I've been studying the Apocrypha lately as it was part of a previous religion I was a part of in my younger years. I was never formerly introduced to a bible until much later in life. So, for me this is quite a fascinating journey.
I've been digging around in the book of Wisdom as of late. I have found several verses so far that have spoken to me. I generally don't deviate from the KJV but, this has been rather interesting.
In the book of Wisdom, chapter 1, I came across this:
[1] Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,
think of the Lord with uprightness,
and seek him with sincerity of heart;
[2] because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,
and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
[3] For perverse thoughts separate men from God,
and when his power is tested, it convicts the foolish;
[
4] because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,
nor dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
[
5] For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
and will rise and depart from foolish thoughts,
and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.
The first three verses really caught my attention today. And just as a side note: Whatever is posted in here is not up for debate. You may discuss politely but, I won't tolerate any debate or argument.
There is a huge difference between simply being a church going christian and being a christian. The "seek him with sincerity of heart" is what jumps out at me in verse 1. I know far too many christians who simply profess Christ with their mouth but, they don't allow him to literally absorb into their hearts. They don't seek his counsel or even try to live rightly. They are the Sunday christians. They go for appearance sake and walk back out to their secular lives and take the same paths over and over. They don't seem to want to learn or be of a loving heart. I don't see how they can do this personally. I would feel guilty if I lived that way.
In verse 2, it speaks of putting the Lord to the test. I see many who expect the Lord to give them some sort of sign to prove he's there. That to me wouldn't be genuine faith. If you stop and think about faith from a childlike point of view, the child doesn't really have the reasoning of expectation. They just believe that mommy and daddy are a safe haven. It's a blind trust. It's innocent of any doubt. If you don't trust the Lord and you expect him to prove himself all the time, it says here that the Lord will not manifest himself to you. If you just close your eyes and pray and trust the Lord with that same blind faith of a child, you will be taken care of.
How many times do we see conviction of the foolish as in verse 3? They constantly doubt the Lord and want to test him. They place guilt upon him that doesn't even exist. It shows in their hearts and in their lives.
In Christ's Love