FAITH : ALL OR NOTHING
“All or Nothing: Having no middle ground or compromise available”
We have all heard that phase and at different times, its meant something different. I have been thinking about that phase a lot lately and I am getting a new perspective of it and I am challenged to go deeper in my faith walk as I think about it. I am sure you have heard the phase before , what does it mean to you or do you ever toss that phase into conversations when giving someone an ultimatum.
We are in a age now where politically and in all other sense - the world is asking us to pick a side - it's either a blue state or red state ; democrat or republican ; prolife or prochoice and the list goes on. We gladly and firmly take a stand on those things and we will defend to sweats our party candidate and our stance, but I wonder if we ever take that same approach in our walk with God and the word ? Do we firmly take a stand or do we take a stand only when it is convenient for us , but if our cool factor is affected then we put it on the back burner.
God has been dealing with me about this lately - He said my children only want the good parts, the blessing, the enlarged territories and that is why the world sees them as hypocrites and the way they get to change the world, the way they get to draw men to me is by having that all or nothing mentality and drive.
The bible says the lord detests the luke warm - you are either hot or cold ; you are either for him or not. Christains are (myself included) straddling the fence --- we accept and embrace the parts of the word that make us feel warm and fuzzy , but we won't take up the parts of the word that convicts us to repentance or call us to higher. We are all about the blessing and the transfer of wealth but we ignore the part about giving to the point of talking the clothes off our back. We pray about kings coming to bow at our feet and our gifts bringing us before kings but we gladly ignore the scripture that call us to service.
Men want to obtain favor from the lord, but will not love their wife as christ loved the church. Women are asking God to give then a King and fight for them as the weaker vessel, but how dare someone remind them that wives should submit to their husbands.
We treat the word as a buffet and only pick and choose the parts of the bible that work for us - we pursue the things that fit into our lives and the things that don't align with us, we discard as, not for us or "well that's the old testament". We piece the word apart so that it fits us ; instead of piecing ourselves apart so that we fit into the word.
Think about the cross for a minute - Jesus came for all men and to redeem us from all sins - he did not say , well father, those ones with the lying and coverteousness issues - I got them, but those one dealing with lust and inpure thoughts - well those one, I don't think I can die for - he came freely and died freely for all of us and to redeem us from all of our transgressions. If he did that with zero guarantee that we would ever accept him. We can accept fully and wholly the word, we can bend and piece ourselves apart so that we fit into the word.
How can we say we love him - if we only embrace the part where he pours out to us, but not the parts where we pour out our lives to him. If its not pretty and a blessing - we say its not for us.
Married folks - do you only love you spouse when he is dressed GQ-like or when she is dressed to the nine with makeup on point or do you love them in those sweaty gym clothes and fat pants - You love your spouse irrespective (at least I hope you do) - how much more God and his word.
God is calling me (us) out today and he is asking more of us. its all or nothing . We cannot accept him as healer and provider and protector and not embrace forgiveness. We cannot ask the lord to enlarge our territory or bless the works of our hands and ignore working diligentily for man as though we were working for God.
When we go in all or nothing --- then we stand on solid ground to defend our faith when the world throws a scripture at us as justification for how they live - Scripture like "love your neighbor as yourself" gets thrown at us quite a bit as justfication to accept the things that break his heart, In those times, we can stand bold and say if you will use that as a basis of argument ; then you must be willing to embrace the call to let go of adultery and pervarse ways and thoughts. But until we as Christains embrace all of him ; until we go all or nothing - we cannot ask the world to join us in a middleground, sometimes compromising, lukewarm relationship with God.
Are we willing to accept all of him or are we all about the buffet ?
Selah !
