Day 2309 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.


Hebrews 12:11 NIV

We've been on this series of sharing the truth of the Gospel and never worrying about those who fight against it. And there will be plenty who fight against it! As we've been discussing in depth over the last several posts, some don't like God's truth. They don't like having to confront the sins that they're comfortable with. They don't want to acknowledge and address their mistakes and weaknesses. We see a world around us overcome with evil and wickedness and those caught up in it don't want to be plucked from their cozy slumber.

But that's our job as followers of Christ. It's to help people wake up to the reality of sin and the dangers that it holds. If that means making people angry then that's what we have to do. It's better to make people mad at us for sharing the truth with them than to make them comfortable in a lifestyle that leads to misery. The way I see it is that Christ loves us enough to point out the cost of our choices, not considering whether or not it will hurt our feelings. He knows that our eternal souls are worth risking the temporary sting of being offended by His truth. We should love others that much too!

As I said way back at the beginning of this little series of posts, I want to know when I mess up so that I can fix it. Sure it hurts a bit to realize that I'm not perfect, but that's a reality that we should all be well aware by now. I want to know what I'm doing wrong because I know that's the only way to get better. We don't improve by ignoring the places that need some work. We only grow into better versions of ourselves by addressing the areas that are lagging behind. So if that means someone being blunt and telling me the truth then so be it. I want to be the best person, the best friend, the best son, the best servant, the best Christian that I can be. And I don't care what it takes!

I know that God created us for more than mediocrity. He created us in His image before we covered it over with the sinful stains that we've picked up from the broken world around us. He calls us to be holy, not comfortable. His Spirit moves inside of us pushing us to leave the evil and wickedness behind to live for something more. He disciplines us through that miserable feeling of guilt and regret whenever we trip over our twisted selfish desires. He sent Christ to carry the cross that bridged the gap that our poor choices had created. It's perfectly clear that He wants more for us than a life lived in the darkness apart from Him.

But we have to want that for ourselves. We have to understand that being rebuked with the truth is a good thing. Sure it hurts at first, that's why so many hate it these days! But if we take it to heart, learn from it, improve because of it, then we will be better for it! I've always said that pain is a great teacher because it helps us learn to live in a better way to help avoid it. So don't get mad at the fact that God doesn't want to see you settle for something that is so much lower than what He offers you. Don't hate others for loving you so much that they're willing to offend you if it means helping you see the errors that might cost you an eternity of peace!

As this verse teaches us, we need to learn to appreciate being corrected by God's truth. Not because it's easy or comfortable but because it is in fact making us better. We can spend our lives hating the truth and fighting against those who are willing to tell it, but that will only allow us to remain the same. But humbling ourselves and realizing that we don't have it all figured out will open up something so much better than temporary comfort. We need to ditch this modern idea that the truth is only there to hurt us. It's there to help us. Appreciate the truth and the pain that it sometimes causes because it's leading us to something incredible!

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