Jim Elliff presents an excellent article which teaches why and how we
are to be reconciled to God. It is a good article to read and reflect
upon in regards to our daily lives.
May God bless,
Carl
website: http://www.nettally.com/saints/
blog: http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
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Cease and Desist
Jim Elliff
In the Herrera section of Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic, I
found Marino receptive to my message. He owned a tiny shop in this
squatter's village and therefore had to tend to his buyers a couple of
times during our lengthy discussion. The eyes were the most remarkable
thing about this muscular middle aged man. He was a thinker.
In fact, Marino had thought a lot about Christianity. He read his
Bible and mused on the big questions. Then he said, "I am under the
impression that a person has to have a dramatic experience, a vision
or dream perhaps, in order to be converted. I'm waiting for that to
come, but until then I can do nothing."
"No," I said passionately, "You don't have to wait for such an
experience. The Bible says that "we [the presenters] are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on
Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.' (2 Cor. 5: 20) If we are
imploring or pleading with you to do this, then there is an urgency
that this is to be done at this very moment, and waiting for a further
dramatic experience is not required. You must be reconciled to God
now."
The Bible teaches that the difficulty in getting to God is not with
God; it is with us. The reason a man or woman does not come to Christ
is because he or she will not do so. It teaches that all of us, like
sheep, have gone astray, each going our own way. (Isaiah 53:6) We do
what we really want to do.
And this is the reason for the phrase, "Be reconciled to God." It is
about establishing peace between enemies.
Do you think of yourself as an enemy of God? Likely not.
Yet God says that you are rebellious and live in competition with God
until you become a true believer in Christ. You may do that
religiously or as an out and out pagan. You may do it with passion or
with apathy, which is just another form of rebellion. Apathy says, "I
know that God exists and that Christ is to be Lord of my life, but I
really don't think I want to deal with that now." That's true
rebellion.
Reconciliation comes two ways. First, it comes from God's side. That
is, Jesus Christ died on the cross for the purpose of establishing
peace between people like you and God. God's just wrath against sin
had to be satisfied and the death of His own Son was the only adequate
way to handle that. This is why that the Bible says, ". . . God was in
Christ, reconciling the world to Himself." (2 Cor. 5:19)
But there is also a second aspect of reconciliation-your own
affections must be turned from rebellion and independence to trust.
Only when this happens is reconciliation complete.
Have you heard the slogan, "Peace at any price!" For some this means
that an individual will compromise anything to have a personal peace
or individual freedom to do whatever he wants. For others it is
something more noble, meaning that the person will pay any price to
secure freedom for his or her nation.
For God "Peace at any price" has a deeper meaning. It stands for peace
at the ultimate price. The price for your peace with God is, on the
one hand, the death of Christ Himself. But on the other it is the
yielding of your life to Christ as Lord, trusting in Christ alone
instead of yourself to obtain real Life for now and eternity.
When I was a boy I used to play army games. When the opponent saw that
he was defeated he was to hold up a white flag of surrender.
God does not receive you while you are cherishing your self-centered
lifestyle. You cannot come rebelliously to God. There must be the
surrender of your rights, your autonomy, your authority, your personal
lordship. God receives you when you come by faith, waving a white
flag. And when you see this God's way, then laying down your rights is
a welcome thing. Your independence has cost you dearly already, and
will drop into eternal judgment in the end.
God knows your heart, so don't fake it. Once a child was told to sit
down. He didn't. He was told again to sit down. He wouldn't. Finally
the father demanded in the strongest possible terms that the child
must sit down. He did. But he said under his breath, "I'm sitting down
on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside."
On the table before you and God is the document of peace, sealed by
the blood of Christ, to be received only by the man or woman whose
self-centeredness and rebellion is defeated. He will have it no other
way. And I am one person beside you saying, not for later, but for
this moment-"Cease and desist. Be reconciled to God!"
Copyright =A9 2003 Jim Elliff
Permission granted to copy in full, including all copyright
information.
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