Christian Privilege

For our brief stay on earth, our main work as believers is to be fruitful.  God does it all, we merely bow down as His humble servants.  And even that is done in His power!   The Bible tells us the "harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."  (Matthew 9:37)

 In reading Francis Schaeffer's book, "Escape From Reason", the following reminded and disturbed me greatly:  "The Bible teaches that, though man is hopelessly lost, he is not nothing.  Man is lost because he is separated from God, his true reference point, by true moral guilt.  But he never will be nothing.  Therein likes the horror of his lostness.  For man to be lost, in all his uniqueness and wonder, is tragic." And I would add, how horrible to be made in the image of the Creator with whom you never get to spend eternity.

A few days later, I read this in Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" which also speaks as to the seriousness of the hopeless situation of man without God.  "Sinners are perishing for lack of knowledge; he who loiters may find his skirts crimson with the blood of souls.  Jesus gave both his hands to the nails, how can I keep back one of mine from His blessed work?"   "Up idle heart; stretch out thy hand to work, or uplift it to pray; heaven and hell are in earnest, let me be so..."

Tolerance

For years now, many have screamed "tolerance",  but what are they really saying?  I believe they are saying this:  "I want to do what I want no matter what you think, and I want to be accepted and respected irregardless of the boundaries I cross in doing so.  And if it is harmful to you in any way, so be it, what's that to me?"  Judges 21:25 says, "Everyone did what is right in his own eyes."  So, I'll also go to Solomon who said in Ecclesiastes, "There is nothing new under the sun."

With that out of the way, I'll get on with what I really want to say here.  I have come to look at the word "tolerance" in a bad light for the last several years; don't really like to use the word!  But yesterday, I was reminded of how God's involvement looks on the word.  "...do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"  Ah, here is refreshment for the mind and soul!!  If you are reading this and you do not know Jesus Christ as Savior, then you are enjoying the "tolerance" of God, as you still have the breath of life flowing in you to seek Him!  Act on it!   He is kind, tolerant, patient and loving.  He "is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."  Let us bask in the divine tolerance of Almighty God.  And let us not be slow in doing so!   (References: Ecclesiastes 1:9; Romans 2: 4; 2 Peter 3:9)