URGENT WARNING IS A WAKE-UP CALL
“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate [worthless, rejected, castaway according to the concordance].” Titus 1:15-16 (bold added)
I know a woman who likes to ask people if they know the Lord. I, myself, have been known to ask people if they believe in the Lord. Another person I know says he loves the Lord, and refers to others loving the Lord also. How naive, and foolish, I was to ever believe that professing to know Him, to believe in Him, or to love Him makes a bit of a difference in the eyes of the Lord if knowing, believing, and loving are not backed up with and accompanied by a life of denying oneself and following Him by walking in His ways. Knowing, believing in, and loving the Lord involves a life of self-denial in turning away from the ways of this world, and one of transformation as our minds are renewed by His Word and we choose to live for Him in faith and in action.
How tragic when we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are heaven-bound and have a rock solid relationship with God on this earth while we hold on for dear life to our self-centered lives and to what the world says is okay instead of turning our hearts, our minds, and our lives over to the Lord and learning to cleave to Him and His ways instead. No matter how much we might be able to convince ourselves and even others that our profession of belief in Christ is enough, God knows our hearts, He sees our actions, and we will all stand before Him and be accountable for how we lived our lives. Even the demons believed in Jesus Christ. Professing to know, to believe in, and to love the Lord needs to be accompanied by genuine commitment and heartfelt actions. Words may be enough to fool ourselves and others, but the Lord knows the truth.
If you stood before the Lord’s judgment seat this very day, even this very hour, what would the Lord say, and how would you answer? Would the way you are living your life right now, right down to your very thoughts and words, and your actions, reflect that you sincerely know the Lord, that you genuinely believe in the Lord, and that you definitively love Him? If the answer is no, then turn unto Him – while there is still time. This urgent warning is a wake-up call. Don’t hit the snooze button. It could cost you your eternity.