Friday 17 April 2015

Stop, never again - Part 8


I am discontent


Philippians 4:11 “And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have.” GNB

These words are quite different from what we see in advertising today. If you buy this for your kitchen, or if you use this product or – if you drive this car then you will be happy / content / fulfilled. Instead of feeling restless or discontent. We promise happiness that you can buy!

This is called consumerism and people who follow it are never happy because as soon as you have bought the latest phone, a new one comes out the day after and you now have to have the latest one. It's a viscous cycle which keeps people poor and always wanting more.

People get more credit cards and rack up more debt so that they can buy more stuff. Many times this is to try to impress people, and often these people are not even people that we like.

What matters in this life is not what other people think of what or how much we have, but that we are thankful to God for that which He has entrusted to us.

1 Timothy 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” KJV

Psalm 42:5 “Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God, and once again I will praise him, my savior and my God.” GNB

I am choked by debt

Romans 13:8 “Don't run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along.” MSG

Debt will ensnare you and choke the life out of you. Debt makes you a slave, and takes away your freedom. God won't ask you to go into debt if He has asked you to do something.

Proverbs 11:15 “If you promise to pay a stranger's debt, you will regret it. You are better off if you don't get involved.” GNB

For every vision, there is provision. God will provide, if He has called you to do something.

I feel unworthy

2 Corinthians 5:21 “Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.” GNB

You and I are unworthy, but praise God! Jesus sacrifice on the cross has made us worthy of the love of God! We were dirty and sinful, but the blood of Jesus is a free gift and it has washed us.

Ephesians 1:6-7

“6 Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! 7  For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God,” GNB

God treats us better than we deserve, he removes our sins as far as the East is from the West!

Psalm 103:10, 12

“10 He does not punish us as we deserve or repay us according to our sins and wrongs. 12  As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us.” GNB

Christianity is about about you and I having to earn God's love or forgiveness. It is about us believing what Jesus Christ has already done and living in the grace and mercy (God treating us better than we deserve) of God.

So what happens when we sin? Does God reject us?

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” GNB

We can approach God confidently, when would we battle to do that? When we have sinned! But Paul says here that we can trust that God will accept us with open arms and that we are to come before God boldly! Doesn't this make you excited?

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