I started this blog because I wanted a place online I could write my heart out... and because I was in such a hurry to create one, I didn't take note of most details, any if you'd have it that way...especially the Terms of Service tab. I never really do anyway, and then it occurred to me, there are sooo many things that we agree to but don't even bother to check what the "Terms of Service" are, sometimes we even blatantly refuse to even if we had the time and luxury to do just that. And then my thoughts drifted to one point of life that I noticed we barely check for "Terms of Service"
But let me start with a little story...
I teach at Children's Sunday School and last Sunday I had an altar call. I noticed a lot of children who had raised their hands to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Personal Saviour had done so before...and not just once before in my presence. Then I wondered what were they thinking? That what? Giving their lives to Christ was a fashion statement, another badge of prestige, the more times the more honourable?? So I chipped it in, "If you have given your life to Christ before, you don't have to do it again".
Still, the same hands were raised, then I said, "If you have asked Jesus to come into your heart and be Lord and Master, and help you live a good life, don't raise your hand."
It was more of an order then. The same hands were raised, especially those that I knew had given their lives to Christ at least once before. So I gave up, hoping to discuss it later with them. So I started with the Sinner's prayer, and then I noticed that almost all, if not everyone in the entire class repeated after me! Including those who had not raised their hands at all! That was bad. So becoming a Christian seemed to be a popular thing to do, did they know the "Terms of Service"? Did they understand it?
Then when I created this blog it came back to me...then I wondered, with me being a Christian, do I, myself, know the Terms of Service? Have I read it well? Have I understood it? Have I followed it? And then I realised I could not confidently answer 100% affirmative to the entire stream of questions I asked myself. Read it? I guess most of it, I don't think all of it... Understood what I've read? Not all of it, and sometimes don't bother to....Have I followed it? I try to most times, and usually do when I set myself to obey God, but sometimes I just want to have my way, or no way including God's.
The Terms of Service are all in the Bible, the Christian's Manual. With respect to my Sunday School Children, what they missed may be that they need not give their lives to Christ over and over again. If they do any wrong, or sin after that, all they need to do is ask God for forgiveness and help to not repeat that and take hold of God's provision and not repeat that sin victoriously. What I now see I've missed is proper communication to help them be reassured of their salvation.
With respect to my errors, I may be faulting at each step.I am to read the Bible (if I don't read, I won't know what's there to even speak it, better still speak from memory)...meditate on it and by so means understand what the Word says to me... and be careful to obey it all the way always...Joshua 1:8, no?
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8, NIV
And then I ask myself, do I ignore the Terms of Service, or EULA: End User License Agreement in my walk with God, as I may usually do with software et al that I blindly agree to just to less stressfully complete my setup and/or installation process? Do I now treat my Christian faith like that? Do I now reduce the Christian life I live on earth which would continue in eternity to an exciting software that may be archaic in the next 3 or 5 years? Do I now choose to skip reading, understanding, meditating on and eventually obeying the Bible just because it's more convenient to skip it?
...and then I ask....
what about you....?
