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May 24, 2007
Good Works, Part I
My cousin and her husband gave me a place to stay when I moved to Central Pennsylvania until I found my own place. They were so kind and hospitable. I really appreciated them.
My godparents love their kids and grandkids. They gave my brother in law a place to stay (this is her cousin's daughter's husband) while he did a summer-long internship in Denver.
Just a couple of examples of people who are Good People, doing nice things for others that go above and beyond.
But...my cousin and her husband both have indifferent hearts toward the Lord. My godmother has said, "You know, if I were to follow any religion, I'd be a Buddhist, because Buddha was a human, unlike any other religion founder." They all do 'good things' and are 'good people' but don't love the Lord.
I know that the Bible is true when it says "Without faith nobody will see God" and that Jesus is "the way, truth, and life." But I wish there were some more about people who do good, service-oriented things for others but who don't take the step of committing their way to the Lord.
The good things they do are noticed. They are blessings. These good acts are gifts to those that receive them. They are greatly appreciated. But they won't earn you any more real estate in heaven. Read these verses:
The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 *
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commands are not burdensome.
1 John 5:3
God doesn't look at a tally sheet: good acts vs. bad acts, like a score sheet. He looks at sins committed vs. sins forgiven. To hate him and refuse to believe in his son is sin. No amount of good works will ever counterbalance that sin, because that's simply not the way it works! The only act that will ever earn you real estate in heaven is believing in his son and trusting in Jesus to save you from your sins. (Please be reconciled to him!)
Soon I'll write Part II. Stay tuned.
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* I took this quote out of the end of the story. In the story, King Saul, the first king of Israel, disobeyed God's command to destroy every living creature of the Amalekites. He decided to make a big sacrifice of all their livestock instead. The act of making sacrifices was not sinful in and of itself. But there were a couple things King Saul should have done. He should have listened to God's command to destroy everything Amalekite. AND even if he were to make a sacrifice, it wasn't his business to do the actual sacrificing. No, he should have let a priest (specifically Samuel) do it; Saul was a king and he had no business meddling in a priest's job. So, since he disobeyed, he was cut off. God said, "I look at your heart! You are used to looking at the outward actions, but I look at the heart." Read the whole story here.
| By The Newest Worker | 11:02 AM
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