You know, whether you mean it or not, you do have a tendency to sound quite preachy and just a bit full of yourself.
I don’t discount God’s Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, and of course Salvation. We have hope in these promises. That being said, we should also NOT “pussyfoot” around about what happens to nations that willfully reject the One True and Holy God. Doubt me? You might want to see how God dealt with His own people throughout their history. The Bible is replete with example after example of their disobedience and God’s judgment on them as a nation. Of course, when they repented, God always lovingly welcomed them back as per His covenant with them.
While I agree we shouldn’t always focus on God’s “threats”, we also should never forget we serve a Holy God who deals with our disobedience.
Maybe I am too effusive with God’s promises?
Are you sure that it really is “me” that I am full of? Or only full of something which is hardly ever heard today in our polite churches?
Forget me if you wish but please remember again what God can do! If our faith looks weak compared to the 1st century have we conveniently boxed ourselves into a corner with theological excuses?
If you can improve on the presentation please do so! I cheerfully invite you to do just that. But don’t dumb down the promises!
Think about it carefully, pal.
I am not saying the penalties aren’t there, but that the great secret is that this is not the high level name of the game with God. He’d rather bring someone to heaven than send them to hell. If hell is their destination it is not for lack of God’s vigorous efforts otherwise.
If you think the bible gives the promises short shrift, maybe it’s not the bible but your own eyes that are giving them short shrift!
There’s nothing like God KEEPING a promise that really opens your eyes up to the promise orientation of God. DARE to test God on promises!
And yes, I tested God on a promise.
It handily took care of a bondage that had shackled me for literally decades. The proof of the pudding of salvation was finally in the tasting.
Call me a believer now. If I praise God clumsily yet, I’d rather praise God clumsily than not at all! Please improve on the format. But do not stifle the power. Oh, if people knew what power awaited the acceptance of promises of God, and no that doesn’t mean a long tidying up of your life so God will then give a stamp of approval. That’s a distortion human theologians “FULL OF THEMSELVES” have introduced, doing to Christianity what the Pharisees did to Judaism. No it’s simply stop sinning! agree with God that it was sin! begin going the other way, calling on the power of the promise! and as often as needed.
The big trouble here, Arty (and I was plenty guilty of this for years after nominally believing) is that “repenting” Christians will “repent” to their prides! Ah, I’m just going to be too good for this sin or that sin or the other sin... and that scarcely EVER helps. It’s the helpless, hopeless sinner who is honest, meeting God, who gets going like a righteous rocket. He’s learned there’s nothing but God’s love to lean on. He is not like we proud, polite Christians. And his testimony and urging will look mighty “full of himself” to us.
And OK so this was four posts. God’s wonder is worth four posts. If you can improve on the format, do. But don’t stifle His positive power by obsession with the negative. Deal with the negative in God’s positive power as the negative comes and then when victory is achieved rejoice in the victory and don’t wallow in either fear or shame over the negatives. Please. Anything less grieves His heart!
OK, this is five posts!
“WE GOTTA HUNKER DOWN BECAUSE GOD’S JUDGING THIS JOINT AND THERE’S NOTHING ELSE WE CAN DO.”
GRRRRR!! Fooey!!!
The Lion of Judah says, really, that He can do more than meow! You MIGHT or MIGHT NOT spread the enthusiasm to enough people to make a big difference in the scene. But we would be timid fools not to try to conduct what difference we CAN, from the always-omnipotent Lord into a sad society, which is another way of saying what the bible calls our neighbor. Wouldn’t you feel stupid if God really was lining up a revival and you quailed out???