A Moment of Clarity

I've been sick this week and all my routines have been disrupted. I haven't been getting enough sleep though I've been sleeping most of the day. I haven't gotten much work done since Tuesday though I've sat staring at the screen. I haven't been hungry but I have tried to eat to maintain my strength. I haven't done my daily devotionals though I've prayed for healing. But this morning, I awoke earlier than usual after a reasonable full night's sleep and my head was crystal clear. I don't mean my sinuses were cleared up but the fog of my waking mind had lifted. And I was HUNGRY. Not for biscuits and eggs as breakfast but for God's Word to break my fast.

As I raced through my normal morning routines I had one goal in mind and that was to sit down, read God's word and from it, draw the sustenance and healing that I truly need; spiritual sustenance and soul healing.

God had apparently been waiting for this moment, not to imply that He waits on me but rather He had prepared just what I needed, in advance of my needing it. Today, I read from...

Zephaniah 2:3
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger.

Though I am still sick, the fever is reminding me even now, my mind is yet clear enough to know the gravity of my depravity. Each day when I sit down to spend time with God, (okay most days, alright some days) I remember and recall the life of slavery and bondage to sin from which God has delivered me. Those memories motivate me to stay in constant pursuit of God lest I be snatched back into the clutches of Satan. Recently, while I was on vacation staring at the waves pounding against the beach, I had this thought of my relationship with God.

Pursuing God is like swimming against the ocean's waves. So long as you are diligent to swim, so long as you dive down deep against the waves you will be successful. Eventually, you will reach the deep parts of the ocean. But as soon as you stop actively swimming, as soon as you become complacent the waves will sweep you back towards the shore there to be smashed relentlessly into the sand.

Since I don't want to be dashed to pieces on the rocks of worldly living, I must swim against the tide of the ways of this world. I must dive deep into the waves of God's grace out into the depths of his mercy and love into the tides of eternity. And to what do I swim? A distant shore that can only be reached by an active faith in the atoning blood of Christ Jesus.

So I seek the Lord as a man afraid of drowning; desperately and relentlessly. Keenly aware of my own shortcomings and profoundly aware of God's mercy, I must daily humble myself before Him and before others. I must purposefully and intentionally study his word that I may do what he has commanded that I may be prosperous and successful; spiritually. (Joshua 1:8) Though I cannot attain it apart from His grace, I must seek and pursue righteousness by living as a child of God. I must seek His glory and not my own. Then I will know that when the day comes, I will be counted as sheep and reserved for his kingdom. On that day, the cloak of Christ's righteousness will shelter me from the Lord's anger.

Shalom,
Carl

We have to be in it, but not of it

I keep seeing these clothes being worn at church. In large letters they are emblazoned with 'Abercrombie & Fitch' or 'Aeropostale' or 'Pink' or other things that I know to be associated with clothing lines that are known for their worldliness and overt sexuality. I see dresses with necklines that plunge to reveal whatever is there to be revealed and I see hemlines that are more akin to panty lines. It rankles me to see these things in Gods house.

But you know, that's not where the problem is. Because when I look outside the church, I see these same things being worn by Christian and non-Christian alike. It seems that even by close examination I cannot distinguish the believers from the non-believers and that is a serious problem.

Consider my study verse for today wherein Moses poses a great question to God:

Exodus 33:13

"How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

God's response was to first reveal himself to Moses and then to engrave his teachings onto two stone tablets. The rest is, as they say, history.

God has been revealed to us in three forms; his written Word, his eathly manifestation as Jesus and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Together and apart, these all represent truth, compassion, love and glory. So I would argue that we have seen God in ways that Moses could only dream of and believe through faith. We have 'advantages' so to speak with respect to seeing and understanding God.

It is the realization of God and the understanding of his word as evidenced by how our lives are changed by it that distinguish us in the world. The face of the redeemed, the visage of the disciple should reflect God's glory as though a veil has been lifted. The external conduct and the visible actions of the believer should be proof positive of the change that has occured within.

And so as I look upon the world where I see the sheep and the goats co-mingled, it grieves me that I can seldom tell the difference. The outward appearance of most believers is no different than that of the unbelieving. Both wear the same clothes bearing the same messages of worldliness and decadence. Both engage in the same behavior of avarice and greed. Both turn their backs on their brothers in need and speak hatred and vitriol to one another. Both turn to abortion and divorce and both pursue worldly happiness at the cost of eternal holiness. This is not what God intended for his chosen people. This is not why the branch of the Gentile was grafted into the family tree of Abraham. This is not why Immanuel Jesus came and suffered that we may be released not only from Hell but from the bondage of sin.

I challenge YOU today to examine your life. If you are unable to distinguish yourself from among the peoples of the world, I beseech you to repent and to claim your new life in Christ; to live as a believer, to clearly be a sheep among goats.

By His Grace I remain,
Carl

Fruit of the lips

I'm having some trouble today with my study verse. Here it is;

Isaiah 57:19
"...creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near," says the Lord. "And I will heal them."

In this passage the Lord is speaking of how he will yet redeem his sinful. Despite their sin, their greed, their willful disobedience, even still, God will guide and restore his people. He will do this in order to bring forth 'fruit of the lips' or praise as is presented in this passage.

To those who mourn, I believe that would be those who have come to the end of themselves and have chosen to repent, God will create or 'sprout' 'fruit of the lips.' This speaks to me of the dramatic change in myself.

As a sinner, my 'fruit' was always about myself, what I was doing, what I had done, what I would do. I was my own idol and I worshiped my self. But when my idol failed me, as all idols do, I became a mourner and God, who had been patiently waiting for this moment, 'sprouted fruit of (my) lips.' I now sing praises to God and my actions now reflect my allegiance to The King.

The next sentence "peace, peace, to those far and near..." I read to mean the Gentiles and the Jews. Being a Gentile, I was 'far' from God. Nevertheless, God has granted peace to my soul.

And the last sentence "I will heal them." That means to me that God draws no distinction with respect to salvation (healing) between the Gentile and the Jew.

The problem I have with this passage is not in understanding the passage. It's in my response to it. I'm going to meditate on this passage throughout the day and I may come back later and add comment to this post. But for now, I'm signing off and offering the 'fruit of my lips' to God.

Regards,
Carl

At the End of Me - Jesus

When the sinful man reaches that desperate place where there is neither quarter nor refuge; when he looks to the right and to the left seeking relief; when at last he looks up, there is found redemption in the person of Jesus Christ. And what sweet relief it is!

My own redemptive journey had many stages. I remember the inital stage as it was dark and ugly. I was in a wretched place unaware that I myself was wretched. Having searched everywhere else, having run out of 'isms' I looked one more place; Christ. But what I was looking for was not redemption nor salvation but relief from the consequences of my own behavior. I was looking only for what I thought I needed.

Yet when I came into the presence of Christ, my wretchedness was fully revealed. In the bright light all the darkness and dinginess was put on full display. And Christ did not give me what I wanted, he gave me what I needed. Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!

And that is my focus verse for today;

Romans 7:25
Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Christ came and rescued me from the body of death. He freed me from the consequences of my sin; hell. He freed me from the bondage to my sin; freedom. On my wretchedness he poured out righteousness and replaced my selfishness with service. Thanks be to God indeed! For Jesus Christ our Lord!

Peace Out,
Carl

At the End of Me

I love to tell the story of how God has worked a miracle in my life. In the telling of that story, I have to recount the depths of despair from which I have been delivered. It's not a pretty story, it's the kind that will make you squirm in your seat. But in order to have an appreciation for how far God has taken and is taking me, the prurient details serve an important purpose.

Everytime I relive those events, I am reminded of how sinful I am and how stained I was. At that time, there arises in me a voice that whispers in my ear. It's what I call 'channel 2' and it carries the condemnation of Satan to my ear. It tells me how bad I am and that I'm so bad, God couldn't possibly love me. It tells me that I'm worse than anyone else and that if anyone could look into my heart, they would recoil in horror.

But God, in His mercy and grace, prepared a response for this lie from the pit! And in fact, he did it thousands of years ago and recorded it for me in his Holy Word (channel 1). You see, there was Paul and he had sins and stains and apparently, he heard the same broadcast on channel 2. Consider this verse;

Romans 7:24
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from the body of death?

This sentiment is an important bellwether of the state of the sinner's heart. For until the sinner, until I, reached this point in my own understanding, there was no chance for true repentance; there was no revelation as to the ugliness of sin and there was no need for a savior. Yet upon this realization there is a magnificent awakening for this question is not rhetorical but rather righteous!

Every person must come to this point whether seeking salvation from sin or salvation from goodness. It is the common crucible through which the sinner must pass in order to become the repentant.

I think that this declaration serves as somewhat of a bookmark as well. Consider;
Isaiah 6:4
"Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."

So here's my thought on that. The sinner begins a new life in Christ when they realize as Paul did "What a wretched man I am!" Then as Christ manifests himself in their life via the indwelling Holy Spirit, they realize as Isaiah did "Woe to me!... I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King..." Standing in awe of God's love we cannot help but realize the wretchedness of our attempts at righteousness. And I know that one day, perhaps today, I will stand before the Lord God Almighty and recall my life. In that moment, I can hear myself... "what a wretched man I am! Woe to me for I stand in the presence of the King, the Lord Almighty!"

And so the tears flow down my face and they taste of salt. They remind me of the salty tears, salty sweat and salty blood that must have flowed down the face of my Savior as he poured out himself on the cross that my wretchedness would be wiped away! He is the 'live coal' of Isaiah that cleans my lips even as I breath the name of Jesus.

At the end of me is Jesus. And it is only appropriate that at the end of a post such as this, is Jesus.

Desperately Seeking Something...

People talk to me about my 'recovery.' I don't know much about recovery because I haven't recovered, I've been set free. That song, Amazing Grace, that was written about me. :)

But what I've been set free from, the bondage of sin, was not something that was put upon me by some external force, I picked it up and put it on myself. It was a simple mistake really, I was desperately seeking something to fill me up, to complete me, to satisfy me. I foolishly looked in the ways of the world and discovered that there were plenty of artificial substitutes readily available. So like a hungry man at the buffet line, I loaded up.

Of course, over time, I realized that I really wasn't filled up, I wasn't complete and I was still hungry. So I kept looking. After I had expended myself desperately seeking something in the world, I turned my eyes towards God and I sought Him with the same vigor and vitality that I had pursued my sin. Praise God that I He too was searching for me and He found me. Amazing Grace!

But my note today is not about Grace though I could easily get sidetracked! It's about the seeking of God, His kingdom, His will and His righteousness. It's about seeking satisfaction in God. Here's what God had to say about it...

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

God created us all with the instinct and the desire for communion with Him. By design, we will look for Him. But it is only when we seek Him with all our heart that He will be revealed to us, it is only then that we will find Him. The condition is that we seek Him earnestly and totally. The covenant is that we will find Him. It's guaranteed, have no doubt.

So if you're desperately seeking something, allow me to tell you what that something is; it's God! Now that you know what you're looking for, allow me to tell you that there is a map; it's The Bible. Read it like it's a treasure map because it is. And like a treasure map, the X marks the spot on it's not an X, it's a 't', it's the cross. Once you find the cross, you'll find Jesus there and he'll do the rest for you. He's desperately seeking you too.

Owned,
Carl

Braggart Be Gone

I've got pride issues and I find that serving God is no insulation against failures or attacks in this area. When I speak, and someone comes up to say "my that was a good talk" or "you did a good job", I find that my pride rises up like a snake within me. I have to be vigilant and diligent to break-out my mental mallet for a quick round of 'whack a snake' lest I fall prey to own pride.

It is far too easy and Satan is patiently eager to turn simple words of support into fuel for an out-of-control ego. Of course, it's not just limited to words of encouragement. It is easy for the Christian to slip into boastful self-indulgence in the areas of piety and service. Pride through piety manifests itself as judgmentalism. It might sound something like this; "I don't ____________ (fill in the blank with whatever you struggle with) and you shouldn't either. A 'real' Christian doesn't do that!" (whack!) or "Man, I'm glad my 'stuff' isn't as bad as his stuff!" (whack!)

Pride through service is insidious, manifests itself as boasting and might look like this; "I preached a sermon and fifteen people were saved." Or "I teach Sunday School, sing in the choir, cook breakfast for the men's meeting, sew blankets for the needy, pray for an hour and a half each day, have memorized the entire Bible in TWO translations and have been to the Holy Land four times. My kids may be unruly but nobody can say I'm not a Christian." (whack!, whack!, whack!, whack!) I could belabor the point but I trust you get my drift, afterall I'm an excellent orator with an amazing command of the English language. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Puh-lease.... (whack!)

Let's keep in mind these lessons from Scripture in mind...

Matthew 6:4
"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

1 Corinthians 3:21a
So then, no more boasting about men!...

So then, in our service to God and to others, let's keep it real. Repeat after me... "it's not about me... it's not about me..." Otherwise, your brother or sister may have to bust out a big can of 'braggart be gone' or you may have to get a mallet of your own and that wouldn't be a good thing at all.

(whack!),
Carl

Be Persistent

My dad, the earthly one, is always offering his opinion about my life. Sometimes I find it annoying but usually it is just amusing. Occasionally, I find it helpful. I know he means well but... I've learned not to ask his opinion unless I'm ready for the flood. It's funny though how he often begins with... "What you need to do is...." Whenever I hear those words, I brace myself for what is to come. When my wife hears those words, her eyes roll up in her head and she resigns herself to listen. What a good wife! And hey, love you Dad!

Anyway, I'm using this little tidbit from my life to illustrate a point. We all get suggestions or opinions from others whether we solicit them or not. Sometimes we get good information, sometimes we get bad information and we have to have the wisdom and discernment to sort it all out... when it comes from the mouths of men.

But each day, I crack open my Bible (okay, okay, I click it open) and ask for God's advice, instruction, teaching, correcting, rebuking and training. I know that no matter what I read, I don't have to 'sort it all out' and I don't have to worry about whether it is good information. That's not to say that I am always happy to hear what he has to say because sometimes it is painful but that's a topic for a different post.

Today, when I submitted myself to God for his tutelage, he led me to;

Hebrews 10:36
"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

Now, this is some GREAT advice and something that I need to be reminded of often. Like you, I get tired or lazy or distracted or deceived and my focus turns to me (clearly a violation of commandment #1 ;)). I get all whiny and stuff and I want to give up or stop trying. And it is in those moments that I have to turn to God and ask for his strength to keep on keeping on. So this passage is like the 'real deal' to me.

This passage is something I can sink my teeth into because it clearly articulates the contract or covenant between God and me. Simply stated, IF I do my part, he WILL do his part. Now with God being all faithful and stuff, I know that I don't have to worry about him 'welshing' on his promises so that's just a given. All I have to focus on is my part.

By my part, I mean the dying to myself daily, picking up my cross and following Jesus, minute by minute, step by step. I have to persevere, be committed to finishing what I started, be determined, BE PERSISTENT.

But it's not enough to be persistent unless I am persistent in what matters. I could be persistent and persevere in my sin. That would be a grave mistake and would not meet the criteria in this passage. What I have to persist or persevere in is in the doing of God's will. That's the condition, that's all that matters. That's all that Jesus did, not trying to minimize what he did but if you read what he said you'll see that he was 100% about doing God's will. He persevered and persisted in ways that I cannot even comprehend!

Nevertheless, if I meet the condition (persevere and do God's will) then there are rewards, God promised it! The truth is that I'm not really concerned what those rewards might be because I trust God. Man, what I would do for just a clap on the back or a high-five from God! Talk about motivation!

Anyway, when you're feeling challenged, when you're tired and stressed out because you're doing what's right in a world that rewards what's wrong, persevere, BE PERSISTENT. God promises that it will be worth it.

So, in the paraphrased words of my father(s)... "what you need to do is to be persistent." :)

Peace Out,
Carl

Buffet Living

Last week, my wife and I had the fortunate opportunity to spend six days together in Mexico at an all-inclusive resort. It was a wonderful time of reconnecting, recreation and recharging. Each day, several times a day, we would avail ourselves of the seemingly endless supply of food and call it breakfast, lunch 1, lunch 2, dinner 1, dinner 2, you get the point. We wore a little wristband that identified us as guests and entitled us to all we could eat. Each meal was different, some much better than others and they all uniquely satisfied our hunger. Yet several hours later, there we were again, hungry and ready for more. For that time, we indulged ourselves in buffet living and truth be told, there was more of us when we left than when we arrived. :)

While that was a unique experience for us, to experience buffet living at the physical level, each day of our lives we indulge ourselves in a spiritual buffet. Consider the passage I was led to this morning;

Jeremiah 15:16
"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty."

Each day as I present myself to the Lord, he lays before me a great feast in the form of his holy word. And each day, I help myself to his literally endless supply of wisdom, mercy, grace, compassion, love and insight. Each morsel that I consume brings joy to my heart, knowledge to my mind; they are quite literally my joy and my heart's delight. God's word causes me to take flight from the pain, suffering and disappointment of this world and to rise above indulgent, earthly, physical buffet living. And I am so happy for that!

What grants me access to the spiritual buffet of God's Holy Word is not a wristband and it's not the name of Christian. It is instead the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside me responding to God's Word. Where I myself cannot find joy, The Spirit can. Where I myself cannot find wisdom, The Spirit can. Where I myself cannot find delight, The Spirit can. AND DOES.

The way I read this passage, I do not 'bear his name' as my own but rather, I bear His name on my lips as I prasie and exalt him. You may call me Christian because I follow Christ but I cannot speak the name of the Lord God Almighty. But The Spirit can and does on my behalf.

While that last little paragraph may represent an opportunity for theological debate, my point is this... each of us has a buffet before us, prepared by the Lord God Almighty and we have been invited to feast with The King. We are escorted by The Spirit and through our study we eat of the buffet of the word. By our praise and worship, we bear the name of Lord God Almighty into his presence.

Live the buffet life! Feast and rejoice in his name.

Shalom,
Carl

Because He first loved me...

Last summer, my youngest daughter and two of her friends got lost in the woods behind our house. It was a frightening experience for everyone and filled with lessons. For a time, the children tried to find their way back but ultimately, due to training, they just sat down and waited to be found. Search parties were formed, the children were found and the outcome was good.

For many, they have become lost in this world and they wander in the wilderness seeking their own way out. Like the children in the woods, they cannot find their way no matter how hard they seek. But a search party of three was formed; God, Jesus & The Spirit go looking for the lost.

Truth be told we could never find God on our own were He not seeking us. The psalmist records in;

Psalm 119:176
I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

A lost sheep wanders about bleating plaintively but is unable to return to the flock without help. It requires the intentional actions of the shepherd to locate the sheep and restore it to fellowship within the flock. So it was with the psalmist, so it is with us.

We seek and we may even say at some point that "I've found God" but the truth is that God found us and rescued us. This is a truth that reaches back to the beginning of time and continues to the present moment.

Each time we sin, we stray. When we realize the error of our ways by remembering God's commands, we call out or bleat through confession and repentence. The faithful shepherd hears our cry, seeks us out, washes us off and cleans us up then carries us back to where we belong.

We all like sheep have gone astray but praise God for His faithfulness to forgive us and to rescue us.

Baaaaaaa,
Carl

Set Your Sights High

In my accountability group meeting last night, one of my dear friends and brothers in Christ challenged me to discard a measuring tool that we use. The tool 'How Was Your Week' details all the myriad questions that are represented by the seemingly innocuous question 'how was your week.' He asserted that the standards represented by those questions were so high as to be unattainable and that answering them truthfully led only to guilt and frustration.

As a group we discussed the relevance of the questions, the difference between guilt and conviction and the scriptural basis for each of the included questions. We all agreed that it was a high standard, in fact, the highest standard. One that was set by Jesus Christ and that as his disciples we were to strive for his standard. In our own inept way, we referenced the admonitions in scripture that; we be holy, not love the world, not conform to the patterns of the world, conduct ourselves so that there is not even a hint of immorality, not continue in patterns of sin and that we offer ourselves as living sacrifices. But what I could not do as leader of the group, was to clearly articulate the challenge set forth in scripture in response to my brothers objections.

But God, the faithful One had prepared for me, in advance, the answer that I needed. This morning, I was led to...

2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)

Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

There, right there, is what I needed to say. That is that when it is all said and done, we are to 'aim for perfection' and 'be of one mind, live in peace.' That is not to say that we will ever, in this lifetime, achieve the goal of perfection. But as we discussed last night, though we will always fall short of perfection, our goal is to AIM for perfection. Our intent is to be more like Christ today than yesterday.

If, in our own frail and faltering way, we are more like Christ today than yesterday, then we have victory and we have achieved what we are able. Of course, we must freely admit that it is not of ourselves that this is accomplished save for our willingness to yield to the sanctifying work of God's Holy Spirit. It is no strength of ourselves that enables such a change (to be more like Christ) except for our act of will to lay aside our selfish ambitions, to pour out our selves as a drink offering, that we may be filled to capacity by the Spirit. In this, we pick up our own cross daily and follow Christ.

We know too that when we pick up our cross, it leads but to one place and that is the hill on which we may be crucified in Christ, die to ourselves and be reborn into a life of service to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

To try to BE Christ is folly but to strive to be MORE LIKE Christ is wisdom. To be frustrated by our own shortcomings and inability to hit the mark is fruitless but to AIM FOR PERFECTION is glorious.

So my friends, set your sights high, AIM FOR PERFECTION and when your arrow falls short of the mark, shoot again, and again, and again.

Shalom,
Carl

Moving on up

Okay, for many of you, the title evoked memories of a certain television program from 25 years ago and admittedly that's intentional because that song is bouncing around in my head right now. Scary right?

Here's why... this morning I was led to read from Isaiah and immediately, that song just popped into my head. Read it yourself...

Isaiah 57:15 (NIV)

For this is what the high and lofty One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.

My God, the hight and lofty One, he who lives forever, whose name is HOLY says that he lives in a high and holy place. Now that doesn't really surprise me because he is God and he should live in a high and holy place. No other place would really be suitable for Him. So in my mind, I see Him sitting on his throne surrounded by angels and saints and of course Jesus is right there, literally right. The place where he dwells is spectacular and defies description. The most elegant palace on earth is but a hovel next to God's throneroom. But! Rather than being an exclusive place, God says that he lives "also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit."

The God of the Universe, of all that was, is or shall be, opens his house to ANY who are contrite and not full of themselves! And by his own words he says that he does this, opens his home, to "revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."

This fills me with such joy that it is difficult for me to sit still long enough to type this out! Though I'll never, ever sleep in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House, though I'll never, ever be granted an audience before the queen, I WILL BE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD! HE HAS A PLACE FOR ME IN HIS HOUSE. Joyful, joyful, I adore thee God of mercy, Lord of love!

There is a price of admission though and that has been fully paid by my brother, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Immanuel! All I have to do, all you have to do, all anyone has to do, is to pour out themselves, empty themselves of their foolish pride, admit their sinfulness, admit their need for the atoning blood of Christ Jesus and ask forgiveness. Be contrite and be lowly in spirit.

So for me, and I pray for you too, I'll keep pouring myself out daily doing my utmost to remain contrite before God and man, never allowing myself to be prideful or boastful except of what God has done. You see, I'm moving on up.... to a deluxe mansion in the sky.

In His Loving Grip,
Carl

Take it off, take it all off

A provocative title for certain and likely not one you would expect to be associated with a devotional entry. Nevertheless, there it is.

In my ministry, I often confront men who go to the cross regularly to unburden themselves. They kneel, set down their burdens (sins) and pray. Then they get up, pick up their stuff (yes, the stuff they just set down) and walk away. Their burden has not been lightened, the yoke still chafes and they wonder why God doesn't relieve them of the crushing weight of their sin.

I myself have set in church and heard hundreds of voices singing "I surrender all..." when in fact, they have surrendered nothing; neither greed nor avarice, resentfulness, wagging tongues, selfishness, pridefulness, arrogance. gluttony, lust, covetousness, licentiousness, hard heartedness... the list goes on like the telephone directory. Like those men who keep picking up their habits after 'leaving them at the cross' what is being 'surrendered' is little more than lip service. And they too wonder why their walk with God is stymied. Why the blessings they read about in the Bible aren't raining down on them. Those that sing and the men who kneel are all expecting someone (God) to show up, pry their fingers off their sin behaviors and wrestle it from their grip leaving them bug-eyed and slack-jawed.

But that's not how God works. God does not forceably snatch sin from your grip, he requires that you 'lay it down' as a sacrifice. It requies an act of volition on your part, on my part. I was reminded of this fact this very morning by this verse;

Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

In looking at this verse, I see six important concepts. The first concept that is important for me to remember is that there are many who have gone before and having been counted as righteous they are now witnesses to God's power and glory as well as watching me in my own struggles.

Secondly, is the concept that we are to 'throw off' everything that hinders. Not lay aside gently but to literally cast away anything that hinders us. This might include any matter of your heart that separates you from God or from being a compassionate human being. Not only that but (#3) we are to also 'cast away' any sin behaviors that can trip us up. This includes thoughts, foul language, addictions and millions of other behaviors that we so love to cuddle up to.

The fourth point is that we are to run! We are to engage with all our efforts and with joy in our hearts. Once we have laid aside the weights of sinfulness, our steps are to be light and fleet of foot. We are not to live as those who have begrudgingly given up something and are reluctant to leave it behind. No, we are to not only 'flee' from the things we have cast aside (run away) but we are to also run towards our new destination. We are to run right to the open arms of our Savior.

Fifth, is the concept of perseverance. We know it isn't going to be easy, there will be tough times and hardship. Trials, temptations, tribulations and tests are the stock and trade of the Christian. But when confronted, when tempted, we are to pesevere. For God has not given us a spirit of weakness but rather His spirit of power and truth. He has equipped us to be successful as we persevere.

Lastly, there's 'the race marked out for us.' Proverbs says that we make our plans but God determines our steps. God has laid out a course through life and eternity for us. It is up to us, our responsibility, to run that race. If we try to run a race that we aren't in, we are destined for failure. On the other hand, if we run the race that God has put us in (marked out for us) then we are assured of victory.

I know what I am going to do. What are you going to do?

Shalom,
Carl