Having a True Heart for God
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Some in our society, as well as in the church think that being good, being compassionate means having an “open mind.” That it means condoning anything and everything so as not to be seen as someone who is narrow minded.
I have nothing against having an open mind. It’s how we learn, and it’s how we grow. However, having an open mind means having an open mind for the right things. Tolerance is about respect, it isn’t about agreeing with or condoning the actions of others in order to avoid being seen as judgemental.
I personally don’t have the time, nor do I wish to sit in judgement of others. As Christians though, it is our responsibility to stand against those things that are clearly wrong.
There are many things wrong in our society: abortion, illegal immigration, people who refuse to work for their own food and expect the rest of us to give them a constant handout. I know this because I was once one of those who needed help. I learned though. Today I am grateful for all of those who helped me, but living by charity of others, to take from others because you don’t want to work, or you don’t want to achieve the right way, is no way to live.
It is true that God wants us to be happy. He wants us to have a good life while we are hear on earth. There are conditions though. He wants us to be holy. Holy has to do with doing the right thing. It has to do with being imitators of Christ.
How do I know this? I’ll be honest. I can’t and don’t read the mind of God. I don’t have to. The Bible tells us much of the truth of God.
In Romans 13 we are told to respect the government and pray for our leaders. You can’t respect the government if you are breaking the law.
Although I feel compassion for illegal immigrants, I refuse to help them. The reason is that we have so many people in this country who are here legally who are genuinely in need and genuinely need help. This is something liberals don’t see because they are more interested in cultivating constituencies than they are in doing what’s right for everyone.
Then there is the issue of helping others. You can’t help others who aren’t willing to be helped. Do for others what they should be doing for themselves isn’t helping either. It’s enabling that person.
We’ve become an enbabling society. One thing you definitely need to be asking yourself before you help someone is: Am I really helping, or am I simply enabling that person to continue behavior that is unacceptable.
Cultivating a heart for God is being willing to help when help is truly needed. It’s about believing the right things, acting in the right way. Although Christianity isn’t a religion of rules, it’s an act of grace, living by the principles God has given us will lead us to more satisfying and happy lives. We’ll have an open heart to helping others. We’ll have an open heart for the things God wants us to do. We’ll have an open heart to all of the gifts God wants to bless us with.
God is very good. He loves us. He created us for relationship. He created us for a purpose, and ultimately we need an open heart to the purpose He has created each of us for. When we live in purpose, when we walk in purpose, it leads us not just to the life God wants us to have, it leads us to life we’ve always dreamed of.
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November 06 2008 12:19 pm | Christian News and Real Christianity
