Spiritual Ponderings

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, ' I never knew you ; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' (Matthew 7:21-23 NAS95) "Not everyone who keeps saying to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn't we?' Then I will tell them plainly, ' I never knew you . Get away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:21-23 ISV) This passage is one of the most disturbing and persistent messages...

Yesterday I used this as the basis for a sermon I gave in our local church. There was too much here to finish with so I had to cut it short but I decided to go ahead and publish it here for the record for anyone interested. Let this mind be in you... (Philippians 2:5-9) What does it mean to be a Christian? Am I willing to let go of all my preconceived opinions of what that means and allow God to define and reveal His truth to me? It may be helpful to note some of our preconceptions. However, it is also very hazardous sometimes because it is so easy to slip into a defensive mode and begin to argue in favor of our traditions and beliefs rather than seeking to listen for whatever God may be wanting to show our hearts. Do we have a problem hearing the voice of God personally? I talk with people who say that God just doesn't seem to talk to them. They want to know God and obey Him, yet it seems that He is intermittent at best in answering their prayers. And as far as actually hea...