INFINITE SUPPLY

INFINITE SUPPLY
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (Jn. 3:16).

We used to live in an apartment complex that gave us access to a swimming pool. During the hot, muggy North Carolina summer a family from the church we attended became very friendly with us. Eventually they asked if they could come over for a visit. And, by the way, did we mind if they brought their bathing suits and swam in our pool? It should have been obvious that the real intention here was not to have a relationship with us, but to use us to get something they wanted. Once the pool was gone, so were our “friends.”

That pattern has repeated itself over many years of ministry, both inside and outside of the organized church. People go through a crisis, reach out to us begging for friendship and fellowship, get their needs met, and disappear into the sunset. We have learned to accept this as the normal experience for anyone who spends their life loving and helping people.

But what bothers me more is when I consider how many Christians do the same thing to the Lord Jesus. They do not want a relationship or friendship with Him – they are only using Him to get to heaven. They call Him “Lord, Lord” to get their name on the roll but they won’t do anything He tells them to do. This is the essence of religion: using God to get what I want. To help break people out of this self-centered spell, I usually shock them by telling them that God has not given them eternal life. As they begin to argue and panic, I explain that the only thing God has given them is His Son. If we have a relationship with the Son, then the Bible says we have eternal life, because the Life is in the Son. If we try to grasp the Life as a “thing” apart from a relationship with Jesus, we are going to find ourselves on the wrong side of God on the day of judgment. God will not let you use Him just to swim in His swimming pool. But, if you
desire friendship with God by way of His Son, then you get Him, the swimming pool, and “every spiritual blessing in heavenly places IN CHRIST JESUS” (Eph. 1:3).


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I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com