Ignore God and Die

It can be very easy to ignore God. Like a child with selective hearing, we can listen to God when He is offering us a blessing and ignore Him when, in our perception, He is restricting or correcting us. But we ignore God to our own peril.

When God first created, He placed Adam and Eve in the garden,

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV)

Now, Adam and Eve were clearly listening but only in part. They heard that they would die, but they did not really listen to God. Like so many of us, they heard what it fit there needs to hear, but when a more satisfying idea was presented they ignored God. Satan said,

“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)

He convinced Eve that what she thought God intended for her good was really not for her good and that God was withholding good from her. She believed the lie and chose to ignore God, and while she did not perish at that moment, she and the entire human race died an awful death that day. The very wholeness that she sought to find in eating the fruit was lost to the entire human race.

Don’t ignore God. He truly does want what is good for you, in fact He is storing up goodness for you (Psalm 31:19). Trust Him and receive the goodness. Ignore Him and die.

What are some of the good things God has done for you?

The Holy Spirit in You and Your Resurrection Hope

Below are a few notes taken from my study of Romans 8:9-11

Romans 8:9

Note that being in the Spirit, having the Spirit of God dwelling in you and having the Spirit of Christ dwelling in you are all three equal statements. To have one is to have all three. This verse demonstrates that there is a trinity in the Godhead and that the members of the Godhead are of the same nature.

Romans 8:10

When we are redeemed from sin and death, we yet remain in a corrupt flesh. This is why Paul says Christ can be in you and yet your flesh can still be dead because of sin. When we are redeemed in this flesh our salvation is complete once and for all, but in another sense we have to wait for it's full impact to be realized. Our resurrection is certain and as good as done, and yet, we must still wait for it.

Part of partaking in Christ involves suffering through the miseries of a fallen flesh and proving the power of Christ by overcoming that flesh while still living in it. As we share in his suffering, we move toward that glorious day that we will share in his resurrection too, and then, our flesh will be made alive again in Christ.

Romans 8:11

We can take great confidence in our certain resurrection because it will be accomplished by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. That is one reason why the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is so essential to all believers. If the Spirit does not live in you, how do you expect to be raised from the dead. But, because the Spirit does dwell in you, you can have certain confidence that you will be raised one day from the dead and your mortal body will be made perfect, just as your spirit is already perfect today.

Let us give thanks to God for the indwelling presence and power the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ!