July 12
1 Chron 12:19-14:17 | PS 9:13-20 | Prov 19:4-5 | Rom 1:1-17
Salvation is not about being whipped up into an emotional frenzy. It is not about reciting a specific prayer. Others cannot definitively point to the event that they know their loved one was saved by. There are churches that are very exuberant in their style, while others are more reserved. God calls for unity, not uniformity. Some who come forward at a crusade will make a heart change and a life change initiated by that experience. Others will be whipped up and move forward, only to never really give God another thought, and never really give up the reins of their life to Him. We are called to a life of faith, a life of placing our full trust and weight upon Him. We are called to acknowledge our own unrighteousness in light of His righteousness. This realization might take place publicly or privately.
David was truly a man after God's own heart. In today's reading, his heart is indeed right, but he is shocked when the result is not what he expected. He excitedly runs his plan through his military advisors, rather than his faith advisors. We read in 1 Chronicles 13:7-8, "So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets." There was no shortage of emotion, as they moved forward in "all their might", but the event ended tragically, because they moved forward well intentioned, but disobediently, as God's Word carefully described exactly how the ark of God was to be handled. Interestingly, Paul, was stopped in his tracks in a very moving experience on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. But he then moved around blindly for a few days, and was quietly brought into a relationship with Jesus Christ quietly in a house.
In the introduction of Romans 1:1, Paul refers to himself as a bondservant. He rendered himself a slave to Jesus, willingly, and placed himself completely at His master's disposal. Paul goes on to explain that this journey is launched not necessarily by emotion, but as we read in 1:16-17, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”" The important question is not how this process took place for you, but has it taken place. You may or may not have a dramatic story of conversion, this also doesn't matter, as long as you have your story. This process could have transpired slowly or at a specific event. Our story really begins when we are willing to yield our lives to Him. When we learn to stop trusting in ourselves and begin to trust in Him, for that is what faith is. Where and how you choose to worship is a matter of preference. Which Christian denomination you choose to identify with is also a matter of choice. We are individuals with individual preferences, which is the beauty of not being uniform. But we must be unified through His Word, in His Spirit, and under His Lordship.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: