Let me do my best to make a series of generalizations of American Christians. Absolutely none of these instances are associated with personal or specific events, so don’t try to figure out specifics — there are none.
Our Christian teenagers are holy on Sunday, but do oral sex later in the week. When confronted they say, “Well, God knows my heart.” (I’m not even joking).
Christians claim to want to know God yet do nothing to know him better; they lie to themselves. When confronted on their spiritual passion and fervency for Christ they’ll say, “Well, God knows my heart.”
Christians — knowingly or unknowingly — will watch movies with pornographic scenes, and they’ll just sit there and watch it; they don’t even look away when its obvious what will occur. When confronted, they say, “Well, God knows my heart.”
Christians are supposed to be holy; set apart from the world around them. Yet they throw around bad language like it doesn’t matter at all. When confronted, they’ll say, “Well, God knows my heart.”
Christians seem to feel bad for the less fortunate; the homeless and lost around the world. Yet they don’t volunteer at these ministries or go on missions trips, they don’t give to those ministries, they don’t pray for those ministries. Nothing. They just pretend to feel bad. When confronted on this hypocrisy, they say, “Well, God knows my heart.”
Enough said about that. Those are obviously generalizations — they aren’t always true, but they certainly are sometimes. God looks at your heart in that he looks at your motive. That much is true. But that doesn’t mean your works don’t matter. Our salvation is a free gift and the power to live a holy life comes at the moment we receive Christ. But that’s just when our sanctification begins.
Let me do my best to list a series of scriptures of what God says he looks at:
“I know your deeds…” Rev. 2:2; 2:19; 3:1; 3:8; 3:15
“…and each person was judged according to what he had done.” Rev. 20:13
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” James 2:14
That’s all I can list in a short “one-liner” scripture reference. But consider the story of the sheep and the goats where Jesus rejected the “goats” from entering the kingdom of heaven and welcomed the “sheep” into His presence. The only difference between the sheep and the goats is what the did and didn’t do. Just read Jesus’ teaching!
You know, this is something that I’ve thought a lot about. One of the problems that I faced (and the problem was actually brought to my attention by Larry Burkett, former director of Crown Financial), was simply this: What if I do what Christ has called me to do, and the recipient turns around and misuses my hospitality?
For instance, what if I meet a man on the street who is hungry and we go to McDonald’s and get a bite to eat. While we are at McDonald’s, I discover that he has made some bad decisions and has responded to the consequences by running. So, we talk and I encourage him to get back on his feet, and we even get out the paper and look for job listings. I’ve tried to feed the hungry and then enable him to stay fed. Then, he goes back out on the street, ignores everything that we talked about and continues begging for food.
I feel as though I’ve wasted my time! My efforts seem wasted and pointless. And, frankly, the conclusion that I came to was this: It’s not worth it unless I can be certain of a positive outcome.
Then, while reading a book by Larry Burkett (I don’t remember which one) he pointed out that my responsibility is to do what God has called me to do, regardless of the outcome.
So, I guess, I’m saying that I’ve come to the same conclusion that you have: Do stuff, specifically, do what God has called me to do. Even if I try and fail, by messing up on my own, I believe God does look at the attitude of my heart. But, when I don’t even try, or when I use the “attitude platitude” as an excuse to get away with stuff, then I’m inexorably wrong.
Great post Adam!
Joe, I agree with you! Its far better (and obedient!) to try and fail than to never get off the pew!!
To do anything less, than what Joe is talking about, I think is to be dismissing the level of grace God offers US. Forget about the other guy for a minute, how many times have other people pored into MY life, or yours, and we have continued to go our own way? How many chances has God given me after I have screwed up? How many people spoke the truth into my life but had to watch me walk away not getting it (or not changing even if I did)? That’s what God does-He’s the one that gives people chances over and over, He’s the one that teaches us to forgive and give all over again. If He does it for us, why do we think we don’t have to for those around us?? Good post Adam, and good comments!
I’m so glad that God gave me a second chance.
And a third.
And a fourth.
And a fifth.
And a sixth.
And a seventh.
And an eighth.
And a ninth.
And a tenth.
And an eleventh.
And a twelfth.
And a thirteenth . . . .
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