TIME TO STOP BEING A STUMBLING BLOCK

Today’s Bible readings are 1 Chronicles 16:37-18:17, Romans 2:1-24, Psalm 10:16-18, & Proverbs 19:8-9

Romans 2:21-24

²¹ Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? ²² You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? ²³ You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. ²⁴ No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

Romans chapter 2 is a chapter that we want to read through very fast. If you read it slow enough it may start to step on your toes in areas that you don’t like. I know that when I read it my heart is pierced. I want to make sure that I am living what I teach.

There is no greater hindrance to the message of the cross than Christians who don’t live the faith. As we cast judgment on other, while we ourselves are guilty of the same thing, it causes others to be turned off to what we are selling. The word that they use is “hypocrite”.

Nobody likes a hypocrite & nobody wants to be a hypocrite. Yet, we often are just that. It is easy to pick at the noticeable faults of others while we ignore the issues of the heart that the Holy Spirit is dealing with us about. This causes us to stop growing & causes others to reject our message. Both are tragedies.

God has really been dealing with me about growing in the faith. He is challenging me to be open to His correction. He is encouraging me to be responsive to His Spirit in areas that I have brushed off in the past. He desires to transform us. He uses His Spirit to bring about the transformation He desires.

Hebrews 4:12

¹² For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

1.     Does God’s Word still cut to the depths of your being?

2.     Does God’s Word still expose things in your heart that needs to be changed?

3.     Does God’s Word still cause growth in your life?

If we want to see change in us then we have to do what we did in the beginning:

1.     We have to seek change through God.

2.     We have to let His Word renew us & revive us.

3.     We have to let His Word pierce us & break us.

4.     We have to respond to the Holy Spirit in submission & humility.

5.     We have to repent & go the new way that He shows us.

I pray that we will all get back to a place of the basics. That is a place where we humbly ask to God to change us—not just the things that we don’t like—but everything that doesn’t represent Him. Even the things that don’t necessarily hurt us but they do hurt the message that we are trying to sell to others. Let’s take the step to humbly ask Him to remove ALL of our shortcomings. Let’s pray that He will even reveal to us the shortcoming that we don’t know are there.

Join me in this prayer this week so that we can become the vessels of gold that He wants us to be. Then we will be affective for His greater work & service.

 

Pastor Richard Schlotter