A Holy God, Removing Evil And Revealing How To Do It Right

"You will destroy all the peoples that the LORD your God is handing over to you. Show them no pity. And don't serve their gods because that would be a trap for you." (Deut 7:16)

From our perspective today, in an age of grace, this is hard to read. We can judge Yahweh without understanding all the facts.

For example, did you know that Yahweh told Abraham that his descendants would spend 400 years in slavery in Egypt because Yahweh had to wait until the evil of the Amalekites reached it maximum? Does this mean there was also a chance for repentance in that time as we read about with Nineveh?

By the time Israel had been released from slavery the area God was sending them into had descended into great evil. It had taken on the sense of a mystical land, filled with giants, witchcraft, human sacrifices, divination and everything that flew in the face of Yahweh's holiness.

Yahweh treated it like a disease that had to be surgically removed and Israel was warned to remove it all or they would become infected. Israel was Yahweh's judgement on these nations that refused to turn from their unacceptable choices, traditions, and culture. Yahweh also planned to demonstrate his glory through his great outpouring of blessings for Israel, a nation that had promised to model the correct way of living under the one true God.

Through Jesus the Church has also been raised up to model a life of blessings so the whole world would see and know Father. But so many of us refuse to receive these blessings and prefer to limit and reduce Yahweh down to our level.

Contamination

If we are busy trying to build our own kingdom or looking for loopholes in the Word of God to justify doing what we want to do, we need to question the genuineness of our relationship with Jesus. There is one underlying truth that wipes out our selfish desire to get what we want:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

"I no longer live" should bring clarity to our life in this world. It should also be clear that we have died to everything we were, everything we laid claim to, and everything we aspired to be. Now our desire is only Jesus, and obedience to the Father's will. This should be clear to us by now:

My dear friends, since we have these promises, let’s cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our body or spirit so that we make our holiness complete in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

The Holy Spirit convicts us of what needs to go and what needs to change after we come to Jesus, but it is up to us to offer it up. It is part of the process and takes the rest of our life, but as the Spirit makes us aware of what needs to go we need to surrender it. This is important at this moment of time because there are people calling themselves Christians who are advocating things of the flesh over the Spirit. They are trying to redefine Christianity to satisfy the demands of the flesh. God cannot be mocked.

The simple question each of us must ask ourselves is if we love Jesus more than anything else, even more than our deepest longings. The Word says to rid ourselves of anything that contaminates. The flesh wants to define this for our own advantage but the Spirit defines it according to the holiness of God. Jesus said, to qualify as his disciples, we have to deny our flesh, take up our spiritual mission and follow his example.

The time has come for us to become serious about our decision, to decide for Jesus and allowed him to be glorified through us no matter the cost. It is time to rise up in the holiness with which he has clothed us. Cleanse yourself from anything that contaminates.

Do We Hate Evil?

The Christian Church is all over the place with it's doctrine, finding it hard to hold any form of unity. We have taken the Holy Scriptures and twisted them to our own liking so much so that most Christians simply do what they feel is best, according to their own thinking. This is the reason we have many young Christians supporting the complete opposite of what is found in the Word of God. We are indeed heading into rough waters.

People who do not know any better are saying, "Jesus didn't say anything about this, that or the other thing, so it means it is okay with God". They fail to understand that Jesus is the Word and he taught with the Hebrew Scriptures as the foundation. In fact, he clarified some of these Scriptures and brought us to a deeper understanding of holiness. Without the Spirit you can make the Scriptures say whatever you want. With the Spirit, the Father's heart is clear. He hates evil:

Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. (Romans 12:9)

This is an amazing chapter that gives us an outline as to how our life should look by the transformation the Spirit is doing in us. These are not character traits that we can transform into by our effort, but by setting our eyes on Jesus he will do this good work in us, transforming us to be like him. But we must desire it and set our heart on it. Let's put a few of the things in this chapter in point form:

Love should be shown without pretending.
Hate evil, and hold on to what is good.
Love each other like the members of your family.
Be the best at showing honor to each other.
Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord!
Be happy in your hope
stand your ground when you’re in trouble
devote yourselves to prayer
Contribute to the needs of God’s people
welcome strangers into your home
Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them.
Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying.
Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead, associate with people who have no status.
Don’t think that you’re so smart.
Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good.

It goes on but you probably see the point. What we consider to be the Christian walk today has been shaped by the precepts of this world instead of the character of Jesus. Now know this, supporting any form of anything Yahweh has declared to offend him is supporting evil and there are consequences:

Though they know God’s decision that those who persist in such practices deserve death, they not only keep doing these things but also approve others who practice them. (Romans 1:32)

We cannot mock God, he knows the motivation of our heart. He expects us to be open and truthful with him and to follow the example of the Son. It is not a free for all. To declare him as our God and to follow Jesus Christ brings with it responsibilities. We have the responsibility to resist evil, to grow in maturity, to demonstrated Jesus in us, to be holy and to love as he has loved us.

Getting Real With Jesus - A Call To Holiness

I think we have gone too far in the taming of our God, to make him appear more attractive, more salable among the cavorting nations. We have removed the bite from the Lion, or, I should say, we tried. At what point did we realize that the way of holiness was unattractive to the masses? When was that moment that we decided a benevolent Santa Claus type figure would be more acceptable? Who was the marketer that decided it was wiser to leave people happy in their sin in the pews than uncomfortably convicted at the Mercy Seat? I realize I am being harsh but I am being harsh on people like me: The Preachers.

Our God is not tame; far from it. However, he is kind, loving, forgiving and his desire is to see everyone saved from their intended destination of destruction. This does not diminish his glory; his righteousness; his holiness. Just because he reaches out in compassion to adopt us as his children does not take away from his glory:

Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. (v. 2)

I don't think we preachers have done a very good job of telling people that a mark of accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is change. We die to what we were. That is how our bondage to sin is broken. Then we are raised in our new life in Jesus, and he in us. It is true that all our sin is forgiven but it also means we are called to his righteousness. It is the foundation of his throne as it becomes the foundation of our lives. It means that we no longer desire sin, or self or anything but the will of the Father. Any other form of Christianity is a lie. Anything that allows you to remain in sin and your desire for sin and self is a lie. Remember that justice is also the foundation of his throne and all those who live by sin instead of the Spirit are his enemies:

A fire goes before Him,
And burns up His enemies round about. (v. 3)

Not so tame.

We need a better vision of Yahweh, a better understanding so that we know that we do not want to fall into the hands of the living God; not his hands of justice:

His lightnings light the world;
The earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory. (vv. 4-6)

We should fear to sin. We should fear to fall out of his grace. We should fear to offend our God. We should never take his grace for granted. We should never abuse his love. We should never try to manipulate his kindness and desire for us to our selfish advantage. We should desire to flee hard and fast from even any hint of sin, not use grace as an excuse to flirt with it or even to flaunt it. If we are saved we should have a longing for the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It should be our desire and when we fail, repentance should be our quick response.

Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,
Who boast of idols. (v. 7)

Indeed, let us feel the shame of our prostitution to the idols of this age. Let us feel deeply the shame and guilt of what we do against the Name above all names. Let us stop playing games with grace and get serious about loving our God. Let us throw off everything that entangles and ensnares our hearts and be thoroughly cleansed and set right in our service to our King. Let us discover again our fear of the Lord, the great respect that is due him and get up on his Highway of Holiness. Let us pursue him with all that we are and trust him to preserve us until the day of his return.

You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints;
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. (vv. 10-12)

Indeed, REPENT! REJOICE! GIVE THANKS! REMEMBER!

Cry Out To Those Who Are Perishing

Terrible things happen to those who forget Yahweh. Not so long ago there were entire nations that had embraced Christianity, who called on the name of the Lord in good times and in bad. I would not call them Christian nations because there are no such thing but they were nations where the majority of their people had professed Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Some of these people were not true to their word but only spoke because the majority believed. Yet, now these nations have forgotten.

They have forgotten and terrible things are happening within them. The psalmist knew of that which I speak:

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.

The Lord is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. (Psalm 9:15-16)

Sometimes people call out in times of catastrophe, "Where is your God now", and it is often pointed out to them, "You have replaced him by that which is not God". The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made. They made the problems. They turned their back on the Lord and set their heart on evil things and those evil things open the door to disaster. Their foot gets caught in the net which they hid. They are snared in the work of their own doing.

Consider how many of those countries that once stood with Jesus, who based their laws on righteousness, are now slaughtering innocent children in the name of their own laws and their own justice? Not just the unborn children but those children deemed of lesser worth. And they do it in the name of compassion. Without the light of Yahweh's holiness evil looks good and the common begins to look holy. There is a reason why economies are failing. There is a reason why there are wars and rumours of wars. 

Even in our individual lives, there is a huge difference between a life of righteousness and one bent on its own destruction. If you are lacking joy, look to where you stand with Jesus. What are you allowing to happen within your own city gates? If you are lacking peace, look to where you stand with Jesus. Who or what is your council, guiding your steps, making your decisions? Where is your heart? It goes beyond words of worship? Do you consider the poor? The Widow? The orphan? Are we fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves?

There is not much you and I can do about entire nations, they are the dominion of our Lord, but we can do something about ourselves. We can also be a great influence on our family and friends. Do not be tempted by the evil of our day. Do not make your own god and your own rules. Stick to Jesus all the way. Walk in obedience and allow him to provoke righteousness in you. Love as he loved, not the soft kind but the fierce kind; the kind that takes risks to save those who are heading to their death. Yes, even in the face of the sanctions of nations we can stand, because we do not stand alone.

Remember:

The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God. (v. 17)

Father does not want this to happen. He is more interested in forgiveness and reconciliation, but he is also just and will carry out his judgement. However, we should work within his will that everyone would be saved. We should pray with the psalmist:

Arise, O Lord,
Do not let man prevail;
Let the nations be judged in Your sight.

Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men. (v. 19-20)

... and Jesus to be King over them. May they all come to know you Lord, turning from their evil ways and be saved from the fiery pit of hell. That is why we are still here my friends, to call out the Word of Truth, the Word of Life, to the doomed peoples of this earth. Cry out!

Why Should I Fear Yahweh?

Having grown up near the Atlantic ocean I learned to respect water. There are certain rules you learn to obey, not because they are forced on you but simply for survival. There are things you can do to enjoy the water but there are definitely other things you shouldn't do if you want to live. One thing you learn is that you always keep your wits about you when you are around water. You learn to respect the character of the Atlantic ocean.

In our age of hyper-grace I think we are forgetting the respect that is due our Creator. It is kind of like the line we get from Mr. Beaver in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. When Lucy asks if the lion, Aslan, is safe Mr. Beaver replies, "Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good." A wonderful description of Yahweh, one to which we should pay attention. If we understood his character we would understand why David writes of respecting him in the same way I learned to respect the powerful Atlantic ocean:

Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:10-11)

Even king Solomon understood respecting the character of Yahweh, or at least he did before his hundreds of foreign wives interfered with his relationship:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

The character of Yahweh is nothing to be trifled with; he is not tame. The Atlantic ocean is not tame and never will be tamed. It is beyond the capability of man. Yahweh is beyond the concept of man and we can never reduce his character so that we can make him dance to our tune. To try to do so is to play in the water without respect. It will end in our demise.

We cannot play with Yahweh's words to make it say what we want. We cannot change the words or actions of Jesus to suit our thinking. We cannot dismiss the Spirit into non-existence. We cannot create our own god and then attach Yahweh's name, claiming that we are Christian. Our God cannot be mocked and those who try will discover the true nature of his character.

Our God, his testimony concerning himself, his instructions, his Spirit are to be respected and obeyed. This Hebrew word has been translated to "fear" and most people miss the point because we no longer live in an age where respect has much value. I hear ignorant people stating, "I will never obey God if he requires me to fear him". The ocean doesn't demand me to fear it, but it is a wise thing for me to develop a healthy fear of it if I wish to live. Fear is not as we use it today but it does imply a great respect of something so powerful it is out of your control to tame and get it to behave as we want.

Yahweh is love, but his character demands respect. We can't do whatever we want because his character has defined right from wrong, good from bad. We are a fallen creation because of our disobedience and he has done everything he can, paying the highest price, so that we might escape the consequences of our behaviour. Even this should never be trivialized but should provoke in us a response of love, so that we would desire to walk in his righteousness and respect him. I pray that Yahweh's people can re-discover this before it is too late.

Holy Spirit Smack Down

We think we are living an authentic Christianity. We think we are okay. We think we are getting by on the faith that we have. We think it's good enough.

We are lying to ourselves.

It's not good enough.

Grace is seen as a free ticket, but for those who are pursuing Jesus as they should, it is a great power propelling us forward, giving us a desire to go higher, deeper and wider with Jesus.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)

I dare you to read that with your eyes open,
not half asleep,
not skimming through but
with eyes wide open.

... who do not walk according to the flesh

but according to the Spirit.

Who is in control of your day? How much thought do you give to Jesus? Who are you living for? What desires are propelling you forward?

Who do not walk according to the flesh.

We don't even know enough to ask ourselves the right questions. We actually think we are okay; that what we are doing (which isn't much) is somehow pleasing and honouring to Jesus.

As if the God who gave us his everything is pleased to accept our nothing.

Are you ready for this?

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5)

"What? I don't understand. What you are saying? Are you saying I am carnally minded?"

You tell me.

"What about grace?"

Grace is not a free ticket to let you do whatever you want because whatever you want is always going to come from the flesh and if you live by the flesh then you have nothing to do with Jesus.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

There is more.

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:6-8)

"Well I think I am okay. I don't think I am carnally minded."

That's because most of us don't give it a thought. We do what we think is best, which is a pretty good definition of what it is to live by the flesh. We think that a half-effort is good enough.

Jesus said it isn't. He said all or nothing. Yes, that is right. To live by the Spirit means that we have held nothing back and our only longing is the will of the Father.

Does that describe your day?

No? Mine neither but the Spirit smacked me across the head with this scripture and I for one am paying attention.

This is not fun and games boys and girls. This is life and death for eternity. This is serious relational stuff. Jesus has called us to something higher and greater than what we have been willing to live.

What will you do with this? Whatever you do, don't go back to getting by.

What Evil Lurks In The Heart Of ....

The more I study Scripture and put it in the context of today, the more disturbed I become. There is just something wrong with so many people claiming Jesus with no passion to live in his righteousness. I look around and see everyone doing what they think is best and their best is sometimes evil. By evil I mean that it is contrary to the character of Yahweh, who is holy. How can we say that we love Jesus and lack great passion for his name?

I know we all go to great churches and we sing loud, with great joy, and we feel in our hearts that we love Jesus. That is really great and I am glad for that passion but what about the passion to walk right before him, all the time? What about the passion to know what pleases our LORD and to do those things, all the time? What about the passion for his holiness and to live according to it, all the time? It is far too easy to know of Jesus, think we are okay and yet not be known by Jesus because we are not united with him.

There are many who call upon Jesus' name for all kinds of things and who do great things in his name, who will be rejected by Jesus on the day we stand before him. It is too easy to look like we are walking with him and yet in our hearts live an evil life; things contrary to his character. It reminds me of Eli's sons and later Samuel's.

These boys had great father's who served the LORD holding nothing back, but this passion and dedication was not passed on to the sons. This sort of thing cannot be passed on to someone else unless it is first birthed in their heart. Yet, these sons stood in positions of spiritual responsibilities and did evil. How is this possible?

Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord. (1 Samuel 2:12)

It was possible because they did not know the LORD. Their great sin was that they changed the regulations of the sacrifices to their own advantage. They took from sincere worshipers the sacrifices being made to Yahweh and used them selfishly. The end result was terrible:

Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. (v. 17)

Their actions turned people away from Yahweh; they made something of beauty and love very ugly and unattractive to the sincere worshiper. This is why it was very great before the LORD because they were interfering in the relationship. Remember Jesus' harsh words for those who would prevent the children of Yahweh from approaching him.

We don't get to do whatever we want. We have clear instructions to walk in the righteousness of our LORD. We need to be checking ourselves to see that our faith is sincere and understand that our Father does test the sincerity of that faith from time to time. It is better to be tested here then to find out as we stand before Jesus that it was not genuine.

We need to understand that any insincerity on our part can be a stumbling block to others. It is also important that we do not put anyone in authority who does not have a sincere faith. They may have all the words, know all the ceremonies, know the key Bible passages to quote but have a heart possessed by evil, selfish thinking, jealousies and pettiness; things contrary to the character of Yahweh.

The bottom line is that we should all have a constant desire and passion to increase in our maturity, to grow into the fullness of Jesus. There is never a time that we can afford to sit back and relax, to be entertained, to retire because there is no retirement for the children of Yahweh in this place. If we are not pushing forward we are losing ground. If we are not growing in our relationship then our passion is growing cold. We should have a growing desire to have more of Jesus and he should be our constant thought and motivation. Never should we see the blessings of the Lord simply for our use because they have been given to us as tools to do the work we have been given to do.

Lord Jesus, change our perspective and thinking. Change our heart that we would shake off the lullaby sung over us by this world as it tries to put us to sleep spiritually to rape us carnally. Open our eyes to you, that we would be caught up in such passion for your name that our great desire would be for your righteousness. Strengthen and encourage us to live for you and you alone, pouring all that we are and all that we have into your mission. Forgive us for our failures and help us to walk the highway of holiness where nothing can prevail against us.

Who Will You Serve?

I realize that I seem to be repeating myself for the last couple of weeks but I am sharing with you a clear message that came out of my period of Fasting to the LORD. The message is simple: Yahweh has set his standards and has called us to a relationship of obedience, so make a decision. I think the reason this message is so important is because many leaders and teachers have been muddying the waters with human reasoning. There is much apostasy that is spewing from the mouths of those who promised to love and obey Jesus Christ.

Let's make this as simple as possible by looking at one piece of Scripture to understand our Father's heart on his expectations of those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. It is at it's essence the same expectations he had for Israel:

Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! (Joshua 24:14)

The other way this was put was to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength. It means we get to know him, what delights him and what offends him. We must know his heart and then desire to walk in obedience to him. It doesn't mean doing whatever you think is best to serve him. That's what Israel tried to do during the times of the judges and it got them in a lot of trouble, as it is getting people in trouble today.

No, we don't get to do what we want. Jesus repeated these same kind of words but a little more directly:

If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)

Not what you think is best but what Jesus commanded. We live according to the righteousness of our holy LORD not according to the supposed righteousness of man. We have been given standards, statutes to live and they are higher than the cesspool of sin that we are witnessing transpire from the hearts of man in our societies today.

Joshua made it clear that there is something we need to do:

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

No one on the face of this planet is forced to serve Jesus Christ. Men of demented thinking tried to use the Church in the past to hold power over people but it failed. Yahweh does not even force his desire upon us but he freely offers it. He freely offers his mercy and grace, his love and forgiveness, his compassion. He freely offers us adoption into his family and rescue from the destructive course that we have chosen. But we have to make that decision.

The only thing we are warned is that we can't have it all. We can't have the sin of this world and the righteousness of our LORD. Jesus asked the question, what is the point of gaining the whole world if we lose our soul? If we make the decision for Jesus then there are expectations we will live by the Spirit who places the Word of God in us. We cannot take part in the unholy things of this world and be possessed by the Spirit. It doesn't work that way.

Make a decision: is the music of this world more important than Jesus? Are those favorite sin-filled television shows more important than Jesus? Are those misleading movies more important than Jesus? Is the dangerous place of social networking more important than Jesus? If you lack the discipline to turn things off when they go terribly wrong, then get rid of that thing from your life; deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. The choice is clear and a decision is demanded of us: Who will you serve?

Decisions Have To Be Made: Who Will You Serve?

As we come off our Fast we need to ask the question, "What now?" We have had a time of intimacy, of setting ourselves aside, of drawing close to our LORD, of making ourselves available and open to our God. We have withheld certain foods from our body, changed our appetite, cleansed our palate, lost weight, washed our system and feel good. Now e have to decide what we take back on ourselves spiritually and physically.

For me it has become clear that there are far too many distractions that take me away from my relationship with Jesus and the calling I have received. It is like I wanted all the Jesus offered but all the entertainment of the world. My attitude after a long day was that I deserved to relax, failing to understand that they only rest of any worth was resting in the LORD. I'll tell you, I was a man greatly distracted.

During my Fast I gorged myself on the Word and will continue to do so, and the more I ate of it the more the Spirit corrected me. I realized just from the Scriptures of the Old Testament that if I want to serve the Lord with all that I am, my mind and heart must only be occupied by him. We can't say that we do this because if we were there would be a lot more things happening. Currently it is as if we are worshiping our God from a distance whereas he demands an intimate worship from us.

We are too occupied by evil. We are like the Israelites of old who maintained Yahweh's holy temple but also worshiped other God's in the high places. We worship Jesus but we also serve the gods of this world as we chase after money, fame, leisure. We even put family on a pedestal next to Yahweh. This blof is too short to go into all the details of how we are not what we are suppose to be but I think the Spirit is already convicting you on this matter. Consider the Scripture that says:

Do not be wise in your own eyes;Fear the Lord and depart from evil. (Proverbs 3:7)

Evil is anything that is contrary to the character of Yahweh. As we watch murder after murder on our television, we are assaulting the character of Jesus in us. As we listen to the lyrics of those songs, letting them sink into our heart, we are running contrary to the character of Jesus. As we read those words, see those images and allow our mind to be entertained by sin, by the things contrary to the holiness of our God, we are giving ourselves over to the gods of this world.

Do you want to be filled by Jesus, to feel his presence, to know his will, to know his strength and power? Do you want to be overwhelmed by his joy and peace despite the circumstances of your day? Do you want the concern for others to be greater than your concern for yourself? Then shun evil, throw away the things that occupy your time and fill your days with Jesus:

 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Sometimes I think we forget where we are, what we are doing, and who we belong to. We forget that we are in hostile territory and it takes great discipline to walk with and serve Jesus in this place. It takes a singleness of mind and a heart so filled with love, renewed daily, to stay the course. We need to be strong and courageous. We need to embody the words of Yahweh to Joshua:

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

We need to remember that blessings flow with obedience. Every king of Israel was told that if they walked in the ways of Yahweh and kept his statutes blessings would be theirs. Every King failed. Decisions have to be made; hard decisions. Jesus told us it is better to cut off a hand our pluck out an eye than to enter hell whole. If something is causing you to sin, to do evil, to separate you from Jesus then learn to live without it.

Decisions have to be made if we are going to be a nation of royal priests:

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

Grace As A Loophole

In this age of hyper-grace we are losing our fear of Yahweh. We are no longer afraid to sin, to offend our God because the overwhelming message of the day is that his grace will cover us. How quick we forget apostle Paul's warning not to use grace as an excuse to sin. The grace of our God is the great message of the age, as it has been for every age since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a fantastic reality that we need to bring to the world but we can never lose sight of the truth that we serve a God of justice. Yahweh will judge and he will punish according to our heart.

We should not be looking for loopholes in order to excuse our sin. If any sin has a hold on us it means that we are enslaved to it and not to the righteousness of our LORD. It means we do not walk in the freedom Jesus won for us and it means we are wrong. Pleading grace is not like pleading the 5th in the United States. Grace is applied to the repentant heart not to the one that is looking for the "get out of jail free" card. Let's look at two examples, one from the Old Testament and one from the New.

Israel had just destroyed Jericho at Yahweh's command. He had warned them not to take anything but to destroy everything. However, there was one who did not obey. Achan could not resist certain of the treasures, so he took some and buried them in his tent. An innocent sin that did not impact anyone else, right? Wrong. God's blessings were removed from the nation and when they fought the next battle many lost their lives because Yahweh was not with them. Achan's sin was found out and Yahweh called for justice to be carried out. Rebellion cannot be tolerated among the children of Yahweh:

Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. (Joshua 7:24-25)

Harsh but so was the sin, the rebellion that Yahweh could not permit to spread in his holy nation. Now let's flip forward to the beginning of the Church. There was a married couple who had a plot of land. At that time many of the followers of Jesus were selling their possessions to give to the leaders to provide for those who did not have much. This couple wanted to look good in everyone's eyes but without the cost. So they said they were donating the price of the plot of land they sold but in fact they held some back for themselves. They said they were giving their all but they kept some in reserve:

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. (Acts 5:3-5)

They could have given whatever they wanted, there were no expectations, but they choose to lie. Fear came upon the followers of Jesus as it should to this day. I speak for myself as well when I say that we have lost that fear. We are no longer afraid to offend our God, we no longer fear to sin. We enter into it with the thought, "My God knows I love him; he will forgive me according to his grace". But the Spirit knows the motivation of our heart. If we truly loved Jesus then we would seek his righteousness not loopholes to get what we want and to do what we wish.

There is a difference between those who have chosen righteousness, who pursue it and who are covered by grace, and those who say they seek it but lie, expecting that the grace of our Father will cover them. Our God is still a God of justice and we should fear that justice. How quickly we forget the warning in Hebrews:

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

Fearful indeed. I am not saying that we should live our life constantly in fear of stepping on an ant and offending Yahweh; we do not live a sin conscience life. But we can live a life where we are aware of the motivation of our heart and if our motivation is to sin against the righteousness of our LORD, to reject it immediately. We are a holy nation, a royal priesthood, separated for the purpose of our Father. We walk in his righteousness and maintain a healthy and respectful fear of the Living God. No loopholes, only obedience.

In The World But Not Of It? Seriously?

"Be holy because I am holy," said Jehovah to his nation Israel.

Before the exodus from Egypt, Israel was nothing more than a people born of one man, a family, a bunch of slaves to be exploited in a land that did not belong to them. In order to be a nation you need an identity and land helps. To be a society you need a common law. Jehovah was going to give them all of this but he was also going to give them purpose, which was to be used by their God to glorify himself to the world.

The Law was given to separate Israel from every other nation. It was a physical separation, their actions marking the difference from the behaviour of everyone else. This Law became their identity, what defined them. Moses gave them these instructions for when they were to enter the Promised Land:

Keep all these commands that I give you today. When you have crossed the Jordan into the land the Lord your God is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. (Deuteronomy 27:1-3)

Notice they were to do this as soon as they entered, at the border. The Law was to be posted at the border to distinguish them from all other nations. Jehovah warned them time and again not to have anything to do with the behaviour of these other nations because they were under his judgement. Israel was not to take on their practices, or to intermarry because they would be corrupted and start to behave like the others. They wholly belonged to Yahweh. Unfortunately they did not obey.

They did exactly what Jehovah told them not to do; they intermarried, they took on the foreign gods, they sacrificed their children, they made deals with other nations, they stopped relying on Jehovah. Their behaviour became just like everyone else's, their hearts turned from Jehovah and they fell under his judgement. He was not glorified through Israel for the whole world to know him.

I often hear well meaning Christians saying, "We are in the world but not of it". Do you think that to be true? It should be because the Church has been raised up with the same purpose as Israel, that Yahweh would be glorified through us and the whole world would know of Jesus. Our big problem is that we do not know we are a people, a holy nation, set aside for his purpose. We still identify ourselves by our geographical location: I am a Canadian  and I am Christian. I consider the laws I must answer to are found in my government and it is only natural for me to follow the customs and habits of the people around me. But the Word tells us differently.

If you read 1 Peter from cover to cover you will discover Yahweh's call to his holy nation to not conform to the patterns of this world and, because of our spiritual condition, we aught to be separate in behaviour. I encourage you to sit down and read the whole book in one digestion. Of living godly lives in a pagan society, Peter writes:

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Later he writes:

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (1 Peter 4:1-2)

Look around. Can you honestly say you are living for the will of Yahweh? Can you say that your relationship with Jesus is such that it keeps you from joining in with the things that he has called evil? Are we entertained by shows of murder? Do we play games where we get to kill people? Are we entertained by sex and lust, greed and pain? Are we honest in all things or just some things? Do we love him with all our being and others as ourselves? Are we governed by his holy will for us or by the lower law of the land or by our own desires? Do we waste our time on distractions or are we bent on his purpose for us in this place? Do we even see ourselves as being separate? Take heed:

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:7-11)

Amen!

The Highest Standard Is Love

It's crazy that we have police and politicians who are responsible for making and enforcing laws but who believe they are above the law. Here in Canada, we just had one of our party leaders admit that he has smoked marijuana after being elected. In Canada it is illegal to smoke marijuana except if you have a doctor's permission due to an illness. The law remains and is enforced for the ordinary citizen but Mr.Trudeau believes he is above this law.

It doesn't matter which law was broken, the fact remains that our politicians are suppose to hold themselves to a higher standard. Even if they disagree with a law, they still have the responsibility to abide by it. This goes for speed limits, paying taxes, or any other law we want to consider. If they disagree with the law then they should work to change it but in the meantime, abide by the law like every other citizen must.

Now why would I bring politics into my blog which is all about all things connected to Jesus Christ? Simple: The same principle is in play for us who belong to the Kingdom of God.

We seem to be a confused people concerning the law and grace. We use grace as an excuse for ignoring the fact that our Father is holy and has called us to his righteousness. Grace simply covers us when we get it wrong but what matters is the attitude of our heart. If we purposely set out to deceive God by doing what is contrary to his righteousness then we are only deceiving ourselves. We don't get to do what we feel is right. In fact. Jesus brought us to the deepest part of the law which is governed by love.

Jesus taught that the law says not to murder but love says do not hate, which is the root of murder. Jesus taught that the law says do not commit adultery but love says do not lust, which is the root of adultery. Jesus moved us from the law, which deals with the surface, to the root of the law which is governed by love.

If you love me, you will do as I command. (John 14:15)

These, the words of Jesus, do not give us the right to sin but instead hold us to a higher standard. Certainly we will fail because our bodies have not yet been redeemed. It is the weakest link. But our flesh should not be dictating to us when we have been empowered by the Spirit. We must command our bodies to obey our spirit which longs for intimacy with God's Spirit. This should be our desire, our longing, our hope so that any thought of disobedience would seem repugnant to us. There must be a desire in us to want to obey Jesus Christ.

I will be personal with you. There have been times when I have allowed fear to knock me off course. In my position it means other people, a lot of people, have been effected by my fear. I have feared my future and my finances. Some would feel that it is only normal because of my situation but it is not normal for me. I am a man of faith. I take God at face value. I trust his promises and to allow fear to manipulate me is to say that I do not trust. This is a sin because faith means to trust. I have learned that I must confess my weakness so Jesus can show his strength through it. I have learned to refuse fear and purposely do exactly what I fear. And every time God has revealed himself in glory.

We cannot hold on to our sins, flaunt them before the world and use the excuse that we aren't perfect, only forgiven. It should be with some shame that we come before God, admitting our failures and allowing him to restore his Spirit in us. We need to desire to obey his will without hesitation. We should take delight in his law, delight in his holiness and delight in his righteousness. We need to press in more every day, getting closer, surrendering more, desiring more. We don't want less righteousness, we want more. We don't want less of Jesus, we want more. We don't want less of the law, we want to go deeper.

Politicians, who are our lawmakers, who refuse to follow the law because they disagree with it, are wrong. Many won't see it that way but it eats away at the foundation of our society and opens the doors to all kinds of abuses and wrongs. It is the reason they are held to a higher standard. But far worse are Christians who refuse to obey the Spirit, allowing disobedience to eat away at their foundation, opening the door to all kinds of abuses and wrongs. They fail to understand that we are held to the highest standard, Jesus Christ and it will have eternal consequences for them and all those they influence.

Enticed By The Enemy Of Your Soul

Sin is foolishness and we are the fools. Don't think you are not because you are only one decision away from being unfaithful to the God who is nothing but faithful. We are a wayward wife, refusing to find satisfaction at home, and rushing around town, searching for anything that will thrill us. It is like we forget who our husband is and care not the consequences of our actions. We flirt with the dangerous, the things that will hurt our God if we were to get involved with them. We excuse it away, find someone else to blame or refuse to see it for what it is, giving it a new name and calling it good.

We allow the enemy of our soul to court us, as if we did not already have the finest husband. We allow him to introduce us to things that seem so sweet to taste without realizing the cancer it will produce. We look around, see so many others doing it, ignore what we already know to be the truth and consider that there must be safety in numbers. We know we shouldn't but the enemy of our soul, dressed as a beautiful vision of white, encourages us on.

Solomon, in warning his son against an adulterous woman, stated it in a way that describes all sin that attracts us away from God:

And so, she tricked him
    with all of her sweet talk
    and her flattery.
22 Right away he followed her
    like an ox on the way
    to be slaughtered,
or like a fool on the way
to be punished[a]
23     and killed with arrows.
He was no more than a bird
    rushing into a trap,
    without knowing
    it would cost him his life. (Proverbs 7:21-23)

Remember Jesus' words:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul? (Mark 8:34-37)

If we do not understand the seriousness of our relationship with God perhaps it is because we don't know Jesus or we have allowed many things to distract us from him. How, in all seriousness, can we be willing to chase after the world after experiencing the benefits of Jesus?

We are not surprised by the depravity of the world's thinking and the action that arise. We are saddened by it but not surprised. However, we should be shocked and horrified to find sin entertained and celebrated in the Church. Yes, unfortunately there will be times when our unredeemed bodies will cause us to stumble, but we don't excuse it or try to hide it. We run to our Father and present it in all our shame to have him wash it away with a word. But when we invite it in, excuse it, accept it as part of us, celebrate it and even allow it to rise higher than Jesus, we are in a lot of trouble.

The untrained, undisciplined, unsaved masses of the Church are falling for the courtship of the enemy. They are following after the lies of demons. They are chasing after the world dressed in the vocabulary of the Church. They are deceived. What will they do to get back their soul? What trap have they flown into like an unaware bird?

Quick, flee to the feet of Jesus. Surrender to the direction of the Spirit. Repent of our ways and seek the face of God. Be renewed in righteousness. Claim the holiness that has been proclaimed over us. Know that you have an enemy and he is out to destroy your soul. Look to the things above. Set your heart and mind on the things above. Let go of the trappings of this world and find your satisfaction in your husband, in our Lord Jesus Christ. You are his bride, his most beautiful, radiant bride, so act like it. Be devoted to your husband, faithful until your very last breath.

Calling Good Evil And Evil Good

God is love! That is the clear message of the Church today, and it should be because there is no love that compares to the love of our Father. This love has brought in an era of grace through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But unfortunately some have interpreted this love to mean that "anything goes". As we see evil called good and good evil we should be shocked that this message is arising from the Church.

Yes, God is love but he is also holy. Yes, grace is incredible and without limits but we have been warned not to abuse it. There is a lopsided message starting to emerge from the Church and it is wrong. It is made up of lies covered by a thin veil of truth and people are falling for it.

Yes, Jesus hung out with the prostitutes, the drunkards, the liars and thieves, but that did not stop him from teaching the righteousness of God. Yes, he forgave sins but he also told people to stop sinning. The woman caught in adultery was saved from stoning but Jesus told her to "sin no more". When people met Jesus they were never the same again. When he invited people to follow him, Jesus set an example for them and they left everything they had been to become something more. They did not continue as they were, doing what they wanted, free to sin to their heart's content.

Today, in our desire to be inclusive, we forget the transformation that takes place with the new birth. If there is no transformation then it is conformity and conformists will not make it into the Kingdom. It is a heart change, a repenting, a turning away from what we were and grasping what God has called us to be; a complete transformation under the power of the Holy Spirit.

The audacity to come before our Creator in the depravity of our thinking and say, "Accept me as I am with my thoughts and limited wisdom, with my sin. Don't change me. If you try to convince me I am wrong I will serve someone else." We are not doing God any favours. It is he who has rescued us at great cost and he has said to us, "If you love me you will obey what I have commanded". Famous servant's of God are now saying, "You had better accept sin or I will decide to spend eternity in hell". With such an attitude I think the choice has already been made, but it is the damage and confusion they are sowing that concerns me.

Yes, God is love and that love also makes forgiveness available. We need forgiveness and transformation because our ways are so entrenched in sin and the depravity that comes from it that we are desperate for his forgiveness. How can we be forgiven of things that we no longer consider wrong?

Yes, God is love and that love comes from his holiness. As a holy God he hates sin. Just a tiny, and I mean tiny, example from his Word:

"There are six things The Lord hates, seven that are detestable:

     - haughty eyes

     - a lying tongue

     - hands that shed innocent blood

     - a heart that devises wicked schemes

     - feet that are quick to rush into evil

     - a false witness who pours out lies

     - and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Jesus did something incredible with the law; he took us to a deeper place in it. "Do not murder but I tell you do not hate. Do not commit adultery but I tell you do not lust." The law went from a document impossible to live, to something written on our heart by the Holy Spirit and alive in us by that same Spirit. Grace does not give us an excuse to sin but should give us a desire to be more like our God.

Of course the problem now is the definition of sin. What do we consider sin? As we redefine it, calling good evil and evil good, the debate is really over what God defines as sin. We have certainly come into the last days as people run after the teachings of demons, which are convincing people to abandon the Word of God and go with what feels right. We set aside the wisdom of our God for the wisdom of man forgetting that our God has told us that his ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours.

Redefine sin any way you want but it still comes down to what God has said. Re-write his Word to make it say what you want but you will still be held accountable to the truth. God is love and that is why we have had two thousand years of grace but the day of judgment is coming and then we shall see if there is a hell or not. His love has made it possible for us to escape judgement but those who have rejected his truth for their own will be condemned by our righteous God according to the decisions they have made.

Jesus Got Mad

Jesus got mad. He hung out with the lost, the sinners, the murderers, prostitutes, liars and thieves. He didn't get mad at them. He taught large masses of people who ended up not wanting his words but his free lunches. He didn't get mad at them. He was approached by people he was not sent to, who were not the chosen people, who asked him for favours. He didn't get mad at them. No, he got mad at those who turned the temple into something it wasn't suppose to be. He got mad at the religious.

Read John 2 and see the account of the incident.

Jesus,who tolerated so much in the world to bring the good news to the people who needed to hear it, would not tolerate what the religious had allowed to happen in the temple, a place of prayer. I think there is a great lesson here that we are ignoring, an elephant in the room. We've got it backwards.

We spend a lot of time judging and accusing the world of what is only natural for it to do. They are a lost people, blinded to the truth, who exist by instincts that are twisted by rebellion. In many ways they do not know better. They need a message of compassion and truth. They need to know that despite it all, God is still reaching out to them with mercy and grace. They need to hear the words of hope that Jesus brought to us.

We seem to ignore the words of instruction that came through Apostle Paul:

Why should I judge outsiders? Aren’t we supposed to judge only church members? God judges everyone else. The Scriptures say, “Chase away any of your own people who are evil.” (1 Corinthians 5:12-13)

How easy it is for us to point fingers at the world, accusing them of what comes natural. Paul says such judgement comes from God, not us. However, we are responsible for tending to the Church. It is here that we have to be hard on ourselves and yet it is here that we say very little.

Don't get me wrong, there is lots of judgement, but of the wrong sort. There is a lot of behind the back accusation and finger pointing but very little correction. There is also a tolerance of things that God has rejected. I see so much from my vantage point, so much that people accept as right when God has called it wrong.

These people, who I believe are sincere in their love for God, have also pursued their own interest. They twist and turn the Word of God to make accommodations for themselves. They accuse those who follow God's Word of being narrow minded. And I am speaking of much more than homosexuality.We stretch the truth to allow for what our hearts desire for ourselves.

Homosexuals are not the only ones who say they cannot change so God must have made them this way. Whatever our interest, or "pet" sin, the thing we can't or won't let go of, we make our excuses and live with it. There are those who love God but can't stop the lying. There are those who love God but continue to have sex with who ever is open to it. There are those who love God who can't stop the attraction to pornography. There are those who love God and can't stop stealing. There are those who love God who can't stop drinking or doing drugs or any list of things that God has rejected and called unacceptable for his children. But we excuse it, accommodate it and call it good.

It is what got Jesus mad in the temple that day and provoked him to action and it is what Paul said we have a responsibility to take care of:

In my other letter I told you not to have anything to do with immoral people. But I wasn’t talking about the people of this world. You would have to leave this world to get away from everyone who is immoral or greedy or who cheats or worships idols. I was talking about your own people who are immoral or greedy or worship idols or curse others or get drunk or cheat. Don’t even eat with them! (1 Corinthians 5:9-11)

There's the tree in the eye again.

It's great we are talking about the prophetic and using all kinds of wonderfully descriptive words and using a worship that moves our emotions but until the Holy Spirit moves our hearts back to a desire for holiness, it's just a bunch of words. We need to allow the real love of Jesus to provoke us to evict what does not belong in this temple of the Holy Spirit. We need to get mad that we have allowed such things to occupy us. Sexual immorality does not belong to this body any more, it does not belong in the Body of Christ. Either does drunkenness, lying, stealing, gossiping or any other perversion of God's children.

Of course we have no power to evict anything or to change ourselves. The power only comes from Jesus but he gave us his authority so we can speak to those things in us. It is not by will power but by God's power. Just as a person who is drawn to the same sex cannot stop themselves, either can someone who can't stop having affairs or a person who can't stop lying or a person who can't stop stealing, or drinking or taking drugs. But that is the beauty of Jesus, who restores us to what God has designed us to be.

If we choose to hold on to our sin because we like it, we in turn are rejecting God. You cannot have both sin and Jesus. Sin is a very attractive thing and is powerful. It is why we have been slaves to it for so long but when we accept the sacrifice of Jesus, all of that changes. We are transformed. We have the power and authority, Jesus' authority, over sin and we must use it.

We have to stop tolerating sin in our lives and in the Body of Christ. It is better to deal with it now before the time of forced separation is upon us. The sheep and goats, wheat and weeds will be separated. It's not what we say is right and wrong but what God says. Let's stop pointing fingers at the world and get back to the desire for holy living. Let's get mad about sin in God's holy temple.

Obedience: A Concept Of A Gone By Era?

Obedience seems to be a concept relegated to a gone by era. Obedience to authority, whether it be parents, police, governments appears to be something that is suggested but circumvented by the individuals right to "think for themselves". We now live in the enlightened age of the individual where anarchists will soon see their desires fulfilled. After all, what else can we expect when each individual is allowed to define their own sense of right and wrong? But of course we should not be surprised with our struggle with obedience.

Our entire character is deformed by the very first act of disobedience and since that moment we have been governed by a spirit of rebellion. The urge to come against authority is in us from birth and is easily detected in "innocent" toddlers. But since the very beginning God has sought a relationship with us built on love, trust and obedience. Obedience is a fundamental part of our relationship with our Father. It is instilled in the law that we were unable to fulfill before Jesus. Apostle Paul reminds us of that law:

Children, you belong to the Lord, and you do the right thing when you obey your parents. The first commandment with a promise says, “Obey your father and your mother, and you will have a long and happy life.” (Ephesians 6:1-3)

So often when you talk about obedience the sinful nature rises up and we start to hear words such as "control", "oppression" and "abuse". But those are situations where obedience is demanded with an absence of love. In the context of what we read in the Word, love is the underlying factor. You cannot have a desire to obey unless it comes from a place of love and trust. But let's not overlook the benefits of obedience.

Paul pointed out that the law to obey is the first one that came with a promises and that promise was of a long and happy life. This is the same promise that Solomon emphasized with his son:

My child, if you listen
and obey my teachings,
    you will live a long time. (Proverbs 4:10)

But Solomon did not just state it once, he repeated himself because it was an important point for his son to understand:

Hold firmly to my teaching
and never let go.
    It will mean life for you. (v.13)

and,

My child, listen carefully
    to everything I say.
21     Don’t forget a single word,
    but think about it all.
22 Knowing these teachings
    will mean true life
    and good health for you. (vv.20-22)

God had warned Adam and Eve that disobedience would lead to death and it did. Solomon described the difference between the obedient and the rebellious as this:

The lifestyle of good people
    is like sunlight at dawn
    that keeps getting brighter
    until broad daylight.
19 The lifestyle of the wicked
    is like total darkness,
    and they will never know
    what makes them stumble. (vv.18-19)

Is there a better description of those who are lost in their rebellion: They will never know what makes them stumble"? And that is why we refer to them as lost, because they are lost in their rebellious way. They aren't even aware of what is wrong any more.

Obedience is not a suggestion in our relationship with God, it is a must. It should be the great, overwhelming desire we have; to obey our Father. Not out of a sense of duty and fear but from a great well of love, in response to his overwhelming love. If we are still pursuing what we want because we want it no matter the cost, then we do not know the love of Jesus. If we honestly knew the love of Jesus we could not stay the same and we would be changed with a desire to obey him in love.

So many people misunderstand Jesus when he stated:

If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like. (John 12:21)

People only pick up on "you will do what I have said" and miss the great blanket of love that the statement is wrapped in. Jesus was simply stating the nature of love and obedience and the relationship between the two. You cannot love someone and be in rebellion against them.

There is no getting around obedience. If you love Jesus then your desire is to obey. If you do not love Jesus then your desire will be for yourself. Those are the facts. It comes down to those words, "If you love me you will do what I say".