When I wrote the post also today about having a New Life in Christ Jesus, I reflected on how I used to live in the darkness that is found in the verses, Ephesians 4:17-24. How I didn’t know God was alive and how he says we are blind to the consequences of our actions, including the sin in our lives.
I asked the Holy Spirit to make me malleable so that he works with me in ways that I can understand and that I liked being reminded in those verses of how holy God truly is.
When I was unsaved I thought that my direction in life was up to me – my strong will and determination – but now I know that my life is up to God, and how he sees fit to form me. Like clay on the Master potter’s wheel I asked that I be shaped how I should be as a Christian woman.
Those verses in Ephesians also speak about impurity, greed, and callousness. When people don’t believe in God they are ignorant of morality. I used to believe that will and determination would be a recipe for success; that hard work and going to college would bring me riches and happiness. But in an unsaved world they were not enough to be a success.
We drift from place to place seeking success thinking that someone or some money will help us achieve success so that we have “better lives”. Better lives does not always lead to happiness. We go adrift losing our moral compasses and become hardened of heart and ignorant of life. It is not the best way to live; we need Jesus in our lives to save us from ourselves and to save us from the sin we live. It kills us in the end, just like the poison of darkened hearts – and minds.
We think we can build good lives our way but we are too darkened and ignorant to really choose good lives for ourselves as we continue to walk in sin as we have all our lives – that is until we find Jesus who leads us out of our dark lives and brings us into the light; his light of understanding and moral character we should want. But we don’t want those things because as human beings we know nothing beyond our human flesh. Human flesh leads to greed, immorality, idolatry, and callous hearts and minds.
We become denigrated as time goes on and lose the ability to know what good moral character is. We become morally blind and morally apathetic, no longer wanting the goodness of life through God and becoming less capable of any moral restraint.
Before I became a Christian I though that immorality was fine as long as you didn’t hurt people with it and that our morals were whatever we felt they were. Ever changing to fill the needs of the moment in time I could feel, think and be who I wanted in my own mind. I set my own standards according to what I felt most comfortable with any any given moment.
Who was God in those times of my life? He was nowhere to be found. Now I know better, and that immorality will cause harm to ourselves. As well as to other people involved.
I pray that I may grow to be a Christian woman and God can be proud of. We are never holy. But I am shaped to know what God is – he is a Father in Heaven looking down on his people here on earth and is proud of his children.
He is Father God who made us as humans because we are deserving of a God who is kind and generous and who speaks kindly to us when we are in a space to listen with our minds and hearts while we read our bibles or talk with him.
Believe he listens to us – to our hearts and minds – and has plans for us as we wait to see when he returns.
I believe in the rapture as far as that goes, that we will be raptured out of here so that he moves us away to safety when the final end is near. We will be in danger then, and so, as a loving Father would – he moves us safely away from the danger we would have experienced were we to stay here on earth. I know you might understand if you would look for God and know he is real. Please find him before it is too late. Your sister in Christ, Suzanne.
Christianview.blog 