Q: Second Time Around: Let's thank God for giving us a second chance.
A: Before coming to Christ my attitude was one of self-effort trying to please God. After accepting Christ my attitude became one of resting in His saving Grace. My attitude was look what I'm doing for you, how I went to church, how I was raised in my denomination, how I gave my money, how I confessed my sins, how I stood against sin, how I bowed down to you and how successful my life was! But, Christ said, look what I did for you, how I went to Calvary, how I was raised from the dead, how I gave My Life, how I took away your sins , how I became one of you and how successful My death was. I realized it was not about how hard I tried to reach up to God to be accepted by Him. It was about God reaching down to me through Jesus Christ with love and acceptance. God's "second" chance was really my "only" chance at having a relationship with Him. I am a new creation in Christ. The old has gone. The new has come. I now get eternity to discover all I have been given through faith in Jesus! Amen!
Q: WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TOO? The bible says Blessed is a man who doesn't walk in the "counsel" of the ungodly.What does that mean?
A: Psalm 1:1 says, "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!" This is basic instruction to not take advice from wicked people or to associate with sinners and mockers. As Christians we should take our instruction from the indwelling Holy Spirit who guides us from within and will not lead us to sin (see Titus 2:11-12). We all live our lives with and amongst "the wicked," but we shouldn't get our basic instruction on how to live from them or support them in their sin. Do we listen to the world or the Lord? Do our decisions line up with scripture or not? Are we getting support and accolades from the lost or are we bearing our cross regardless of what it costs? Anybody who has come to faith in Christ has surely had to make a decision to stand for truth or stand with sinners and scoffers offering their wicked wisdom. If truth sets us free then error surely binds us. Walk in the Lord's counsel.
Q: ARE YOU REALLY SORRY? What is the difference between "Godly" sorrow and "Worldly" sorrow?
A: Sorrow is an expression of grief, sadness or disappointment. In the context of 2 Corinthians 7:10, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death," Paul is making a contrast between sorrow that leads to salvation and that which leads to death. What is salvation? Salvation is the restoration of the life of God. Therefore, one can see the contrast between life and death being made here. Godly sorrow is when the distress felt makes one repent of their unbelief in Jesus and respond to the Gospel. Worldly sorrow is when our distress leaves us in our state of spiritual death; lost, dead to God and focused on "the one who did the wrong or of the injured party (2 Cor. 7:12)." Worldly sorrow ultimately leads to the second death, eternal separation from God. That is why Paul says Godly sorrow leaves "no regret" because it leads to salvation. One can only imagine the regret felt by an individual whose worldly sorrow leaves them dead.
Q: THE QUESTION IS: WHO ARE YOU? Are you a sinner saved by grace or a saint?
A: I am a child of God, a saint. I am not a sinner saved by Grace. Identity is everything to a Christian. Look at how Paul addressed the Church in his letters. He called them "saints," including the Church at Corinth which was wrought with sin. God doesn't see me as a sinner, He sees me as His child totally cleansed of my sins for eternity and indwelt by His very life because of my faith in Jesus Christ. This doesn't mean I don't still sin. It means that God isn't judging me on the basis of my sins, but on my new life in Christ. Christians need to be who we are, not what we were. We are holy, blameless, forgiven, righteous, sanctified, justified, amongst other things, children of God. We may be a child of God who struggles with sin, but we don't identify ourselves by our struggles. "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11)."
Q: THE QUESTION IS: First things First....The bible says seek "First" His kingdom....What does that mean?
A: Jesus made this statement in Matthew 6, in the midst of His "Sermon on the Mount." He made it right after declaring it is the pagans who worry about what to eat, drink and wear. The theme of the Sermon was not to give us marching orders on how to live in order to get God to bless us with the things pagans worry about. Jesus was trying to bury us under the impossible standards of God so we would turn to Him by faith. The last half of the verse says, "and all these things will be given to you as well." In Christ, we already have everything we need for life and godliness. We are told later in Scripture to be content with food and clothing. A reminder of what Jesus was trying to get across to His audience by telling them not to worry about tomorrow or the concerns of this world. God knows what we need to make it in this world. In Christ, we spend our lives discovering (seeking) what it is we already have been given through our faith in Christ. God will make sure we have everything else.
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