‘One who separates himself seeks his own desire; He quarrels against all sound wisdom. ‘ Proverbs 18:1
Fellowship is one of the key disciplines of our faith, and it is essential if you want to get the most out of your walk as a Christian.
I struggled with this early in my walk with Christ. I came in with a lot of baggage, but my flesh wanted to be looked at favorably. I didn’t want others to see the bad things that I had done.
We must remember that Jesus paid for the “bad” things we did on the cross. I still struggle with my flesh daily, but the struggle seems to diminish as I press forward in faith.
“¶Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24
This requires our willingness to have the Lord examine our hearts. When we start to be honest with ourselves about the thoughts we hold close to our hearts, we can bring them before the throne of grace and release them. Consider this, He already knows your heart.
‘The woman *said to Him, “ Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw water. ” He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” The woman answered and said to Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true.” The woman *said to Him, “ Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. ‘ John 4:15-19
“As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus showed love to him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But he was deeply dismayed by these words, and he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” Mark 10:17-22
When we look at both of these examples, the woman at the well and the rich young ruler, we see that the Lord already knew about their struggles, but they responded differently to the revelation of their sins.
The woman at the well acknowledged who the Lord was, and went to bring others to see Him, while the rich young ruler went away sad. In both cases, the Lord brought them to their sinful ways, one opened their eyes, and the other refused.
The woman now had a testimony to share with others, while the rich young ruler went on about his business, not receiving the forgiveness of his sins that the Lord was more than willing to forgive.
Here are some of the reasons I hear about why people don’t go to church:
- The people in the church are too judgmental.
- The people say one thing but they do another.
- I don’t have time.
- They continually ask for money.
Over the next couple of posts, I will tackle these ” reasons” excuses; believe it or not, they all revolve around an unwillingness to admit and deal with sin in our lives.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
I pray that You will reveal anything in my heart that separates me from You and those around me.
I pray that You continue to work in my heart and give me the strength and courage to deal honestly with my sins.
I am thankful for the people you bring into my life. I pray that You allow my heart to shine with the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!! 🙏🏻❤️
