Christianity - El cheapo?

God has created us for His pleasure. We are here to fulfill His plans and purposes. I think that sometimes, the gospel has been watered down and we have treated God as someone who has to fulfill all our needs, our time and the way we want it. We come to church to get rather than to give.

I feel, the people who backslide in times of difficulties are people who have not appropriated the power of the cross in their lives. We have been saved from the pits of hell by the sacrifice of our Lord and we should be thankful all our lives for this gift of salvation. Even if he does not answer any of our selfish prayers, the fact that He has died to set us free, should cause us to worship Him and live a life of total surrender.

We have made Christianity so cheap. Just give your membership dues (tithes) and God has to answer us all our demands. If not, we will not communicate with Him, we will go on our own ways and depend on ourselves. After all, we see ourselves as "gods." Dependent on our intellect, our abilities, talents and resources.
It is time we as His children worship Him just for who He is and what He has done. Wake up from all our selfishness and pride and recognize that God is still God. He deserves our worship and the best of our lives.

In the book "Drawing Near" by John Bevere, he writes "We are His prized possessions; His sought-out jewels - the living stones - who make up the tabernacle He desires to dwell in. Why would God feel this way toward us? What have we done to deserve such love? This the greatest truth of all. We have done nothing to merit His love and pursuit. For when we were still lost sinners - enemies - He sought us out. He saw in us what only His love could see. He saw treasure in the midst of corruption, sin and depravity. He purchased as precious what many considered worth little or even worthless. He saw beyond our state and saw what only his grace could produce. Why would any person who has been so loved and valued want to return to the system where they were once enslaved and viewed as so insignificant in relationship to our true value?"

There is a comment made by Jack Frost that; "we grow up from children to becoming sons and daughters when He stops answering our prayers." Isn’t it true that only children make demands and they want everything for their comfort and enjoyment. But true sonship values the Father and desires that intimacy with Him and out of that abiding, causes a change of our nature, and a paradigm shift in the way we view Christianity. It is not about getting, it is a life of surrender - to unanswered questions, circumstances that are beyond our control and just believing, our Father knows and He is still in control.

Let us consider our ways and what our foundations are built on. Let us draw near to Him for He loves us and He would want us to come to Him not to get from Him, but to love Him for all that He has already done for us on the cross of calvary.

-jo-