![]() Not in a million years of pondering and meditating could your thoughts have revealed to you that God desires to save you by grace as a gift apart from your own works, and that your eternal life has been bought and paid for, unless God spoke by his holy prophets and apostles (Romans 3:23-30 Ephesians 3:8-9). The thought would have never crossed your mind that Christ Jesus, God’s own Son, after having fulfilled the Law in your place, who had no sin of his own, would take all your sin and die for it on the cross, unless God had told you (2 Cor. It would have never entered your thoughts that the eternal Son of God would become a man, born of woman, born under the law for your sake, unless God had revealed it to you through his word (Galatians 4:4-5). Yet, you cannot figure out the Gospel on your own. Although, it is certainly advantageous to have Christian rulers, even non-Christian governments pass laws against theft, murder, and slander. Even unbelievers agree that you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31). Some of what God teaches, you can figure out on your own. ![]() We must forsake our own thoughts, and run to God for his. ![]() The Proverb says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire he breaks out against all sound judgment.” (18:1) Spending your time with your own thoughts is spending time with your most foolish advisor. That’s why everyone should come to church. And if your thoughts are unrighteous, then you aren’t going to make yourself righteous by means of your own thoughts! You must forsake your thoughts and listen to and believe God’s thoughts. So, if you are unrighteous, then your thoughts are unrighteous. Who are the unrighteous? Scripture says that we are all unrighteous! (Romans 3:10-23) And Jesus says that out of your heart come evil thoughts (Matthew 15:19). Others’ thoughts and opinions may be bad, but everyone thinks that his own thoughts are right.īut what does Scripture say? God says through Isaiah that the unrighteous should forsake his thoughts (Isaiah 55:7). Yet, everyone seems quite comfortable with their own thoughts. Wives don’t want their husbands to hang out with guys who get drunk and chase after women for the same reason. Husbands don’t want their wives hanging out with women who badmouth their husbands, because they fear their wives might learn to badmouth them. If their kids spend time with kids who cuss, talk back to their parents, steal, and commit other crimes, then they fear that their kids might do these same things. Parents don’t want their children to hang around kids who are trouble makers, because they might have a bad influence on their children. People should go to church, because they should forsake their own thoughts and listen to God’s thoughts, which are higher and better than theirs. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) People don’t go to church, because they think they don’t need it. The LORD God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. Even when it seems messed up to me.Why do so many people not go to church? For the same reason why they should go to church. But how much better to simply trust him to do what he knows is best. It is sometimes tempting to want to correct what God is doing, or allowing. And he is steadily moving his creation toward that ultimate purpose. God has a purpose in his creation that I only see dimly. ![]() No matter how intelligent or educated I am, I am still finite. I cannot expect to understand why he does much of what he does. And the same holds true for me as God’s image-bearer.Īnd it is important that I recognize that. But the image of me on my driver’s license is only like me in a superficial way. God is not like me in any appreciable way. While I don’t currently understand all that he is doing, if I work at it hard enough I should be able to.īut this reminder in Isaiah is a good reality check. And it is tempting to apply that same thought to God. While I realize there are whole fields of knowledge that lie outside my current grasp, I am confident that given enough effort I could gain an understanding of them. Isaiah 55:8-9 NIVĪs an intelligent and thoughtful human, I like to think that I understand the world around me. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,Īnd my thoughts than your thoughts. The Seven Churches of Revelation Studies.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |