BBD 08.12.13 Just Playing Around (Classic)
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
14,000 Subscribers
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Classic from 2006
08.12.13
Just Playing Around
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. - 2 Peter 3:18.
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ,
let us go on to perfection. - Hebrews 6:1a.
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control
perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and
to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will
be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For
he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten
that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more
diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you
will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into
the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. - 2 Peter 1:5-11.
Ryon S. is just 15 years old and lives in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa. Ryon got the surprise of his life on Halloween night when he pointed his
BB pistol at a car to scare them. He had been doing that for quite a while but
then he pointed his pistol at people that didn’t scare easy. Two men jumped out
of the car with real guns - Glock semi-automatics, which they pointed at Ryon.
The two armed men were police officers working undercover in an unmarked
vehicle. They ordered Ryon to drop his weapon. Ryon dropped the BB pistol and
tried to run but was caught. The boy told officers that he was "just playing around"
trying to scare people. He has been charged with "assault while
displaying a dangerous weapon" but was released to his family.
As Ryon found out our actions do have consequences. If we
act foolishly and immaturely for too long - bad things happen. Hopefully, Ryon
will have learned a life changing lesson from the incident, receive counseling,
and encouragement to prevent further foolishness. Thankfully, the officers
exercised much restraint and avoided the use of their own firearms.
Spiritually, there are many Christians who are "just
playing around" at Christianity. They may pray a little bit now and
then. They may even open up a Bible sometimes and occasionally, if there is
something happening at church that gets their attention, they may drop in for a
service. They are "just playing around" at their faith and it
ought not to be doing so.
God is just as serious, even more serious, than those
police officers with the serious weapons. God is so serious about your
spiritual life that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. That is not "just
playing around." No, that is seriously giving everything so that you
can have a life, an eternal life. So, what are you doing? Do you even think
about God? Do you even care what He thinks about what you do every day? He
cares (1 Peter 5:7) and He knows every thought that you think and everything
that you do and say. Because if you have received Jesus as your personal Savior
- He is living in you through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). Your life
is no longer yours because you have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and that
price was the blood of Jesus Christ.
What does God want for you? What does He want you to do? He wants you to stop
"playing around" and "…grow
in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." He wants you to leave behind the "discussion of the elementary principles of Christ” and "go on to
perfection." He wants you to give "all diligence" and "add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge
self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to
godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these
things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Copyright © 2006-2013. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
these first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.
Ed Wrather has retired from
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