by Jesse Abel
Meditate on this!
Spiritual
gifts, now here is a subject that bounces off the walls of our churches
these days like an errant golf ball hit by some poor hacker. God is
faithful concerning everything He does; even spiritual gifts. He is not a
hacker and He does not want us to be ignorant. 1 Corinthians 1: 4-9.
We
sometimes reflect on the things in life that are downright scary. You
know! Phobias are very real to the people who are affected by them.
Bugs, rodents, dark places and a host of other living or dormant objects
could affect our day. I’ve have heard of some who will only go to and
from work a certain way, just because of a fear of passing a certain
place where a tragic event once happened. What to know what I fear? Of
course you do! I fear that if you do not know salvation by personal
faith in Jesus Christ, that you will die a death that separated from God
forever. I fear this for you because God has enlarged my heart with His
love, to let you know that there are just two places where you will
personally spend eternity. ONE: With Him at home in the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:13-16 and 12:22-24), this truth is explained throughout the Holy Bible. God desires a personal relationship with you. (John 3:10-21) TWO: Without Him in a place also prepared by God, this place was not prepared for you and you will be an enemy there. Matthew 25:41.
I cannot imagine anyone wanting to be in a place where God is not
present. The astronaut will tell you that there is room for you and God
in space. The submariner will tell you that God is with him in the
deepest part of the oceans and the miner will affirm that God is present
with him in the deep earth. Here is what one man has to say about hell!
Luke 16:19-31.
Also, you will not find truth about hell in any other religious
document, so don’t waste time looking since you really don’t have time.
James 4
James 4:11-12
– Fact, fiction or final decree! These are the three “F’s” that get our
tongues in trouble. Either we are telling the truth, telling a lie or
passing judgment. All three of these avenues of conversation are
highways that lead to the destruction of character for the one we speak
of. I want us to notice something here. James does not call judging sin;
he calls it evil. He uses the stronger approach to help us understand
that the result of all gossip is sin.
For
example; if I tell the truth about someone for the purpose of using
that truth for destructive purposes it is sin. If I determine to tell a
lie about someone (no rocket science there) it is sin and if I pass
judgment on an event in someone’s life; this too is sin. We can be so
involved with sort of conversation that the truth, the lie and judgment
can destroy the character of another that some never recover from.
Religion
is the epitome of this evil. Religion judges that one ought to do
things within the structure of that religion; there is only one Lawgiver
who is able to save or destroy. How serious is it then too judge
another. To tell a fact, a fiction or to make a final decree about
someone whom Christ died and rose again for is to form a set of
religious standards that can isolate that individual from the peace of
God and peace with God. If our words are directed to the actions of an
unbeliever, then we are not being the evangelist that God has called us
to be. As a result these folks will never hear the gospel, but will hear
the gossip instead.
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