Ephesians 2:8(ESV) says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” There is nothing that any human being can accomplish or attempt to do in life that does not involve God’s grace. We cannot even get up from where we’re sitting this very moment without Him allowing the activity of our limbs and the movement of our bodies. Nothing happens in the world without God allowing it to occur. This is sometimes a hard pill to swallow, because people are doing some really crazy and malicious deeds, and our human nature can get the best of us when we see this. We want God to come down from His throne and set these folks straight, but God’s justice isn’t dependent on our timetable or desires. He will not overstep our free-will, but He most definitely will allow us to face the consequences of our poor choices, bad behavior, and wrong decisions.
We shouldn’t fool ourselves by thinking humans will do the right things most of the time. Most people have taken advantage of God’s overwhelming and amazing grace, and this isn’t a new thing. Methuselah was the son of Enoch and is believed to be the oldest person mentioned in God’s Word. He lived to be 969 years old. Even Adam, the first man, lived to be 930. Earlier periods in the Old Testament, people lived a very long time, but they did not use their years to love, know, and honor God more. Genesis 6:5(NLT) tells us, “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.” People that were living exceedingly long years used the grace that God had granted them for long life to sin even more, so God reduced the lifespan of humans to 120 years.
Our Heavenly Father didn’t keep this under wraps. He’s put the historical sinfulness of humanity in His Word so we can see, thousands of years later, how far off the path we will go. It would be great to say that folks have learned the lessons about the tough circumstances that happen as a result of sinning against God. You would think that after thousands of years, we would no longer choose to do things that do not please Heavenly Father, but the truth of our world is on full blast. Most of the world believes that sin is not a big deal, and that God’s Will is flexible to whatever we want to do. This is not the truth.
If we refuse to admit how bad sin really is, we will never have the depth of gratitude for God’s grace that allows us to live despite the wrong we all do. Habit patterns and behaviors that are outside the example of Jesus Christ do not please God, and He is not okay with these actions. God’s grace is tremendous! He does not punish us for the wrong that we do, and He will never stop loving us because of it, but the severity of our current environment cannot be denied. We have gotten ourselves into such a state because the scales are tipping more to darkness than to Godliness. It is truly time for us to do as our Master Jesus instructs in Revelation 3:2(NLT), “Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.”
Now is a pivotal time for many believers. Within our individual lives, the Lord Jesus is looking for us to surrender certain habit patterns to him, to lay our burdens down, and to do as he tells us in Matthew 11:29 and learn more about him so that our faith is increased. We must understand that if we are not witnessing spiritual growth and blessings, and we’re frustrated with not receiving answers to prayer, there’s a reason for this. Psalm 84:11(NLT) tells us, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” God doesn’t withhold blessings from His kids, but He will not reward our refusal and neglect when it comes to pursuing Him with our whole hearts. We must understand that if we increase our commitment to follow God’s Word, He will reward us!
Colossians 3:5-10(NLT) instructs, “5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Heavenly Father commands us to put away the things that keep us stuck in our old sinful nature. God is perfect, all-knowing, and all-powerful. His Word is true, and when the Lord tells us not to do something, it is because He is preserving us and keeping us safe through His truth. He is keeping us from falling into satan’s traps.
There are saints of God that are doing spectacular things for God’s Kingdom all around the world, but their good works are no more important than yours and mine. We don’t have to try to do what others are doing, but we absolutely must do what God has purposed us to do according to His plan for our lives. This is the key to walking in His blessings. Yes, we’re going to make mistakes, but we don’t have to keep making them over and over again. We must commit to do better, and we must have faith that God will help us when our heart is to please Him and cling more tightly to His Word. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“Why The Lord said ‘Don’t Do It’” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!