TO BE ASHAMED OF GOD BECAUSE OF BEING A SINNER

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  (14) I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”. Luke 18:13-14

People use many an excuse to duck away from responsibility. Nevertheless, it is my intention here not to speak so much of such things as are invented excuses, but those which are rather real motives and reasons to constrain us to be ashamed of God, especially when our conduct is somewhat shameful itself.

God may be merciful enough to come our way to instruct us concerning a living or a dying issue, and when people see it, they usually feel lost because self is to be blamed and not upheld before men and God. It should be a delightful thing that God comes and shows out our sins unto us all. All things will be revealed anyway and everyone in the whole universe will see them anyhow, eventually.

Faith and self-confidence are heart enemies fighting for the same throne, one being humble the other pretensious enough to die believing even – they are just like two bulls in the same stall. For one to breed, the other has got to give way. Now, here we find people depending so much on how good they must be and feel so as to be acceptable before God. Little do they know that a holy God is despising on their best deeds, for those carry the seal of selfishness and greed in them. This is just how many a person gets his own soul lost: they have a quest for self-confidence instead of faith. Faith is born out of a thought, a well measured and truthful thought about the worst kind of unworthiness there is; self-confidence cannot but live from the opposite of that.

The people of this world are of such kind that they just feel unfit to move on if they are found without self-confidence. There would be nothing wrong to trust self it were only worthy of trust, in accordance with good sense rules and pragmatically heavenly ruling. If it had all pointed out to steadfast and eternal issues one could trust it – if it only were stable. We hear of God that “He is of one mind, who can turn Him?” Job 23:13. If man were only like that, he would have nothing to stay away from God at all, for man and God would be alike, of one and the same kind.

Besides being of one mind, God has it set on the best final issues and goals, whatever people think and believe about it – even if most people say it is so without believing it in practical life themselves. They say and state God’s thoughts are higher than ours, yet live according to theirs, preferably. Some even live with one way and the other, depending on their daily mood. God’s soul desires only such things as are good for the final decree towards humanity, man and angels, and not good for the present state. And one should have in mind that God has not only the power to desire, but to carry out in us as He desires as well. It means that, “But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. (14) For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him (still)”, Job 23:13-14.

The will of God is a paradise one should do all to enter into. If we would just be likeminded with God, the way there would not be difficult at all, for it is man’s unstable mind which turns it difficult for him – and for Him as well. But to be walking up this difficult narrow way, one has to enter a narrow door of full repentance first. And this is where the greatest trouble lies for mankind: the shame of being a sinner. It takes all his confidence away from him, for it cannot look good and in accordance with his so-called standards anymore. 

Now, here is a real problem for man: such can choose either to be ashamed of himself, or ashamed to recognize and acknowledge God as the right one. God will not change His mind if things are truthful. The dilemma is this now: will you be ashamed of God because you might be ashamed of yourself? Will the first impulse to hide behind a veil of self-conceit and own deceit beguile you into hiding behind some leaves as if they were an iron wall of some kind? Has your heart a sign put there “NO TRESPASSING”? Will you declare publicly all God has shown you in secret even if takes all your hopes to the ground? Will you stop beating your chest and look up to heaven for once? Will your image exalt you or will God? It is the absence of self-confidence which makes you look down when the lack of it should instigate you to look up instead. But it won’t be able to turn your look upwards either, unless you are found lying to yourself again and unless sin is thoroughly dealt with! Don’t wait to be confident to trust a trustworthy God. You cannot be ashamed of God by being evil. Be prepared to loose your life right there, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (37) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (38) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels”, Mar 8:35-38. “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light”, Mat 10:27. (READ HERE)