We live in a world filled with sin. There is no way to avoid it. Have we lost our innocence in regards to sin? Are we warped by it? Have we come to just “accept” sin as a normality? What about our children? Do we do everything we can to guard their precious innocence?
Kalon Mitchell
God’s Children
As my wife and I have welcomed our second son into the world, I was struck with many emotions when I first heard his cry, and subsequently, when I was able to hold him and look at him. I would think that for most parents, there is no love that quite compares with being able to hold your child in your arms. God has truly designed an amazing way to keep the human race growing. There are so many things that science has taught us about this process, but there is also so much that we may never fully understand until we are God beings and can totally comprehend all of God’s knowledge. In Psalm 139:13-16, David contemplated the reality of the conception and birth of a child, and he gave thanks to God for this. All of creation is an amazing example of God’s power, strength, foresight and love.
God wants to enlarge His spiritual Family through man. As the Bible shows, He started this growth process with two physical human beings. His command to them was to be fruitful and multiply. Genesis 1:28 reveals that this process of human creation is a blessing. In addition, Psalm 82:6 makes clear that God has planned from the outset that man should become God. But 1 Corinthians 15:49-50 shows us that we, as physical human beings, cannot become God beings. Something else is needed.
One of the most famous Scriptures is John 3:16, which states “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This Scripture is part of God’s plan for us. Without this ultimate Sacrifice, both on the part of God the Father and Christ His Son, there would be no way for us to become Spirit beings.
God loves His creation. Genesis 1:31 tells us: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” And yet, people have been trying to ignore and reject God (Romans 1:20-21). Some have even denied His very existence. But God will still carry out His plan and give everyone a fair opportunity to become a part of His Family.
The fact that God is recreating Himself is basic knowledge that the Church of God has been teaching for a long time. Please read any of our free literature on this subject, as well as one of our Q&A’s for a more in-depth analysis, titled, “When we are born-again members of the God Family, what will we be, and what powers and abilities will we have?”.
God’s ultimate plan for ALL of humanity is reaching its tipping point. God has truly shown us that He loves all people, and that He wants the best for everyone. But due to Satan’s evil deception and man’s ignorance and selfishness, chastisement and education are necessary before man is able to comprehend his ultimate potential.
The question is, what do we want for ourselves? What do we want for others? What are we willing to do about it? God wants us to be His children—obedient and willing to do without question what He commands, so that we can make it into the Kingdom of God and help others to reach their incredible potential as well. Our time is short. Let us be obedient children.
The Weightier Matters
In a world that is ripe with self-importance, self-justification and disregard for God, what is our charter? What is it that God really expects from us as true Christians and eventually from the entire world? What truly matters in God’s view?
What’s New?
Human beings often seek the newest, greatest thing. Instead of being content with what they have, they want to get more and more. This was Satan’s downfall. He was not happy with the office God appointed him to. He wanted more and more. Eventually, he was thrown to the earth, and we know what his final outcome will be.
As we get ready to move into 2017, people in society often make “New Year’s Resolutions.” These are frequently short lived ideas that carry on for a little while and then fade away. We must be careful that we do not have this type of attitude. After the Feast of Tabernacles, we usually find ourselves invigorated and ready to carry on the good fight. But what happens to our resolve a few months down the road?
As we look at the deteriorating world around us, we are often reminded that these things MUST happen so that the end may come. Matthew 24:5-14 shows us the climate that we will witness before the return of Jesus Christ. The work of preaching the Gospel is our duty, even as we see the love of many growing cold. This will not happen to us if we are setting the right goals and are consistently moving towards them.
Luke 12:31-32, 34 states: “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where do we put our treasures? Do we horde them? Do we give them away? Are we constantly thinking about how we can fulfill this Scripture in our lives? We do this through the things we think, say and do. Our hearts need to be devoted in learning how to draw closer to God and Christ, so we can stay strong and ever ready—putting forth our best effort so that we shine as examples to those around us. We can be joyful at all times, through thick and thin, because we have the promise of God that we will be in His Kingdom if we hold fast.
This is not new information. These are things we have heard time and again. But truly, as we move into 2017, what will happen in our lives? Will the Scriptures of turning cold and falling away apply to any of us? Or will the opposite be true and will we walk away from 2017 into 2018 as a stronger and more faithful people? We have to decide that we want God’s Way of Life more than ANYTHING else in this world. Matthew 10:38 tells us that we need to take our cross and follow after Christ. Either we will be worthy or we will be unworthy. These are the two choices set before us. Which choice will we make?
Yes or No
Life seems to come down to our ability to make choices. There are a lot of grey areas or maybe’s in life. But the fact is that our lives come down being able to say yes or no. What is that we will choose in our lives as we learn to use God’s wisdom and knowledge?
A Life of Repetition
Do we ever feel like we do the same things over and over again? Do our lives sometimes resemble a game that constantly repeats? We see the use of repetition in nature, in life and even in the Bible. But why? Why is repetition so important for us? What can we learn by examining nature, our lives and the Bible, based on this thought of repetition? What is it that repetition will accomplish in our lives?
The Power of One
People have great strength. But what happens when we as Christians don’t have great strength? Where do we turn when we are down and discouraged? How do we get out of these types of situations? How can we move forward? We can accomplish great things if we allow God to lead us.
Unity of God’s People
A trait of God’s people has always been that of unity. That doesn’t mean that it is some thing that is easy to accomplish. Looking at relationships we see that God and Christ have to be our example. In everything they are one. We must have individual unity with God and collective unity with fellow Christians. We must all have love for each other and show kindness in all examples. We have to have unity so that we can make it into God’s Kingdom.
Why Are We Here?
Once we have a vision and know what we are trying to accomplish in our lives in regard to our spiritual lives we must continue to move forward in this regard. The Feast and Sabbath days are important for us to keep. God has decided to call us now and put us into His family as He has seen fit. We must continue to serve Him so that we can stay close to Him.
Start With “Why”
In order to start a life that is useful and is full of growth, we need to start with asking the question “Why?” Often times our visions may not be in-line with God’s visions because we may not always be asking the right questions. We need to constantly keep in mind what we are trying to accomplish and what God wants out of this as well. What is your vision?