Obey Only Christ

I was recently chastised by an anonymous family member for not "reconciling" with other family members. Sadly these people claim to be believers but play fast and loose with sin as though it were a physical or mental ailment rather than the offense to God that it is.

When relationships take priority over obedience to God's principles, we have human idols in our hearts. I desire a relationship with family, but that can only be possible if we walk the same path. My family is the family of Christ who are kindred Spirits with the Spirit of God that lives in me.

Bio family can be the biggest hindrance to a close walk with the Lord. If they do not want Christ, or say they do, but demonstrate that they don't, then they will pressure us to do things against our Lord. They will judge our righteous actions as evil and gossip against us when they know little about us.

The hardest people for us to reach with the gospel or the principles of Christ, are those who are bio family. They expect total acceptance no matter how much they profane the name of Christ.

It doesn't matter what they do to us, God has our back, however, it is agonizing to watch them destroy their lives through bitterness and hate while rejecting what Christ did for them on the cross.

Amos 3:1-10
"1 Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
4 Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?
5 Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all?
6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
8 The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?
9 Publish in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, Assemble yourselves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tumults in the midst thereof, and the oppressed in the midst thereof.
10 For they know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces"

Only two things can happen when we keep company with those who have no desire to obey the Lord: the first things that can happen is the continual contact with non-believers or superficial believers is a compromise to principles of God. It always seems to be that evil overtakes good when good compromises.

1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

The second thing that happens when we keep company with those who don't love the Lord, is that there tends to be continual drama and conflict. The unsaved or the superficial Christian attempts to dissuade us from the holy walk we desire. They place pressure on us to accept the unacceptable.

The more we stand our ground, determined to obey God, the angrier the rebellious heart becomes. There are times when the Lord is working on someone's heart and He is telling us to hang in there. There are other times when the Lord tells us to move on because the heart of a person is hardening more in their resistance.

It has been my resolve to ignore the voice of the world that wants us to play their games of manipulation, hoping someone will like you and therefore like the Lord. Sadly far too many people are playing this game in the church, truth has been watered down to such a degree that those hearing think they are being encouraged in sin.

The time is short, the Lord is coming soon, we must speak the truth boldly without reservation.

Remember that Christ in you can tell you what you need to do, do not let the world, or disobedient Christians intimidate you though accusations, to do things the world's way. Seek God in all things, He will tell you what to do, then stay strong to obey Him.