God Respects Our Choice

If you do not want to live for God, it would be better to never read the word. I am held accountable for everything I know.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 (NLT)
When we stand before God on judgement day we will be held accountable for the good that we know but refuse to do. I want to follow God. I read in his word each day trying to learn more. I feed myself spiritually by reading scripture. But I think if you no not believe in God and do not want to believe in him, it is foolish to read scripture. For one thing, I believe as your read the word it will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. I believe a person that continually reads the Bible will eventually want to follow God. The word is meant to transform us into a new person from the inside out. That transformation begins the moment we believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiving of our sins. I grew up being taught in three separate works of grace. Salvation, sanctification, and being filled with the Holy spirit. Today my understanding is different than it was some 30 or even 60 years ago. I believe the Holy Spirit is in us guiding us from the moment of new birth in Christ. Those that believe the same as  I was taught years ago, that fine, I don't have an issue with with them. But I believe sanctification is a continuing work in our lives as we walk with God day to day and we learn new things. God is washing us with the water of his word as it says in Ephesians. so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, Ephesians 5:26 (NASB).  Here is another thing that changed in me over the years. I use to read the King James Bible  only, having been taught it was the best version. But what happens when you are not English speaking and don't have the King James version in your language?  Sometimes if we are not careful, we add to the word of God and attribute to God those things. I think of a friend recently that felt bad about something he was teaching and someone pointed out to him a different scripture that shed a different light on things. We interpret the word by the word.  We want to be careful with using one off scripture. I do that much of the time, thinking about one particular scripture at a time. Many times there are other scriptures that help us interpret the scripture we are focusing on. Some things are cut in stone, Jesus is the only means to salvation. There is salvation in no other name. Some things are not cut in stone and we may actually believe a little differently than the next person. The example given for that is talking about eating meats sacrificed to idols. Don't do it if you think it will cause a brother to stumble. I don't believe it is wrong to drink a little wine for your stomachs sake, other believe in total abstinence. That is OK too.  The Bible is meant to be lived as we know it, to transform us as we know it. We don't always know everything we read. We may not fully understand it. We are after all works in progress, being sanctified and transformed daily as we walk with God. It is a relationship as we walk side by side with God. It is a lifestyle that we develop as we seek to know God on a daily basis. If I choose not to believe in God, I would not read his word. It is a choice that we make, God does not force himself upon us. God desires we serve him out of love just as he served us out of love and sent Jesus to the cross for our sins. Because he first loved us. God loved us before we ever knew him. But God respects our choice. God may knock on your hearts door, it is your choice to accept or reject his knock. But if I chose not to believe, I would not read or listen to his word, it will condemn you on judgement day.  If you don't believe in God you also don't believe in a judgement day. We will see some day who is right. If I am wrong I have lost nothing, if a none believer is wrong on his choice, he will have lost everything. God does not want us to follow him out of fear but through love. God's love is greater than any other love we will find. It is a transforming kind of love. Even in trials, God may be performing a work in our hearts because of his love for us. What an awesome God.  God loved us before we ever knew him and sent Jesus to the cross for our sins.
God bless, LVZ.