Natural Tendencies

Started by topside, May 23, 2017, 05:00:15 AM

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topside

I've been reading from the Bible in Deuteronomy recently. It's not a book that I read much, but I found the text today informing and decided to summarize parts - from Chapter 31 - as it feels so relevant to some of the behavior we are witnessing in our Republic.

Recall that the Israelites are God's chosen people that are storied in the Old Testament. In this section of text, the Israelites are about to cross the Jordan and the Lord has told Moses he won't be going - Joshua will lead the people to take the promised lands. God has had Moses tell the people how great it will be if they obey God's commands and how horrific it will be if they don't ... that if they disobey, God will turn away from them.

The Lord then calls Moses and Joshua into his presence. He tells Moses that, despite the warnings, the people will soon prostitute themselves to foreign Gods of the other lands they are entering and break the covenant. Then he will hide his face from them and they will be destroyed. God makes the statement that he knows what the people are disposed to do even before they do it.

He tells Moses to teach a song to the people so that it will testify against them when they fall. It's a long song ... and here are pieces of it that seem to speak right into our current culture ...

" ... He is the Rock, his works are perfect, all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong ... They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation.  ... You deserted the Rock that fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. ... A fire has been kindled by my wrath, one that burns to the realm of death below. It will devour the earth .. and set afire the foundations of the mountains. ... They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. ... It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them. The Lord will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone. ... See not that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. ... I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. ... Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants.  ..."

There's a lot here. Two of the points are: 1) it's so good and logically natural to be under his hand but there is a tendency toward disobedience in our wills and 2) he doesn't even need to punish us on this earth ... just turn his face away meaning turn his active working in the lives of his people away, and our natural tendencies will destroy us. We can't save ourselves from destruction ... he is the only hope for us. Pray that our nation falls on it's knees and turns to him.   


Hoofer

This is the Natural Tendency for a Born Again Christian - fellowship with God.

1 John 1:1-10
Quote
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

This was written by a rebel of a man, one of the Sons of Thunder, who wanted to 'call down fire from heaven' to consume a couple guys who where preaching and teaching about Jesus, but not Apostles, like he was.   He also right there with Peter, saying he would NEVER deny Christ before the crucification, etc.   Yet we only see the humility, late in his life, referring to himself as, "the one whom Jesus loved" in his Gospel account, one of the most unique accounts of Jesus' earthly ministry.

IMO, the Apostle Peter gets a "bad rap" while John gets a "pass".   Yet it was John who was trying to weasel into positions of power (asked to sit at Jesus' right hand in the kingdom, his brother on the left).  If there was an Apostle who begged for authority, it wasn't Peter, it was John - yet, neither one were really "shining stars" during Jesus' earthly ministry.

John may have been allowed by God to live a long life, as an example of one who grew to appreciate the daily walk with the Lord.  Could be why some of *us* are still around, still learning and yearning for fellowship with God we read in the New Testament and Old.   Abraham was called the 'friend of God', not a slave - and he did some pretty nasty stuff too!

But, Abraham, like David, John & Peter - always went back to the Lord, and restored that personal relationship, or fellowship... as Moses did.   That desire for the daily walk with the Lord is the Natural Tendency of a child of God.

Amazing to me, that John could pen such words, but probably after many, many years of walking with the Lord.

1 John 4:16-19
Quote16And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19We love him, because he first loved us. 

No fear of punishment, but a powerful desire to fellowship with the Lord - that's the true nature of a believer.
All animals are created equal; Some just take longer to cook.   Survival is keeping an eye on those around you...