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ALL OR NOTHING!!! YOU CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE!!!ALL OR NOTHING!!! YOU CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE!!!
ALL OR NOTHING!!! YOU CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE!!!
SCRIPTURE - ROM 2:14
AUGUST, 2021
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not
the law, are a law unto themselves:
SUBJECT - ALL OR NOTHING!!! YOU CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE!!!
The message for this month, has to do with a condition, people all over the world have, concerning what is right and wrong. And how it affects their lives and the lives of others.
From the offset, let me say that 'doing the right thing' when it comes to how you treat others, is an honorable thing to do. And as such, there is no problem with that.
However, there is a problem, when it concerns your motivation for doing it.
I have addressed this scripture before. However God has impressed on me to address it again, but from a slightly different perspective.
Let me explain just exactly what this scripture is saying, and why it is important.
What it is saying, is that, when Gentiles, ]who by definition, are people, who have no connection to God], are doing things that God calls on His people to do, He, does not recognize them, strictly because He is not their Lord/God!!
Let me give you a quick example.
Have you ever walked in to a store and seen that someone has knocked some items off of the shelf, in an aisle, and, you picked them up, and put them back on the shelf??
What you have just done, is something that the store pays an employee to do.
Now, just because you did something the store pays its employees to do, I don't think you would go to the manager of the store and demand to be paid for doing something, that you were not hired to do.
Now, as simple as this is to understand, I would say it is totally ludicrous for anyone to expect payment for doing such a thing.
Yet, would you believe that that is exactly what the vast majority of people in this nation, and around the world do every day concerning God's moral laws??.
Now, just like in the case of the store, you could pick the item[s] up, or just leave them there for someone else to pick them up. That is totally up to you.
Well, what this scripture is saying, is that, in the case of God's people, and the Gentiles, His people are commanded to do these things, as a sign of obedience to Him, while the Gentiles are not.
Now, while I started out addressing this fact, of the entirety of humanity, I want to narrow it down to one group of people that are more closer to me than other races, and nations, and that is the black community.
I get asked time and again, why is it that I pick on the black community so much, when others are just as bad as what I am getting on my community about.
My response is, because I am black!!
That my friends, is my main qualification. I have walked as a black man for nearly 75 years. It will be 75, at the end of this month, God willing. I have seen, and experienced a lot during that time. And because of that, I can say I am more than qualified to say what I am saying, even moreso than many of those who are out there proclaiming that they have the experience.
If I were a person of another race, more specifically 'white', I know what I would be hearing!! And, you do too!!!
Racist!!! How are you going to tell me as a black person, how I should respond to the culture of today, when you haven't had to go through what I have had to face every day, because I am black, they ask!!!
Well, you can't use that argument on me.
And, this is one of the main problems we have in our community!!! We want to excuse our behavior and choices based on our past experiences!!!
While this might sound like a legitimate argument to you, in the eyes of God, it is moot!!!
Why??
Because, if you are a child of God, and have studied His Word, you will know that there is nothing that befalls any of us, that someone one else has not experienced.
Not only that, but, their responses to those challenges were a whole lot more in line with what He says is right and wrong, than what the black community is doing.
Now, getting back to the message!!
So, we have people that may or may not be doing some things 'good', but they only do it because they feel it is alright. If it weren't for that,
they would ignore it completely, because it goes against their feelings about the matter.
This is what the scripture is talking about. The people are choosing to do what is 'right' in their eyes, as opposed to doing what is Right, because God commands them to do it.
That's the difference. If you are a Christian, then, you are supposed to obey and follow God's direction.
Obviously, if you are not, then He has no control over you and your actions. He is not going to make you, or His Children follow His commandments.
We are all free to choose.
However, the obedient, studious Christian, understands the consequences of those decisions, and chooses to obey them, to the best of their ability.
The same can't be said for the Gentiles. They have the ability to obey those same commandments, but, they choose which ones to go along with, and which ones to discard.
When a person does this, they are essentially making themselves a god over their own lives, and not God.
If you have noticed, most of these people have no problem quoting, and following passages of scripture that they believe promises some sort of Blessing, or gives the idea that they can live their lives as they see fit, and still be on their way to Heaven.
What they fail to realize, is that all of those scriptures, come with prerequisites, which they choose to ignore, if they even know that they exist.
For those that don't know what a prerequisite is, it is a condition that has to be met, before those Blessings will be bestowed on an individual.
The first, and primary prerequisite is, you must be Born Again. That means you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. When you do this, you have become a Child of God [Christian]!!
Once again, most people call themselves God's Child, when in reality, they are children of the flesh. This is because it is their flesh, that controls the decisions they make and live by.
This brings up another point that needs to be looked at. And that is, Christians that are, as the Bible describes them, 'carnally minded!'
A 'carnally minded' Christian, is one who has accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, but makes a lot of their decisions based on what their flesh is telling them.
Now the thing is, if a Christian is going to act, and think like a Gentile, then, they are going to be subject to the same things the Gentiles are.
God doesn't play favorites to the standpoint that He will overlook this type of behavior from His Children.
He will however extend 'Grace' to them based on the criteria that the person may not know they are being 'carnally minded!' Just because a person has accepted Christ, does not mean that they automatically know all of what is Right and Wrong, in His sight. It is a learning process!!
Just as babies have to learn over time what is right and wrong, so does the new/baby Christian!! And, the only way to do that, is to study the Word of God, the Bible.
2Tim 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
You can't know all that God wants you to know, unless you study. That includes spending time with Him by reading the Bible, prayer, and asking questions!!
It is through these activities, and how commited you are to learning the Truth, so you can get in-line with them, that will show God, just how committed you are to Him, which will then determine how much Blessing you will get!!
Each person is different, and as such, some will be the recipients of more Blessings than others, based not on how long they have been a Christian, but on how diligent they are in being obedient to Him!!
This is why there is so much contention, jealousy, strife and such among Christians. Many figure, that because they have been saved longer than someone else that, that person can't tell them anything. Therefore, they need to sit down and shut up!!
This is carnal mindedness! Because, God knows who is, and is not ready for what, and will reward a person based on that!! When a person only considers what they feel is what they deserve, that is the flesh controlling them!!
I know saints that have been 'walking with the Lord', for well over 40 years, who are essentially babies, in the eyes of God, based solely on the fact that they think and act like a person that has accepted Christ, recently.
By the same token, I now others who have only been saved a few years, who, because of their diligence, and commitment to Christ. have left many of those old-timers in the dust, when it comes to knowledge, and Blessings. And because of this, God has placed them in higher offices in the Church, and the older folk can't stand it.
A lot of this type of reaction occurs when a young person is anointed by God, to be a pastor, over someone who has seniority, and is well liked by those around him. Therefore, many will leave the church, or try to oust the new pastor.
What they don't realize is, since this young man, was anointed by God for this position, and the people refuse to accept him, they are, in effect, rejecting Christ!! And, if they are rejecting Him, then, they are in serious trouble.
This is why it is so important for those that name the name of Christ, to study the Bible thoroughly, so that they can see what happens to those that reject His choices of leadership over them.
One only has to look at the problems the Children of Israel had with the likes of Moses, Joshua, David and such, as well as Christ, when it came to what they were telling them [the people], they needed to do to be pleasing to God. They rebelled!! And in the end, paid the price!
Then we have a person like the apostle Paul, who carried this rebellion to the extreme, until Christ personally confronted him, and turned him in to one of His greatest followers.
That's right, despite how devilish you or someone else may be, Christ can still work a miracle in you life, turn you around, and use you for His Glory!!
After this change, he became a hunted man, on the one hand, and many saints wanted to have nothing to do with him, out of fear.
Have you ever seen someone who was once one of the biggest Devils on the streets, get transformed in to one of the most powerful spokespersons for Christ?? That is what He has done for a lot of us. And you need to be careful in your actions towards them. You just might be rejecting Christ!!
But, you won't know that, if you aren't studying His Word!! Or being led by someone who is!!!
A lot of us blacks, sad to say, are listening to, and following people based on their flesh, who are in reality no more knowledgeable than they are, when it comes to Christ, and are paying a terrible price for it!!
Are you hearing me, black community??
You want to know why you are catching all this hell??? Look in the mirror!! Then look at black leadership!! You will have your answer.
You are picking and choosing who you want to believe and follow, and what is and is not acceptable to your flesh!!
You can go out and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, support the homeless, and all these other good things, and in the end, bust hell wide open, all because you picked and chose what laws you wanted to live by, or reject!!!
Choose this day what you want to do!!