For, Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an
oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and
the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch. But
unto you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in
His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they
shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this,
saith the Lord of Hosts. Malachi, Chapter
4, verses 1-3.
This makes me think of when I’m driving the speed
limit and someone in my car gets annoyed.
They tell me that I need to just “blend in” with the others (going the
same speed that others are driving, so as to not be noticed). At times, I let people persuade me to go
faster to “blend in” with the flow of traffic, still knowing I’m driving at a
speed that’s against the law.
Are we, as Christians, finding ourselves “blending
in” with a lifestyle speed of the people we associate with, so our actions go
unnoticed? Do we use God’s Name in vain
because everyone else does? That way we
don’t stand out in a crowd as a Christian.
Do we do unethical things at work because everyone else does them? Well, we are exceeding God’s speed limit for
our lives and we know it. Even if we
“blend in” with lifestyles similar to others, we have to make a decision. Do we want to be one of God’s “Jewels” or
just “blend in” with the traffic of lifestyle choices that won’t get us to
Heaven?
You have a chance to make a monumental change in
your life and to show your commitment to God.
No, you don’t have to shave your head and sell flowers on street
corners! You just have to make a conscious
effort to live as an example of God’s influence on your life. If you listen to the instincts that God gives
you instead of listening to the urges of society to “blend in” with the traffic
of life, you will attain the ultimate goal of Salvation through Jesus.
I want to, again, explain that I do not profess to
be an expert on the Bible. Read the
passages noted and see what God is saying to you through them. I have read the Bible from cover to cover
sixteen plus times now, and every time I read a passage, I get something
totally new from of it. God gave me a
feeling that I should share how reading the Bible on a regular basis has
positively influenced my life and deepened my relationship with Him, and may do
the same for you.
I apologize if I have offended anyone, because that
isn’t the intent of this book. There
were times I thought about not writing particular things, not wanting to offend
people I care about or for fear of antagonizing the media and the business
world. If I had done that, I would just
be “blending in” with the traffic of life instead of genuinely expressing how
God has influenced my life.
It is my desire that you will come to relate to the
Bible in a way that is personally significant to you. If nothing else, I hope that this gives you
things to think about as you use the instincts that God gives you while reading
your Bible.
The whole book: Bible Passages That Can Influence Your Life has now been printed and shared on this blog for free. You can read it all, starting at the original post, but it really doesn't need to be read in order to see examples of how a person can relate the Bible to their daily life.
D. S.
This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please share your connections.
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie
