December 26, 2011 (Psalm 117; Psalm 119: 81-176; 2 John; 3 John)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.” 2 John 9 NLT
Observation: Becoming a disciple of Christ is serious business. That’s why Jesus warned us to consider the cost of being His disciple before we committed ourselves to the task. Many of those disciple’s that walked with Jesus and spent time with Him personally decided that the price was too much for them to pay (See John 6:66). For it to be possible to “wander away” you must first be committed to what you would wander away from. John tells us that those that wander away from the teaching of Christ do not have a relationship with God. Whether a person can lose, or sever, their relationship with God is the center of much debate among believers but His word tells us plainly, only as we are connected to Christ and found obeying His teaching can we have security that our relationship is right with God. We must not only commit to Him at some point, but we must remain faithful to Him until the very end.
Application: You will not hear very many sermons on these particular verses in most churches today. We have forsaken the “discipline” scriptures and tend to favor the “love, peace, and security” scriptures much more. We have believed to “old wives tale” you can catch more bees with honey than vinegar. But the object of Christianity is not to catch bees, but rather to make disciples. Honey is not our bait, truth is. Due to our lack of focus on the scriptures that teach discipline and encourage us to hold on to the teachings of Christ whatever happens; we have produced a generation that no longer values holiness as a lifestyle. The music we listen to, and the movies we watch, the places we go, the things we say, are all evidence that holiness has no value in our lives. Too many believers look, act, walk, and talk like the world. If we wander away from the holiness teachings of Christ, we have no relationship with God.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that provide and protect me every day. Thank You for keeping a watchful eye on me; keep me where I’m supposed to be. Adjust my attitude by renewing my mind daily. Give me the wisdom to know what’s right and the courage to do what’s right, at all times! My hope and my trust is in You alone, I depend on You for all things. Rise up with Your strong right arm and destroy the plans my enemy has made; may they be caught in their own trap, in Jesus name, Amen!