Taken for Granted

"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:26-27)

Why do we treat our earthly relationships better than our relationship with God? How can we hurt God but expect Him to readily forgive us but we want to our spouses, family members, and friends to treat us properly? Sometimes I believe we take God for granted. I know that I have taken advantage of His grace too many times. That’s not love. You don’t love someone that you purposely hurt. Why is it that we require consistency, faithfulness, and blessings from God but we don’t do the same in return? We fornicate, lie, steal, hold grudges, and so many other things that we know displease God. We as Christians have to do better. I myself have been guilty of doing wrong and before I do it I say, “It’ll be alright, God will forgive me”, or I hear people say, “God knows my heart.” No one is perfect and never will be, but we could all put forth a little more effort in following God’s Word. God says if you love me then you will keep my commands. Don’t make excuses to fulfill the desires of your flesh. In order for our relationship with God to grow we have to turn from what benefits us and be obedient to God’s Word. There’s no way we should hear the Word on Sunday and on Monday we’re committing a sin that we just were instructed no to. We hate when people take our kindness for weakness but we do that exact thing to God.
There has to come a time in your life where you stop asking what God can do for you and ask Him what you can do for Him. Being a Christian, I had to ask myself this question. So many of us turn to God only when we need something, we want to be spiritually fed or physically blessed with material things. Messages of prosperity are all that we want to hear. We’re quick to say that we’re God-fearing, when in actuality we don’t give God our all. We don’t look for new ways to love God, to grow with Him, to take his yoke upon us and learn. So many things that hurt God that we’ve accepted as right or okay, and we feel its still okay to come to God and ask for blessing after blessing. Why should He continue to bless us if we don’t show our appreciation for what we already have? We attend church every Sunday to hear about the blessings that God wants to bestow upon us, but do we ever think about the sacrifices we must make to have them? As my relationship has grown with God, it breaks my heart to say that I love God but only think of my own selfish needs when I talk to Him. I know that I can’t continually sin and say that I love God. Think of your relationship with God the same as you think of your relationship with your significant other. Is it love if you constantly cheat on this person, disrespect them, and do things that you know displeases them just because you know that they’ll still be by your side? Our relationship with God should be the same way. It breaks my heart that for so many years that I said I loved God, but I’d lie, cheat, steal, fornicate, and do all these other things that broke God’s heart. And the reason I felt I was ok is because I felt nobody’s perfect, we all sin. Sure we all sin, but if I show no signs of repentance and constantly repeat my wrongful behavior, then my love for God isn’t as strong as it should be.There’s no way to justify sin if you truly love God. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). We should challenge one another to put away our sinful behavior and not remain comfortable in it. We often say we make mistakes because we are meant to, but I disagree. God gave us directions for life but we choose not to seek Him by spending time in His Word to learn how we should live. So I encourage you to not try to justify your sin, but ask God to come into your heart and give you the conviction you need to turn away from your sinful ways. The next time you pray for something, ask God what can you do to show that you can handle that blessing. So many of us want the paycheck before we’ve put in any labor. Our God is not a fairy, love is a two way street, and in order to receive you must first be willing to give.
Another reason that led me to share this is the how the way to heaven is portrayed. Is it okay to join a church, get baptized, become saved, do right when I choose and obey the laws that I choose to, and then I’ll be taken to heaven when I die. That’s what I thought as a child. Sometimes I wonder if it’s that easy to get into heaven. Is it good enough to be saved, and only being convicted about some of God’s Laws, but never strive to mature to another level of your faith? Will God accept me if I obey his command to not steal, but I remain disobedient of his law to not gossip? As hard as it may seem I want to live a life that constantly seeks Christ in everything I do and every thought I have. This thought challenges me to continue to grow because I don’t want to take Him for granted. God is plenty merciful and forgiving but I want to be careful not to abuse His kindness. Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” This scripture comes to me at times and it motivates me to go above and beyond. I don’t want to take God for granted and be denied when my eternal home is decided upon. The ways of the world may be pleasing to man and more accepted but they do not please God. They don’t offer the same promises as God does. We are to seek His approval in all of our deeds.
By no means am I saying that I’m perfect but I do strive daily and I have made progress in my faithfulness. I’m still growing and learning. Just like in a marriage, things aren’t perfect but you never give up. But you never intentionally hurt your spouse. We must do the same thing with God. We must work on the most important relationship which we so often neglect or minimize it’s importance. That’s our relationship with God. Life is hard enough when we sin unknowingly, so we should eliminate the sinful actions that we know to be. Just like you and me, I know God doesn’t like being taken for granted. Don’t let your love for God be just a quote on your Facebook wall or a bumper sticker on your car, but let it reflect in your thoughts and actions in your life. God’s grace and mercy are plentiful, but don’t abuse it. Don’t sin just because you know that He will forgive. Do your part to help the relationship grow. It would be nice to show that we’re grateful for the sacrifice that God made for us of sacrificing His only Son. Don’t abuse the gift of salvation that none of us are worthy of. God’s been by your side your entire life and will continue to be. Someone who has a love like that should be shown a little more appreciation. I hope that this challenges your thinking on sin the way that it challenges me.