"And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?]He said, “My child,[b] don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you." (Heb 12:5)(NLT)
As I was watching TV not lone ago, I saw into an interesting program called "Bar rescue." At first, when you see this, you might not be interested in a place where alcohol is served, but I decided to watch it anyway. It is a reality show about a man called Jon Taffer, who goes around with some assistants rescuing bars and, also, restaurants.
At first, when he approaches his clients, he is very nice and a gentleman. Then, when he points out their short-comings, the "kid gloves" are off and its game time. There was a scene in which he pointed out some open containers which was used to mix the drinks. He said that it was prone to germs and fruit flies.
The owner was in denial and did not think it was a big deal. Soon, they got into a heated argument. The owner said he did not appreciate Jon screaming at his face. Jon responded that he will yell at him because the customer's health is at stake. Soon, the owner came to his senses. He fixed the bar and restaurant. As he did this, his business prospered and everybody was happy.
Our Lord Jesus is on a mission much like Jon, but more important than restoring a business. He wants to restore our souls. It is not enough to accept Jesus as Savior, he must be LORD! Sometimes, we take it personal when the Pastor steps on our "toes!" We want the church to be "user-friendly", but I got news for you! Jesus, along with the Holy Spirit, is on a mission. A mission to save our souls. He wants our souls to be blameless---
" Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again." (I Thess 5:23) (NLT)
As you can see from I Thess 5:23, our Spirit is different from our souls. The spirit is saved, but the soul must be worked on. Your soul is the mind, will and emotions. We must learn to be led by the word. The word is our final judge and authority. (Heb 4:12)
Maybe there are some things that God wants us to do. Perhaps leave our job and go into full-time ministry. Maybe move to another state or even join a church that we don't "feel" led to. Remember Our Lord Jesus struggled with this when he was gong to the cross. Thank God he said--Not my will, but thine will be done.
You see, there are people, besides yourself, that will be affected by your disobedience. I realize that, not everybody is called for full-time ministry, but a simple act of obedience could go a long way. It can provide blessings for you and others. So, folks, "playtime" is over. Now, its time to get serious and make some changes. Lets get before his face before he gets into ours. God bless!
Scripture readings-- Acts 17:30
Heb 12
