Yea, cold and Satan are two words you usually don’t hear together or associate with each other. Anytime you think of temperatures associated with Satan, it is usually on the warm side not cold. But that is just what I thought of as I was pushing the half inch of snow we got this past week off the sidewalk at the church building. In the cold I thought of Satan. Why was it so cold?!? Oh yea, it is January and January is cold. But for the first week we had been lulled into a false sense that these higher temperatures were normal for this time of year. Satan likewise lulls us into thinking certain things are normal, and a normal life is ok. But God has never called us to be normal. He calls us to be different, set apart for Him in this world. And if we are not careful, Satan lulls us into thinking normal is the life God wants us to live.
God wants us to know the scriptures. Satan wants us to know what the world desires. If we are not careful we end up thinking what the world desires is normal. And it is hard not to because most of the entertainment we deal with-- from television to movies to the events we attend--does not promote God or His ways. A show I was watching the other day had a couple making a commitment to move in with each other, saying they may someday get married. That is normal in this world, but not for those who follow God. I watched a lot of football the past couple of weeks, probably more than I should have. I look at the actions and attitudes of a lot of these players and thought how we have accepted it as normal. God does not. How do we know what is pleasing to God? By being in the scriptures and making sure they are influencing our lives.
God wants our friends and neighbors to know His Son. Satan just wants you to be “good”. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be good, but it doesn’t stop there. Being “good” has almost become the “normal” now days among those who follow Christ. And it is just where Satan wants you to be, a normal follower. I am trying to figure out where in scriptures it tells us to be a normal follower and I can’t. If anything the Bible tells us just the opposite: we are set apart for a purpose. That purpose is that God may be glorified and His kingdom will grow.
Think about it for a moment, if your neighbor lived a good life next to you for many years, but knew what it was to be with God eternally and never said anything to you, how would you feel? If a friend knew what to do in order to escape hell and never told you, just lived a good life around you, how would you feel? They had lived a good life around you—wasn’t that enough? Satan wants you to be a good friend. God wants you to be a godly friend. Satan wants you to work at making people happy. God wants you to be intentional about helping people become holy. Unfortunately Satan has lulled us into normal lives.
Mother nature will slap us in the face over the next few weeks with what is normal weather this time of year. When you feel those freezing temperatures, think about how Satan has convinced the world that following Christ is just about being “good.” Let that cold slap be a reminder to reject this deception of “normal.” Make sure you are in God’s word. Be more than a good person around your friends and neighbors. Step out and invite them--to services, a small group or some other activity we have here. That’s real friendship.
Not settling for good,
Randy