ENSNARED BY THE LITTLE THINGS OF THE WORLD
stumblingblock: An obstacle; a difficulty.
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
–Matthew 7:14-15
Even if few are saved, more than few seem to have at least a passing interest in eternal salvation.
IN FACT, most who have expressed an interest (or a misplaced insistence) in eternal salvation through faith on Jesus Christ have to overcome a HUGE obstacle.
That stumblingblock is an inability or unwillingness (or both) to let go of the things of the world.
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
–1John 2:15-16
This includes the “little things of the world“: those “guilty pleasures” which the world uses to endear itself to man.
The little things of the world act in a much more gradual way: a little here, a little there.
“To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.”
–Isaiah 28:12-13
To be perfectly clear: “things of the world” do not necessarily refer to ONLY material goods.
Letting go of the things of the world DOES refer to the love of material goods.
It ALSO refers to the ways of the world; the knowledge of the world; what the world considers important or holds dear; traditions, rituals and fables learned (and in some cases, loved) since childhood; the honors, exaltation and attention the world bestows upon its favorites.
Letting go of these things and basing one’s faith in the future on the Word of God and Jesus Christ is no doubt the biggest decision ANY person has to make.
But letting go of the things of the world is extremely hard–maybe even next to impossible.
Perhaps this is why so many wait until the last second to declare they want salvation through Jesus Christ: they cling to the pleasures and comfortable things of the world until such things are no longer available to them?
MORE: Deathbed Conversions: Another Tall Tale?
Letting go of the things of the world might be considered a stumblingblock to salvation.
But letting go of the little things of the world might be considered a more insidious stumblingblock to salvation.
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
DOES the reader have “little pleasures” built into his day?
HAS the reader constructed a comfortable daily routine which pulls him through his day?
MORE: ROUTINE: Man and His Routine
HAS the reader become ensnared by the little things of the world?
It is not YET too late: there is still time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: Making a Choice
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Power of God Unto Salvation
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The End Times Power of God Unleashed
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
MORE
- Addictions, Sin and the Enslaved
- END TIMES PREPARATION: 15 Ways to Prepare for the End Times
- Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
- The Normalizing of Illegitimate Supernatural Power in the End Times
- The Nature of Spiritual Deception
[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: September 12, 2018.]
MORE
- The Powerless Churches: Church Folk and Their Lack of God’s Power
- PRAYER: A Few Thoughts on Prayer and Praying
- Constructing One’s Own Reality Begins with Self-Deception
- Satan Has Counterfeited the Christian Church
- The Deceptions of Demonic Power
- Gospel of Jesus Christ: The Power of God Unto Salvation
- The Normalizing of Illegitimate Supernatural Power in the End Times
- The Nature of Spiritual Deception
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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
image: Wikimedia Commons/pd
© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-18. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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