Acts 5:29
Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
This concept is just about as simple as it gets in Christian theology, however a lack of its execution is the basis of every struggle we as Christians face. Obedience is a rather broad topic to discuss, which encapsulates being obedient to God over showing obedience to man. For instance if a man tells us to do or not do something, and we can clearly see that God has shown us likewise, or it can be backed up Biblically, than we can walk in accordance with both. However, the inverse of this concept does not likewise function. For instance, if the two are in disagreement, than obviously we are to choose to obey our master in heaven. Once again we are brought back to the topic of faith. Not simply because we are tied to it as Christians, but because the amount of it we have dictates our level of compliance. It requires much less faith to be blown about by the things we can see rather than the things we profess to know, I'm this instance they are not one and the same. I employ the word profess because I find it very curious that the average Christian professes to believe in heaven and hell, but shows a naive level of indifference when it comes to living with such thoughts at the forefront of their mind. If we really do believe that this life on earth is nothing more than a slight detour from our inevitable eternity of Glory, or, of suffering, than why would we ever live for anything here on earth. I and those who also believe in a heaven and a literal hell should be living in response to that belief. Our fleshly and earthly minds are constantly fighting this mentality, or our thoughts persuade us to try and create our perception of paradise here on earth. I can profess to know that heaven is greater than anything imaginable, but that right there is the problem just as much as it is the beauty. I cannot imagine what heaven will be like because I can only think under the strict parameters of a human mind. I do not have the mental capacity to think of new colors that I haven't experienced. Likewise I can not think of a new sense, nor can I even begin to mentally experience new sensations to suit the new sense. Even with these seemingly wonderful things, I am still thinking within the parameters of earth. I am not limiting Gods ability, I am simply unable to even ponder it. Just because I can not think like Him, doesn't mean that He is limited to the parameters of my mind. We know this to be false, thus we can believe that heaven will be better than anything we can imagine. However, I feel Christians often accept that heaven will be greater than they can imagine, but it frustrates them that they cannot imagine what it will be like. I was often frustrated with the very thing that made it so beautiful. So I obeyed the will of men above God that I might one day manufacture a counterfeit of paradise here on earth through experiences. I'm not speaking of drugs or anything so blatantly sinful, but the incessant need for more surf trips and a cooler place to be and fun stuff to do instead of serving God. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I even thought that money would solve my problems; that by going to college and getting a high paying job, I might be able to provide for my own selfish ventures. As much as this earth is for our enjoyment, the moment we start living for the enjoyment we find here is the moment we begin living for a counterfeit. The weight of eternal glory should be more than enough to discourage such thoughts but unfortunately our flesh is weak. I find that the only time I can even begin to obey God over men is when I am spending time in His word and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Apart from these two strings, I am lost in a darkened room of enjoyable sensations that are ultimately empty and counterfeit by nature.
Application: write eternity on my arm. Right next to "Be a man".
Then Peter and the [other] apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
This concept is just about as simple as it gets in Christian theology, however a lack of its execution is the basis of every struggle we as Christians face. Obedience is a rather broad topic to discuss, which encapsulates being obedient to God over showing obedience to man. For instance if a man tells us to do or not do something, and we can clearly see that God has shown us likewise, or it can be backed up Biblically, than we can walk in accordance with both. However, the inverse of this concept does not likewise function. For instance, if the two are in disagreement, than obviously we are to choose to obey our master in heaven. Once again we are brought back to the topic of faith. Not simply because we are tied to it as Christians, but because the amount of it we have dictates our level of compliance. It requires much less faith to be blown about by the things we can see rather than the things we profess to know, I'm this instance they are not one and the same. I employ the word profess because I find it very curious that the average Christian professes to believe in heaven and hell, but shows a naive level of indifference when it comes to living with such thoughts at the forefront of their mind. If we really do believe that this life on earth is nothing more than a slight detour from our inevitable eternity of Glory, or, of suffering, than why would we ever live for anything here on earth. I and those who also believe in a heaven and a literal hell should be living in response to that belief. Our fleshly and earthly minds are constantly fighting this mentality, or our thoughts persuade us to try and create our perception of paradise here on earth. I can profess to know that heaven is greater than anything imaginable, but that right there is the problem just as much as it is the beauty. I cannot imagine what heaven will be like because I can only think under the strict parameters of a human mind. I do not have the mental capacity to think of new colors that I haven't experienced. Likewise I can not think of a new sense, nor can I even begin to mentally experience new sensations to suit the new sense. Even with these seemingly wonderful things, I am still thinking within the parameters of earth. I am not limiting Gods ability, I am simply unable to even ponder it. Just because I can not think like Him, doesn't mean that He is limited to the parameters of my mind. We know this to be false, thus we can believe that heaven will be better than anything we can imagine. However, I feel Christians often accept that heaven will be greater than they can imagine, but it frustrates them that they cannot imagine what it will be like. I was often frustrated with the very thing that made it so beautiful. So I obeyed the will of men above God that I might one day manufacture a counterfeit of paradise here on earth through experiences. I'm not speaking of drugs or anything so blatantly sinful, but the incessant need for more surf trips and a cooler place to be and fun stuff to do instead of serving God. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I even thought that money would solve my problems; that by going to college and getting a high paying job, I might be able to provide for my own selfish ventures. As much as this earth is for our enjoyment, the moment we start living for the enjoyment we find here is the moment we begin living for a counterfeit. The weight of eternal glory should be more than enough to discourage such thoughts but unfortunately our flesh is weak. I find that the only time I can even begin to obey God over men is when I am spending time in His word and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Apart from these two strings, I am lost in a darkened room of enjoyable sensations that are ultimately empty and counterfeit by nature.
Application: write eternity on my arm. Right next to "Be a man".
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