There is a game called "Life", but life is not a game.
We have one run. We better not be wrong.
Once we have "found it", (or shouldn't we more accurately say that "it found us"?) we must remember that coming to grips with the fact that we were lost, and ADMITTING it openly, was not a lot of fun and was in fact extremely humbling.
Who wants to admit that they were:
1. Wrong
2. Lost
3. Blind
4. Evil
5. Trapped
6. Ignorant (maybe even willfully)
NO ONE!
When God finally gets a hold of us, and we accept that we are not God (nor are any type of god), and we can not save ourselves, and our own works are nothing more than soiled rags, we have turned a corner in life that many... er, rather most of us will never do.
If we are fortunate enough to come to this realization, we must never forget this, because it is nothing more than Christ in us after that. When we share this with others, we must avoid the SNL characterization of the "church lady" who is a "little bit better than you!!" We are NOT a little bit better than anyone else. We are simply sinners, just like everyone else.
I am fond of the word picture presented by the concept of being "One hungry beggar, showing other hungry beggars where to find bread!"
1 Corinthians 4:20-21 (New Living Translation)
20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. 21 Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?
Hebrews 5:2 (New Living Translation)
2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses.
Are we able to deal GENTLY with those who are not where we are at, in our walk with Christ?
Do we come across as angry and vile people, or people of Galatians 5:
Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.
Who are we to blast others? Even if we are to reproof and rebuke someone in error, or in sin, we must do it as God has done it to us, if not gentler.
Even if we have come to saving faith, we are still subject to:
1 Corinthians 13:9 (New International Version)
9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
I watch and observe many discussions between different factions in the church such as:
Catholic v Protestant, Calvinism v Arminianism, etc...
God does not need defending, too often we want to have a good fight about Jesus, and forget to share Jesus. If we have been entrusted with truth, then preach it louder and more often than that which we disagree with, rather than fall into battles on words, for we are warned:
2 Timothy 2:14 (New International Version)
14... Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.In the wise words of a professor of mine in Bible College, Dr. Don Meyer,
"Reading books other than the Bible on theology is a lot like eating chicken. You must always learn to pick the meat from the bones, so you eat the meat, but don't choke on the bones!"
Especially in regard to Calvinism v Arminianism, I recently came across:
"The Bible gives us a theology which is more human than Calvinism, and more divine than Arminianism, and more Christian than either of them"
- Dr. David J. Hesselgrave
Rather than entirely dismiss an author's work, pick up on what we can learn. This does not dismiss the importance of discernment, and knowing what to and what not to "eat" as we read!
