"When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are
very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry,
sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish
ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and
other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that
anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."
-Galatians 5:19-21
We live in a dangerous world today. And I'm not just talking about the
dangers of drunk driving, murderers, terrorists, or drugs. It has to do
with the way we see our humanity.
As our humanity runs the show more and more, more of us try to make our
particular brand of sin socially acceptable. When this happens,
everything becomes muddied and grey - there is no such thing as black
and white morality. But the fact of the matter is, there is a right and
wrong. There is a plumb line of morality that exists, that would make
our world better if we could all learn to embrace it.
The problem with this as we go on is that we see no need for salvation.
We think we are good on our own, (even if we don't feel that way all of
the time), and so we go on in life, defensive if anyone calls attention
to our sin and cites it as a problem. We may even go to extremes to
get the government to agree with us. But in reality, it is a huge
problem. Proverbs says, "Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism
will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery." -Proverbs 29:1
When Abraham put Isaac on the altar, it was a prophetic sign of things
to come, for Jesus especially, but also for us. You see, when we put
what may be dear or close to us on the altar, God can use that greatly.
The fact that Abraham put his own flesh on the altar is testament that
we, too, need to put our flesh on the altar - we are "crucified with
Christ, so it is no longer I that lives, but He that lives in me." (Gal
2:20) The very fact that we need to put things on the altar is what
allows us to step into God's kingdom!
Are you willing to put anything in your life that is not of God on the altar today?
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