It was June 15th 1992, my pretty wife and I had been married for exactly one year. We were at a cozy little bed and breakfast in Eastern Tennessee called the Scarecrow Country Inn. I was doing a lot of things to make our time together perfect and memorable. I put a CD on and started the song that I knew would amaze and delight.
Softly in the back-ground the Little River Band began singing, "Happy anniversary baby, Got you on my mind. Happy anniversary, baby, Got you on my mind."
So far so good. But shortly after the intro was the line that caused me to sprint across the room and hit the off button.
"I'm so happy for you baby, Now that you've found somebody new ............." WHOAAA!!!!!
The rest of the lyrics did't matter.
We laughed about it later but at the time my mood music had become mud music!
How often have people listened to songs on the radio, rock and roll in particular, and said that they liked the music even though they could't understand the words very well? I know I have. But words mean things, and unfortunately, sometimes they mean bad things. But we reason that since we like the song and may not understand it anyway we'll just keep on listening.
I'm convinced many people listen to God and read His Word that way. As long as they like certain parts and it makes them feel good, they feel they do't have to worry about those other parts that make them uncomfortable.
God is love .... YES! God forgives ..... YES! Do not judge ..... YES!
Whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. YE ...... WHAT?
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
If you are going to listen to God you must listen to ALL He has to say.
The core temperature of the sun is fifteen million degrees centigrade. It is so hot that a pinhead heated to the temperature of the center of the sun "would emit enough heat to kill anyone who ventured within a thousand miles of it," explained physicist Sir James Jeans.
When a summer's day hits triple digits, most of us wilt. Imagine fifteen million degrees! It just goes to show, there's hot and there's hot. Likewise, there's holy and then there's holy. We can't begin to compare the triple digit righteousness of those we respect with what is attributed to God. The Bible tells us our God is "a consuming fire" (Hebrews. 12:29). In other words, we cannot draw near to Him in our sinful state without being consumed.
So how do we find the right balance between legalism and worldliness? Isn't it true that the real problem with rules isn't the rules as much as the attitude with which we hold our convictions? Holiness isn't the pursuit of a legalistic perfection, as some seem to think. If it were, then we should all give up on the idea, for such a thing just isn't possible.
Likewise, the real problem with worldliness isn't with enjoying the things of this life but the attitude with which we enjoy the things of this life. To safely live with both we must learn, "whether in word or deed," to "do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).
Holiness is an attitude of the heart, a separating of one's self to God in all things. We can promote that without promoting legalism or license.
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