Thursday, May 27, 2010

Satan Spends-Jesus Saves

Have you ever heard someone say “Being a Christian means giving up too much”? When I hear this it stops me in my tracks. “Give up too much”? GIVE UP? Being a Christian is all about GETTING-not material possessions but eternal privileges. Let’s look at the facts:

Satan is a Spender. The Bible says he roams the earth looking for souls to mislead, to lie to, to devour. He takes and takes from us. He robs us of everything that is pure and holy. He’s spending our precious time when we’re too tired to get up and attend church on Sunday. He spends our self esteem when he makes us believe we’re unworthy. He spends our pride when we feel we’ve been cheated and we're wronged. He spends our money when we buy drugs or alcohol. He spends our attitude when we’re angry and bitter, when we refuse to forgive. He spends our peace when we have inner turmoil. He spends our patience's when we lash out and hurt those around us. He’s a SPENDER. He does not care about our money, our lives or our families – He’s a user and a fake! Have you ever tried to take something back to a store for a refund because you decided you didn’t like it, couldn’t use it or it didn’t meet your expectations only to have them tell you that you couldn’t have your money back, but you can have store credit? That’s what Satan does to our hearts when he tell us by following his way- we’ll be happy and content, but when we realize it’s not what we expected and ask to change it, he says “no, I won’t give it back to you, but you can pick out another sin and exchange it and by the way-since you realized what you were doing was wrong- I’m going to give you some guilt and shame as a bonus”.

Jesus is a Saver- He saves us. Jesus saves our lives everyday by giving us His Spirit to lead and guide us. He saves lives, our relationships, and mostly our hearts. And He’s saving the very best for last-Heaven. I like how The Message interprets 2 Thessalonians 2:9:

“The Anarchist's coming is all Satan's work. All his power and signs and miracles are fake, evil sleight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them. And since they're so obsessed with evil, God rubs their noses in it—gives them what they want. Since they refuse to trust truth, they're banished to their chosen world of lies and illusions.


Don’t get me wrong, I don’t take comfort in God rubbing sinner’s noses in their transgressions. But there will come a day when this whole drama on earth will unfold and God will return and there will be no more “I’m sorry”. All the people who feel like they’d be sacrificing too much to follow God, will stand before Him and answer because of it. If you’re someone that feels like you just don’t have the time, the strength or the inclination to be a Christian, let me assure you right now- the clock is ticking. The gifts we get from God are so precious and priceless I guarantee you will never want to exchange them or asking for your old life back- and better yet, His Grace and Mercy covers all the shame and guilt of that past so there’s no need to even look back. You don’t have to wait for a “sale” or a “blue-light special”- God’s always ready and waiting to give you the deal of a lifetime- or better yet, a deal for all eternity!



Julie

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