Using God

When you say that someone used you just to get something, that is a very negative statement. I know few people who would want to be used by a friend. In fact, someone who uses you, especially intentionally or repeatedly would probably not be much of a friend at all. Yet this is the mindset I find with some who call themselves Christians. It can show up in teenagers as well as adults. They consider themselves "saved". They believe that if they were to die today, they would go to heaven. BUT. They are going to live life on their terms. They will conduct their day to day lives how they please and do what they want. They will not interest themselves in the things that are important to God nor spend time on their spiritual lives. After all, what does it matter? They are saved and if they die, they're going to heaven. In other words, they are using God. They don't actually care about having a relationship with Him. Maybe they did once, but they are over that now. Now they just want his fire insurance thank you very much and be allowed to get on with their lives. I worry about those who are comfortable with that approach to God. Any one who once called themselves my friend but then had no problem using me while ignoring my feelings or friendship was probably never my friend, no matter what it had seemed like. A true friend wouldn't ever do that intentionally. The Bible says in James,

"You people aren't faithful to God! Don't you know that if you love the world, you are God's enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. "

Sounds pretty clear cut to me. How does someone who claims to be God's friend (saved) find it easy to make them self an enemy of God? Anyone who is trusting that they will go heaven and that they can therefore live however they want should ask them self this question. Is using God just to get this salvation really friendship with God? I think this is why Jesus says in Matthew,

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."

Just saying your a Christian and proclaiming Jesus is Lord doesn't mean your heart has changed. Again in Matthew Jesus says,

"Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

All this to say, if you or someone you know is happy with some good fire insurance, perhaps they should think about what using someone while ignoring them means for the connection you have with them. Tough thoughts.