Body vs. Soul

1 Timothy 4:8 (NOG) ~ Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come.

There is such a craze to get fit and eat healthier these days. While there is nothing wrong with taking better care of your body, where is the focus to get our souls in better shape? The world is clamoring for the next super food, rich in antioxidants and nutrition, but fighting to keep the Word of God (spiritual food) out of every possible venue.

The pollutants of the soul are praised and magnified in movies and media.  The sinful and immoral are hidden behind the terms “freedom” and “self-expression”. Light a cigarette and you are a social pariah, but embrace a homosexual relationship and you are an enlightened being. We have placed so much value on the human body, it’s as if we believe we can stop the flesh from rotting. We are completely blind to the deprivation of our souls.

As we become more “tolerant” of those things completely against God’s Word, I pray that those of us in The Way become even more steadfast, abounding in the work of the Lord (I Cor.15:58). There is much work to be done, as many go down the slippery slope of gray areas, popular opinions, and false prophets. We will live forever, but it won’t be in these bodies we currently possess.  We need to place a greater importance on our eternal soul than our temporal body, not the other way around. Training our bodies doesn’t hold “the promise of life now and in the world to come,” but godly living does.

The Secret Apostasy

What is apostasy? Dictionary.com lists the definition as abandonment of one’s religious faith, principles, or cause.  How on earth would that ever be a secret, you ask? Let’s discuss for a bit, and hopefully, you will keep this definition in mind.

 

There are so many different Christian denominations and unaffiliated churches in America that I wouldn’t even attempt to target any one of them in my observations in this blog post. I have no intention of offending anyone, but it is unavoidable. We (Christians) claim to believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God. Why, then, do you suppose that we have embraced sin in our churches?

We have allowed the world to bully us into the belief that God has somehow changed. He has NOT; He is still holy. Sin is still a reproach to any people. We, however, have made concessions in the name of God’s love to allow unrepentant people to remain in sin and operate in our churches freely. Is that not apostasy? Either we believe God’s Word is true or we do not.

We shouldn’t attack people, but we should offer God’s Word in love. The church is indeed a hospital, but if people don’t know they’re sick, they won’t accept treatment. As we have watered down the Gospel to keep people in the seats and the coffers filled, we have placed their blood on our hands. By ignoring sin and refusing to confront it, we have abandoned the truth of our beliefs. The deviation from believing God’s way is the only way is apostasy, and many of us don’t even realize we’ve done it.

Finish Strong!

Acts 20:24 (NIV)  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

As I look at how many calendar pages I have flipped already in 2013, I am reminded of how many years of my life have flipped by like those pages. Time on this earth is not an infinite commodity. We should spend what precious little of it we have to prepare for eternity. We are in a race, a spiritual race, and our goal should be to finish strong.

The Lord has given each of us a job to do, and we need to be about it. We don’t know how much time we have left, so we have to allocate our time wisely. Sometimes we need to stop, reevaluate, refocus, and realign with our God-given purpose in life. It will seem like everyone is passing you up, but this race is not about speed; it’s about endurance.

What is your life on this earth worth compared to eternity? Complete the task the Lord Jesus gave you, and focus on those things which are eternal. He offers grace enough to finish strong!

Let God Use You

1 Corinthians 1:26-29(NASB) For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.

If only we would allow the Word of God to transform our minds, we could stop seeing people in the natural. The very people that you keep counting out are ones that God may use mightily for the advancement of His Kingdom. All those ‘things’ that you believe are so important in ministry, God is not impressed with.  What God desires are willing vessels through which His Spirit can work.

It is often said that where God guides, He provides. We don’t have to chase after stuff. God will use whomever He will to accomplish whatever task He chooses. He is sovereign. We, as the body of Christ, have really lost sight of what that really means. We are looking at men and women as if they have the power to promote or demote us. That authority is reserved for God alone. While you’re trying to align yourself with so-called powerful ministry leaders, God is using the custodian on the night-shift to witness to the masses.

Consider the mission of the church while you are clawing at priestly robes and lofty titles. There are far too many lost souls inside and outside our church walls for us to discount the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I don’t believe God is going to care about your latest watch, shoes, robe, lectern, etc. while people are perishing from your pews. When God uses the former crack addict in the street to do the job He originally assigned to you, don’t become bitter when he starts a ministry and half your members go with him. Get over YOU and allow God to use you.