Life is NOT About Dos and Donts
[et_pb_section bb_built="1"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text _builder_version="3.11"]Life is not about the Do's and Don'ts! Life is for LIVING! LIFE! God wants you to live! Abundantly! LIFE to the FULLEST! Fun, full and fulfilled! Healthy, happy and whole!Deut. 30:19 says, " I set before you life and death, choose life!"But, if you are allowing sin into your life, as a way of life, then you are NOT choosing LIFE, but are choosing death!John 10:10 says that there's a devil loose in this world, and he wants you D-E-A-D! And he doesn't care if he kills you all at once - or - an inch at a time! Actually, killing you slowly - allows him to steal everything you ever had or would have had before you die. Sin and darkness allows him access to apply death - to your life shortening your life - and lowering its quality.Are you going to have to "give up" something in order to live the Lord's way of life? The answer is "Yes!" You have to "give up" - DEATH - and all the devices and people that the devil uses to pull you, lure you and push you - towards death!The Word of God - IS the "Way of LIFE!"God says, "don't" - (not to WITHHOLD from you) but So that you may have LIFE and have it MORE abundantly!God's law is not a "stick" to beat us with! God's law was designed to be a "Life Raft" - in a world that has been flooded with sin! People all around you are drowning in a sin-filled cesspool of their own making.But you don't HAVE to drown! It's your decision! You can CHOOSE - LIFE!You can climb into that "Life Raft!" And keep - within the law - until it becomes - a WAY of LIFE! At which time - the "Life Raft" takes you to "higher ground" - where you can LIVE!But, far too many people refuse to stay in the boat! They climb in for a little while and then keep diving overboard with everyone else! Some, actually use it as a diving platform!Should we "slip" and fall back into that sea of sin, all we have to do is: Sincerely ask for forgiveness, receive that forgiveness by faith, REPENT - and climb back into the "Life Raft!" Until we do - we are once again drowning in that cesspool of sin!Repentance is more than, "oops" or "sorry 'bout that". Repentance is a contractural agreement, between you and God, to CHANGE. All of Christianity is PREDICATED on CHANGE! The wole idea is for you to CHANGE from where you are now, to the destiny that the Lord has for you! AND, to CHANGE from who you are now to become more like Jesus!Luke 14:28 says, to "Count the COST!" Every time you sin - it costs something! NOTHING the devil has - is free! Every sin - puts you deeper in debt to the devil. And PAYMENT - is extracted from your life - at his whim as long as you are choosing "death" instead of "LIFE!"Choosing LIFE - by choosing Jesus and HIS way of life Allows Jesus to apply HIS payment - to pay your entire debt! In fact, you can't KEEP from sinning, without Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit!God says, "DO" (not to boss you around) but Because those things that He says to DO - Bring LIFE!Where man is concerned - God's core nature - is that of a FATHER! First and foremost!I don't care what anybody says, God is NOT in the business of making servants! God's "M.O." - His "method of operation" - How He operates with mankind is "Sowing and Reaping!" (i.e. Sow a seed - reap a harvest - multiplication!)John 3:16 says that, at the appointed time&"He sowed a Son&"as His seed&"towards an abundant harvest of sons! Sons of God! Not servants. Satan was a servant&"but Jesus was a Son! Now don't get me wrong&" God needs servants to gather in His harvest! But the harvest&"IS Sons! God has both conscripted and hired servants&"but it really gives Him joy when His sons come to work in the family business. "God & Sons!" That's where I work now!Yes, there ARE do's and don'ts. But - it's not ABOUT the do's and don'ts. It's about life and death and the Father's love and desire for a - thriving, healthy, happy, family, living with Him - forever! And it's about Jesus (the living Word) being the way of LIFE.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]