I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. John15:5,6
The word ‘if’ is very small, but has an enormous meaning. The dictionary defines ‘if’ as: on condition, provided, providing, presuming, supposing, and you can replace the word ‘if’ with any of these and keep the meaning and context the same. The verses are clear. We must stay close to Jesus in order to be able to bear fruit, or be productive. If we stray from Him, and these verses say that we can, we are in danger of hell fire. That is a loss of salvation, and I can see no other way to interpret or read these words of Jesus.
I don’t want to get into a theological argument, but instead want to emphasise the need for us as Christians to keep short accounts with our Saviour. Stay close. Be like Him. Remain in Him. To do otherwise opens us up to the dangers of a lost eternity, and let’s face it, none of us want that because we have the promise of heaven.
Jesus wasn’t talking to the unconvinced around Him, He was talking to those believers who were already committed to His ways, ie the disciples, and if they had to be counselled to remain in Him, then how much more we need to be careful how we treat our salvation. The prospect of heaven fills us with delight, but the very thought of hell is a serious matter. Jesus said it was serious, and I trust we don’t downplay the thought of hell as a bad joke or in a light and flippant manner.
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Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fire. Show all posts
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Tuesday, 20 November 2018
Sheer Silence
...and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 1Kings19:12NRSV
Do you ever crave silence? Perhaps a silence where you can think straight, and avoid the daily distractions? We know the story where Elijah the strong and powerful prophet of God came up against an evil woman called Jezebel who promised to make his life a misery, to the point of death. The great Elijah ran scared for his life. We smile at this sometimes, but which of us has never run from a test or temptation instead of facing it down? So let’s not be too hasty in judgement.
God used the elements of nature to get his attention. An earthquake, but no success. A fire, and still Elijah wasn’t able to hear God. But when it was ‘sheer silence’, and there were no other distractions, Elijah heard the voice of God, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. Elijah was faced with the same question by God in v9 and v13, almost as though it didn’t get through the first time, or it needed to be emphasised. God certainly wanted his attention, and only then Elijah got the message.
God doesn’t always get through to us in the big things either. The Crusades, or the Campaigns (Revivals to our American cousins), or the Gospel Music Concerts, all with their noisy Biblical content (all good of course!). However, many times God needs us to be quiet before Him, without the distractions that noise can bring. Very recently, a close friend suffered a particularly bad couple of days in his health, but in that time there wasn’t much conversation or prayer going on between him and God. He was too busy trying to find a way to feel better as each passing hour seemed more painful than the last. When the ‘noise’ of the pain reduced and eased, that was when God spoke. But not only that, it was when my friend was in a place to listen.
Where and when would be the best place and time for God to speak clearly to you, and more importantly, for you to be able to listen?
Do you ever crave silence? Perhaps a silence where you can think straight, and avoid the daily distractions? We know the story where Elijah the strong and powerful prophet of God came up against an evil woman called Jezebel who promised to make his life a misery, to the point of death. The great Elijah ran scared for his life. We smile at this sometimes, but which of us has never run from a test or temptation instead of facing it down? So let’s not be too hasty in judgement.
God used the elements of nature to get his attention. An earthquake, but no success. A fire, and still Elijah wasn’t able to hear God. But when it was ‘sheer silence’, and there were no other distractions, Elijah heard the voice of God, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. Elijah was faced with the same question by God in v9 and v13, almost as though it didn’t get through the first time, or it needed to be emphasised. God certainly wanted his attention, and only then Elijah got the message.
God doesn’t always get through to us in the big things either. The Crusades, or the Campaigns (Revivals to our American cousins), or the Gospel Music Concerts, all with their noisy Biblical content (all good of course!). However, many times God needs us to be quiet before Him, without the distractions that noise can bring. Very recently, a close friend suffered a particularly bad couple of days in his health, but in that time there wasn’t much conversation or prayer going on between him and God. He was too busy trying to find a way to feel better as each passing hour seemed more painful than the last. When the ‘noise’ of the pain reduced and eased, that was when God spoke. But not only that, it was when my friend was in a place to listen.
Where and when would be the best place and time for God to speak clearly to you, and more importantly, for you to be able to listen?
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