By Jesse Morrell
Psalms 4:2-3 says "How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you seek worthlessness and seek falsehood? But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly."
Just as a worker deserves his wages, so God deserves His Glory. God Himself came down from Heaven to the earth in humility to give life to a dying world. He has taken our shame, our humiliation, our sin, and our punishment upon Himself. Christ, although tempted as you and I, lived entirely without sin. Never did Christ violate God's Law yet for us He took the penalty of breaking the Law. It is because of who God is that He deserves all of the glory that He can possibly get from you and me.
There are many things you could seek after in your life. Most seek after popularity and fame. Others seek after ease and comfort. Some seek after wealth and riches. Only a remnant seek after the glory of God.
Christian, let it be far from you to rob God of any of the glory that He so richly deserves. If you want to build up your own name, your taking what belongs to the name of God. If you want to build up your own kingdom, your taking what belongs to the Kingdom of God. Let it be far from you to disobey the call that God has on your life. If you go the way of Jonah you will find yourself in a sea of sin. The same Christ, who gave Himself for you, deserves you to give yourself to Him. Christ, who is everything, deserves you everything. Christ who is Life itself deserves your life.
Take a look at this scripture again. It reads "How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame?" It is saying: How long!? How often?! How much!? When will it end?! Let this be certain: what you do with your life, with the precious time that the creator of time has given you, will either glorify God or shame Him. The things that you do in this life will do one of those two things. Make no mistake about it, a child reflects his parents just as the moon reflects the sun. Your life is like a mirror. You ought to reflect Christ perfectly in every aspect. Unfortunately our mirrors are broken. A crack in a mirror will distort an image. Likewise sin in the life of a Christian will distort the image of God in the eyes of others. Tell me, does everything you do reflect everything God does? Can someone look at your life and say "If that is what something redeemed looks like then I do not want to be redeemed." If we claim to have the Living God living inside of us then we better not be dead in our trespasses and sins. If the Living God is in you then you will be alive!
Do you live a life of holiness or a life of hellishness?
Do you live a life of sanctification or do you life a life of sin?
What do you desire?
Do you desire spiritual purity or do you desire fleshly pleasure?
Do you desire correction or do you desire corruption?
Get honest with yourself.
Do you desire God or do you desire gain?
I believe we have more harlot churches on our corners then we do harlots themselves. The pews are full of sin because the pulpits are full of sin. This up coming generation may very well be the generation that completely puts off the old man and puts on the new. I fear that currently much of our Christian sacrifices are merely an arm here or a leg there but God requires that we present our entire bodies as living sacrifices. The King of kings is saying "off with his head." Putting off our dead works and giving God our lives is our reasonable service for one simple reason. God is worthy.
It truly is a shame how many sins are tolerated for the simple sake of convenience or comfort. Come on! Is it not better to be a suffering Saint then to be a satisfied sinner?
It says "How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?" Oh Christian, what expensive price tags we put on such worthless things. The only one who is worthy of your life is God. Not yourself, not your girlfriend, not your spouse, nobody is worthy except for God. Seek not the vain follies of this life. Don't care about the follies of amusement and entertainment. Toss out false hood and receive truth.
Many of the things we work and labor and toil for are absolutely worthless. They have no eternal value. Watching too much TV for an example will steal you of the time God has given you to bring Him glory. Watching TV may not be sin, don't let anybody say that I said it is, but it certainly is sin if it gets between you and your devotion to God.
Let's forget about eternity just for a minute. Are the things you spend your time doing going to matter a day from now? What about a week from now? Will they matter a month or a year from now? What are you spending your time to buy?
There is a Christian song that goes like this:
"Lord, teach us to count the days. Teach us to make the days count. Lead us in a better way. Somehow our souls forget. Life means so much. Life means so much."
Christian, this is your life. It's not anybody else's. This is not a rehearsal and this is not play acting. This is your life. What will you make of it? What will it read on your grave stone? What will other say about you after you have been gone? What type of books would be able to be written about your life? God has given you life, but what will you give God? Yes, God loves you, but do you truly love God?
"The Lord has set apart for HIMSELF him who is godly." A godly man labors for the glory of God and not the glory of himself. Our God is a jealous God and we ought to be jealous for His glory on His behalf. Are you not jealous that there are idols, let's say American Idols, which are stealing the glory that God deserves? A man of God smashes the worship of idols. A man of God is completely separated from the follies of this world to serve the glory of God.
Listen to this quote from Gurnalls Christian in Complete Armor "Say not, thou hast royal blood running in thy veins, and art begotten of God, except thou canst prove thy pedigree by this heroic spirit, to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils."
Let us consecrate ourselves to the service of God. Let us crucify ourselves to the world. Let's learn to be like Enoch who walked with God and not with a sinful world. Let others work and labor in vain, but let us be wise and put off foolish things. We labor in vain if we labor for gain but our labors are never in vain if we labor for Him. Christ forsook everything to gain us, let us forsake everything to gain Him.
God is calling my generation to repent from sins, receive salvation, and restore the souls of men. My generation is weak, weary, and worn, but through His Spirit we can be strong, strengthened, and sustained.
What is God worthy of? God is worthy of your time. God is worthy of your heart. God is worthy of your mind. God is worthy soul. God is worthy of your strength. God is worthy of your life. If your suffering meant the glory of God, do you still want Him to be glorified? If shedding your own blood for the Kingdom of God brought even an ounce more of glory to God, would you be willing?
Exalt Christ above yourself. Exalt Christ above your friends. Exalt Christ above your life! Don't be satisfied merely surviving in your Christian walk, learn to thrive in your Christian walk. I don't care what level you're at spiritually, there is still a deeper or a higher level to be obtained. Utterly refuse to be satisfied. Go Further!
The closer that I walk with thee, the more suffering I am sure to see. As I follow in thy ways, the more I'll know how much you paid.
The closer that I walk with thee, the more of your love I feel on me. As I follow in thy ways, the more I long to give you praise.
The closer that I walk with thee, the more I wonder, how can this be? As I follow in thy ways, the more I'll know you in my days.
The closer that I walk with thee, the more in the world I hate to be. As I follow in thy ways, the more I wait to be taken away.
