I want to come clean on something. I don't have scriptures memorized. Don't get me wrong, I know the basics of many scriptures, but please don't ask me to tell you the book and chapter. I'm working on becoming better, but in the mean time Psalm 23, John 3:16 and Jeremiah 29:11 are about the expanse of my reference. Oh yeah, and Genesis 1:1. Hey, maybe I know more than I think! I say this only to let you know if God tells me to go to a book of the bible, I KNOW it's truly Him speaking. More on that later.
Yesterday a friends status on Facebook created quite a stir. At this current moment there are 134 comments on her status. Something said in one of the early comments stayed with me all day and honestly made me very sad. Here is the comment a young woman wrote:
"I guess I'm a different kind of Christian bc while I respect the bible & worship Jesus, I also am not going to live word by word of the bible simply bc no one knows who wrote it & times have changed & I highly doubt that the Jesus I believe in would allow for a man to treat me the way the bible depicts."
OUCH! Does that not just make you want to cry? I know for me it did! Sadly, this is the viewpoint of many of today's Christians. She point blank says she is a Christian but is not going to live word by word of the bible because times have changed. This line of thinking that Christ is "outdated" has permeated our society. Sin runs rampant because so many people read scriptures and think it does not apply in 2010. I don't understand her comment about how men treat women, because Jesus was pretty clear about husbands loving their wives. I guess she was told to only focus on the "wives be submissive" part.
As I mentioned, her comment stayed on my mind all day after reading it. Our society is the way it is because of "different kinds" of Christians who do not take God's word seriously. When I was going to bed last night, I felt God telling me to read Jude. Huh? Really God? JUDE? I am reading a book by Judah Smith, so I thought "Duh God, I'm already reading that." Silly me. He reminded me there is a book in the bible titled Jude. Oh yeah, I remember those two pages just before Revelation. So, I decide to humor God and read Jude. Here is part of what I read:
"Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ......But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion......But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them......And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives." Jude 1:3-4, 1:10-11, 1:17-18, 1:22-23 NLT
I know that isn't just one scripture, but it was hard to pick out one part of it! How amazing that God gave me this after what had been on my mind all day. Does anyone else see the irony in this "outdated" scripture? Sounds pretty applicable to me! My prayer for you today is that you would hold steadfast in the defending of our faith. That you would not waiver from God's word nor back down when challenged by today's "different" thinking. Perhaps there are areas of you life where you know God is telling you one thing, but you are listening to the world's opinion instead. I pray today is the day when a change happens. Today is the day God speaks to you so clearly that His word will be undeniable in your soul.
