Day 2615 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Hebrews 12:15 NIV

If you've been reading these daily Bible verse posts for any length of time, you've probably noticed that I don't really shy away from anything. Things need to be said. Our arrogance needs to be humbled. Our selfishness needs to be addressed. Our complacency needs to be shaken up. And I realize that in the midst of sharing the truth and confronting the issues that we all deal with, you may have been offended or rubbed the wrong way by some things that have been talked about or said in these posts.

What makes it even worse is that there are so many other voices telling people all this nonsense that has them believing that sin is okay. They’re telling people that it’s alright to pursue worldly gain because it’s some way of proving God’s love for us. They’re convincing people that sickness, poverty, injury, or any other kind of hurting is only evidence of a weak faith. I’m sick of it! What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? We have to stop trying to seek our gain in this world through getting everything we want here and learn to seek our gain through God’s word and the promise of Heaven instead.

Recently we've been talking about the difference between perseverance and laziness and how we usually tend to lean toward the latter. It's another one of those hard pills to swallow because we live in a society that's all about telling each other that they're doing good enough. There are even some speakers out there in fancy buildings who are busy telling people that they're all doing okay and that some things that the Bible tells us very clearly are sinful aren't really that dangerous as long as the person breaking those rules is doing so because it makes them feel better.

I've come to realize that these posts will never be all that popular. The truth shouldn't be. The Bible tells us that the wide is the gate the broad the road that leads to destruction. Pretty easy to see that unfolding in the direction and choices that our world has decided upon. The truth isn't popular because it isn't comfortable. It doesn't make room for "little sins" that allow people to live selfishly while not having to feel bad about it. The world wants lies because lies are easy and they allow people to be lazy and do whatever they want without being called out for it.

That's never what you're going to find here. When I started this daily journey, I didn't really know what I was getting in to. I didn't know where it would go. I didn't know that I would find this passion for the truth and this unending desire to help people weed through all the nonsense we're surrounded by and get back to the truth found in God's word. Everything I say, everything I do, every post I share I try to bring it all back to God's word because He gave us the Bible for a reason. And without it, we're all just making stuff up to cater to our own wants and wishes.

The whole point of this is what this verse in Hebrews chapter 12 says. To make sure that nobody falls short of the opportunity we've been given to accept a salvation that we don't deserve. It's to help everyone see the issues we have so that we can work on them, repent of them, and fight every day to do better and grow deeper into the truth we have in God's word. It's to make sure that we're doing whatever we can to help people strive for the promise we have in the cross and refuse to settle for anything less.

So yes, feelings will be hurt. Things may be offensive to our ears that crave what's comfortable. But friends, we have to make sure that there is nothing growing in our lives that is blocking out the work of Christ in our hearts. We have to make sure that there is nothing that is keeping us complacent in a place that is far from where Christ died for us to be. We have to constantly look at ourselves, the choices we're making, the priorities we have and make sure that they're helping us grow closer to Christ and not keeping us from doing so.

I will never apologize for anything I say because I'm saying it from this place that desires to know God more and to learn more about His truth. I'm doing it because I want the very best for everyone, and the very best for everyone is an eternity of peace with our Father in Heaven, not a worldly life full of selfishness and lies. The Bible tells us how things will be and the way people will prefer to live as the day of Christ's return draws near. But we can't cave. We can't give up. We can't stop sharing the truth of Scripture because building our lives on Christ and surrendering everything else to His will is our only chance.

I won't tell you what you want to hear. I won't settle for letting any bitter roots to grow in or around us because they will choke out what we should be aiming to be. I won't accept defeat and just watch people spin out of control toward an eternity of suffering. I want better than that for every person out there. I don't want anyone to fall short of the glory of God. If it means hurting feelings, not shying away from hard topics, and confronting the very lies that so many prefer to believe then so be it. We're here to push one another toward Christ, not let each other slide or settle for living separated from our Savior.

Make no mistake, there are all kinds of wicked things growing all around us. And many are being led astray and will wind up falling short because they’ve spent their time believing a lie that made them comfortable rather than humbling themselves to the truth that would have made them better. That’s not good enough for a people who claim to be following Christ. We may never get everything right, but we can always keep trying. It may hurt at times to rip out things that had taken root in our minds and grown into lies that we wanted to be true. But sometimes we need pain to help us find the areas that we need to address.

We are in this together and we have the responsibility to look out for one another. The best way we can do that is to lean on Christ, study God’s word, and absolutely refuse to let anyone settle for anything other than the promise we’ve been offered through the precious blood of Jesus.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold