn’t surprised because what is common to all cats is they are always the most innocent cat known to man even when caught in the act.
We have a 10 pound cat that stills tries to sleep in a tissue box never mind the fact that he has outgrown most of the boxes found around the house. Still he makes himself comfortable in a number of boxes even though half of his body hangs over the edges. Don’t throw a box onto the floor for that cat will struggle to get into the box within five minutes and be fascinated fitting into it.
On the other hand have we placed God into a box? There are people who make a big deal showing that they love God with all their heart. The same people ignore God weekdays and return to church oblivious of how they have portrayed their love for God. They are the person that says I love you but I don’t want to be involved in your life. You are OK but do not point at my faults whatever you do don’t forget to stay away from me.
Last time I checked love is an involvement with one another and acts on behalf of the other person best interest. Love honors one another above yourself but at the same time love always reaps the love you have sown. This love is demonstrated like the love of Christ on the cross of Calvary.
On the other hand anyone can say I love you but without corresponding action because your love lacks any tangible evidence of being true (it is not believable). God demonstrated his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). What you do speaks louder than any word you ever can say. His death and resurrection provides us with tangible evidence of his love for mankind.
Words have a strong impact on people as words express our feelings and needs. However spoken words without corresponding actions let you know where that person stands. Words that show agreement with actions demonstrates trustworthiness, but without the right actions demonstrate a inconsistency leaving you without something solid to base decisions upon. At stake are the person’s reliability and his character. Ultimately words that correspond with your actions develop trust and dependability within your relationships.
A person once said you can tell when he is lying- he has his mouth open. What we say goes in one ear and goes out the other, He’s six shy of a dozen, and that person hasn’t got all his marbles. What you say is normally what you believe. At the same time what you sow and you very well could reap similar words from God but with a horrible outcome. God has said your neither hot nor cold, your neither gathering or scattering and I never knew you. Each of these phrases relates the fault God has found in you.
However no one can say the word of God is deceptive. In his own time his word will achieve his purpose and accomplish what his word was sent to do. Because people don’t know God his warnings are ignored. Is anyone is paying attention or carefully listening what are they doing to prepare to meet their maker? Hasn’t God said he would judge every man according to what they have done while in the flesh. The prize is guaranteed not to be a blue ribbon as man judges but will be something you definitely want to avoid.
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, Hebrews 9:27
God has always told stories that were common to man and he spelled out the rewards for doing good and the consequences for doing evil. God’s purpose was to define (to let men know) where he stood on good and evil what he is capable of doing. God’s desire for man is to repent from evil and seek his righteous way of life. At the same time God wants to know where you stand and will look to the fruit of repentance, a changed life and a likeness of Christ.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Matthew 3:8, Luke 3:8
Fruit is normally found clinging to the body of the plant. Man is the planting of the Lord producing the fruit being the spirit of man. When the body dies it is buried but the spirit of man is harvested. When harvested God who is the farmer sorts the crop and rejects the fruit with spots and blemishes of sin. Let’s remember that stories of the bible rotted fruit were burnt along with the weeds.
For this reason God wants to inspect the fruit before he puts it in his barn. It is a simple matter to honor God for what you get in return. To repent in God’s mind is to turn away from doing evil and learn to do good. On the other hand anyone can say the words I repent but without actions that agree, because the truth found in your actions reveal whether you have turned from evil. The agreement between what you say and what you do makes the truth of the matter believable. God wants worship in truth and in spirit so what you say and do must agree. The fruit of these two things solidify a foundation of truth in the eyes of others.
"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Isaiah 29:13
Therein is the deception some are facing. They have said the words and believe that because they went spoke the right words they have been saved. Yet as God’s children he wants to see you grow and mature into an responsible adult. Yes they have the basics of faith in Jesus Christ and trust him for their salvation. Yet faith without works is dead (James 2:26).
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 1 John 3:9
No one who claims Jesus is Lord can continue to live as they see fit. When Jesus becomes Lord there has to be a change of authority in their life. God assumes the role of disciplinarian who trains his children to honor his father’s thoughts and ways and are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12
It is not possible to love God with all your heart without finding out what pleases the Lord. Have you a priority to seek God, his kingdom and his righteousness? The bible says;
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Revelation 1:3
In closing God has made his commands and wishes known to mankind. It is entirely possible for you to have an opinion different from God’s. However it is God, the judge’s opinion that counts.
"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:46-49 December 9 2015
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