The Daily Word of Righteousness

Proclaimed From the Housetops, #5

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8—NIV)

If we truly repent, take up our cross, and follow Jesus, God will forgive our sins and help us lead a new life in Christ. We may suffer because of our actions in the past as well as in the future, because we are not perfect as yet. But the people in the spirit world will recognize that we have repented and turned to God, and so we do not have to worry about their opinion. And God has promised to spare us in the Day of Wrath because we have called on the name of Jesus.

But if we do not repent, do not take up our cross, do not follow Jesus each day, do not obey the Holy Spirit, then our professing of the four steps of salvation will not save us. We have tried to use God's grace as a ticket to Heaven instead of a means of transforming our life. God will not be mocked by such trickery.

God demands a change of behavior. If He does not see this in us, all the faith, belief, grace, love, mercy, and everything else we think will help us evade the laws of righteousness will prove to be worthless.

I sometimes have thought about the following:

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2—NIV)

Notice that this verse makes no reference to Hell, the Lake of Fire, or outer darkness. Rather it points toward the opinion of other people as being the opposite of everlasting life. Some upon being resurrected will face shame and contempt in the sight of God, Christ, the holy angels, and people. They have not been honest people, people of integrity.

Daniel 12: 2 (above) is not referring to what happens to us at the point of physical death but in the day of resurrection. So there are two areas of concern. One is what we will face in the hour of our physical death. The other is what we will experience when we are raised from the dead.

All Christians know the parable of the wasteful manager. He had not worked faithfully and diligently so his employer decided to fire him.

Since he did not know how to get another job, the dishonest manager went to people who were in debt to his employer. He had them change their bills so it appeared they owed a lesser amount.

The employer of the manager commended him for acting shrewdly.

Jesus commented on this incident. He advised Christians who were not true to their calling to make friends with the people of the world so when they died they would have someplace to go, some spirits who would receive them in the eternal dwellings in the spirit world.

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9—NIV)

To be continued.