I have an old dodge pickup. It so rusted out, that when I changed its tire, the frame bent as I jacked it up. I know this because right after, the driver’s side door began to bind and still does. I acquired this deal from in an exchange for wiping out some debt. Now I don’t mind the deal – I love the truck. You could say though, I wanted the truck even though I knew it could be defined as “damaged” goods before I got it. How can I complain? I was damaged goods before God acquired me. Our God is a God who takes damaged goods – and doesn't pay a token fee, but top dollar for those goods. He takes those who are dissipated and dilapidated. He takes those who feel unwanted, unneeded, and unworthy and unloved. That’s grace – “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”
We are rusty trucks that need God’s grace to give them new Life. God can redeem them as long as we admit the rust exists. Of course rust is simply a metaphor for the corruption of sin in our souls, like eroding salt under the fender. If you were to see my truck there is no denying the amount of corruption my truck has suffered. The human soul has experienced a like corruption, but we can sometimes hide it with ingenious methods. It’s a dangerous practice to convince ourselves we are hiding the corruption from God. It is “sin” that corrupts the human soul.
Sometimes we fall into an insidious trap. We long to be connected with God and to feel that everything is OK between them and God, and don’t want to submit to the light of His truth. Instead of admitting that we have corrupted souls in need of redemption, (and repentance), we convince ourselves that God agrees with our lifestyles, worldly affections, patterns of gossip, and self-righteousness and any number of other practices that Scripture clearly condemns. When we do this, we refuse to allow God to stop the corrupting influences of our own desires. Grace doesn’t give us permission to redefine God; to call evil good, and good evil. We may be a mess, but we can be God’s mess. There may be a hundred things we see in our life that doesn’t meet God’s standards and yet His mercies are new every morning. The moment we say God approves of those hundred things, we just called Him a liar.
I heard it said “You have created us in your image, and then we returned the favor.” Psalm 50:21 says: These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes (NKJV).
I find the most disturbing words in the Bible are “depart from me for I never knew you.” The reason they are disturbing is that these words are spoken to those who claimed “He” did know them and they knew Him. If you don’t want to hear those words when you pass beyond this world, consider these simple principles.
I heard it said “You have created us in your image, and then we returned the favor.” Psalm 50:21 says: These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes (NKJV).
I find the most disturbing words in the Bible are “depart from me for I never knew you.” The reason they are disturbing is that these words are spoken to those who claimed “He” did know them and they knew Him. If you don’t want to hear those words when you pass beyond this world, consider these simple principles.
1. Make sure that the God you “claim to know” is the God “He claims to be. “
2. Grow in Your knowledge of Him – Study and Obey Him.
3. Thank Him for what you understand, trust Him with what you don’t.
