Think of someone
in your life that you truly care about. Various possibilities could be your
parents or guardians, a family member, or a best friend. It is likely that when
you begin to brainstorm all of the different people that bring joy into your
life, you may think about all the wonderful memories and laughs that have been
shared and all the support they have provided you.
In relation to
the Bible, I like to think of the book of Hebrews as a friend. This specific
book in the Bible includes scripture of exhortation, or encouragement, to do
better things to glorify and please God. It is a book of recommended
correction. As a caring person, we all want the best for our friends. We want
them to succeed, to be happy, to live a healthy lifestyle, and above all, to
lead a life that pleases our Lord. Dear friend, you who is reading this
article, I want you to know that this is what God desires for you too. He wants
you to lead a life that is filled with joy, encouragement, blessings, and
fulfilled dreams according to His will for your life.
In life, you will
make acquaintance with several different people, both believers and
non-believers. You will be persuaded into and introduced to a lot of different
activities. Unfortunately, a majority of these experiences will cause us to separate
ourselves from God. It is common for us human beings to be sucked away and
become stubborn. We start to do, think, and say things on our own according to
what our flesh desires and we ignore what God, our perfect God, has planned for
us.
Believers who
have accepted Christ in their hearts and have surrendered their life to God are
compared to smooth and soft finger tips. We are sinless because we have been
cleansed and we lead a life that pleases God. But, once those smooth and soft
finger tips start to play a guitar, a callus begins to form and eventually,
each finger tip becomes tolerant to the harsh pain it once felt when plucking
the strings. Furthermore, after a long period of time, your finger tips will
not feel the pain anymore and it will become second nature. In our spiritual
life, many Christians often drift away from God and begin to lead an
ungodly and sinful lifestyle. We become so tolerant and wrapped up in sin that
we eventually do not feel the guilt or feel ashamed like we once felt when
first committing the sin. After a long period of time, you will feel as if you
are hundreds of thousands of miles away from God and you feel as if you will
never be forgiven. But guess what! Our Almighty Father loves you so much that
He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins.
When you
personally confess your sins and ask God for forgiveness through prayer, He
will cleanse your heart and you will become renewed. 1 John 1:9 says "If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness." Spiritually speaking, you will
be transformed back to smooth and soft finger tips. Your calluses, or sins,
will be forgiven and taken away.
I strongly
recommend that you study the book of Hebrews in depth. You must be open-minded
to correction for your life. Ultimately, if you are to receive any correction
to help redirect your life into something better, God's word is the only
correction you need to hear to help you lead a life that is both enjoyable and
pleasing to Him.
