Too often I find myself looking at life from a "me-focused" perspective:
"What should I do?"
"What can I do?"
"What should I not have done?"
This tends to make me frustrated and worried, because it's a law-based perspective. I'm constantly putting myself down from not living up to my own expectations.
Obviously, living with this perspective is not the way to be content and joyful in life. Rather, I need to keep my focus on Christ:
What has he done for me?
What is he doing in my life right now?
What has he promised for my future?
In terms of my eternal state ("What has God promised for my future?"), that's something for which I fully rely on God, not on myself. I have been made of a child of God by his grace and saved through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, which is a gift of God. My eternal salvation is not in question, and it is secure in Christ.
It's the day-to-day life that's a struggle, not my hope for the future. Satan tries to tear me (all of us) down: "You're such a terrible person. You never get anything right. God is so disappointed in you."
To counter this, we get to live in the knowledge that we are forgiven. God gladly and willingly forgives all our mistakes--even the ones we might think are unforgivable--and helps us turn away from our sins, repent, and turn back to him.
When I feel like I'm a "terrible person" or a "bad Christian," I remind myself that God sometimes works in and through me despite me! The Holy Spirit, living within us, enables us to live a life that's obedient to God and that reflects his love to those around us.
The ability to live a "good Christian life" is not something we find within ourselves. It's something God gives us freely, as a father gives good gifts to his children.
We cannot trust our feelings in this. Whether I "feel" like I'm a terrible person or not, that doesn't change what God has done for me. Our forgiveness is not based on our feelings. Neither is our salvation. We are saved and forgiven because of God's great love for us, shown in Christ's death and resurrection.
This is what I want to be the focus of my life!
Not me. Not my actions.
God--and his great love for me.
Showing posts with label law-gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label law-gospel. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Guilty, but Declared Innocent
This post is third in a mini-series based on my jury duty experience.
See part one here
and part two here.
The main job of a juror is to look at the facts as seen in the evidence, and decide if the defendant is guilty or innocent, based on what the facts say.
In the case for which I was a juror, the facts didn't make that job easy. It was hard to trust the validity of the witnesses' testimonies, or the accuracy of computer data. We had no way of knowing whether something was dependable or not. Therefore, we had to decide that there was not enough proof to declare the defendant guilty of the main crime of which he had been accused. So, of that crime, we decided he was innocent.
As a sinful human being who answers to a far greater Judge than the one sitting in the courtroom I was in, I am not so lucky. There is very solid evidence against me. There's no jury debating my guilt or innocence.
I am, beyond all possible doubt, guilty of sin. I have broken God's laws, and God, who sees and knows everything, has no doubt of that.
But I will not receive the punishment due a guilty verdict.
As a lawbreaker, I deserve death. Eternal separation from God.
But Jesus didn't stay dead. He paid the price, all right. But he is God, and God cannot die.
He faced my accuser--Satan. He announced that he had paid the price for my sin. And he declared to Satan that I can no longer be accused of guilt. Past, present, and future sins were all covered by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Nothing I do will earn me eternal condemnation. God looks at me as one holy and perfect, covered by the righteousness of his Son.
Now, I'll still have to face consequences for the poor choices I make. But I will never have to endure the punishment that those wrongs deserve.
There's no question: I committed the crime. But there's also no question that the guilt is no longer mine. The holy Son of the righteous Judge has taken my punishment. I am free and redeemed because of his love and grace.
See part one here
and part two here.
The main job of a juror is to look at the facts as seen in the evidence, and decide if the defendant is guilty or innocent, based on what the facts say.
In the case for which I was a juror, the facts didn't make that job easy. It was hard to trust the validity of the witnesses' testimonies, or the accuracy of computer data. We had no way of knowing whether something was dependable or not. Therefore, we had to decide that there was not enough proof to declare the defendant guilty of the main crime of which he had been accused. So, of that crime, we decided he was innocent.
As a sinful human being who answers to a far greater Judge than the one sitting in the courtroom I was in, I am not so lucky. There is very solid evidence against me. There's no jury debating my guilt or innocence.
I am, beyond all possible doubt, guilty of sin. I have broken God's laws, and God, who sees and knows everything, has no doubt of that.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23Satan has accused me. My own sinful nature has convicted me.
But I will not receive the punishment due a guilty verdict.
"...and are justified freely by His grace." Romans 3:24You see, when the Law pronounced guilty every person who's ever lived, God's Son stepped in to take the punishment we all deserve.
As a lawbreaker, I deserve death. Eternal separation from God.
"For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23aI'm not getting what I deserve.
"...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23bJesus Christ took my guilt upon himself. He had never sinned, and he was perfect--holy, pure and righteousness. He told his Father, "Look at them and see my sinlessness. Look at me and see their sin." And God said, "Yes. For your sake, I forgive them wholly."
"God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21He took the punishment that was rightfully mine--all of ours. He died. He experienced total separation from God, besides a physically excruciating death. He was mocked, humiliated, and tortured--so that I would not be.
But Jesus didn't stay dead. He paid the price, all right. But he is God, and God cannot die.
He faced my accuser--Satan. He announced that he had paid the price for my sin. And he declared to Satan that I can no longer be accused of guilt. Past, present, and future sins were all covered by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Nothing I do will earn me eternal condemnation. God looks at me as one holy and perfect, covered by the righteousness of his Son.
Now, I'll still have to face consequences for the poor choices I make. But I will never have to endure the punishment that those wrongs deserve.
There's no question: I committed the crime. But there's also no question that the guilt is no longer mine. The holy Son of the righteous Judge has taken my punishment. I am free and redeemed because of his love and grace.
Monday, April 8, 2013
God is Number One
Mondays are Marriage Mondays at Living in the Light. If you're a new visitor (especially if you're visiting from the Challenge)--welcome!! I'm so happy you're here. Check out my "About Me" page HERE, some of my favorite posts on marriage HERE, and my two most popular posts HERE and HERE.
If I was ever asked to give just one tip for making marriage great, it would be this:
Make God #1.
In your marriage, in your life, in your thoughts and actions.
When God gave the Ten Commandments, he began like this:
If I was ever asked to give just one tip for making marriage great, it would be this:
Make God #1.
In your marriage, in your life, in your thoughts and actions.
When God gave the Ten Commandments, he began like this:
And God spoke all these words, saying,
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me." Genesis 20:1-3
Having "no other gods" doesn't simply mean not worshiping false idols or the gods of other religions. It means not putting anything in one's life before God--and that includes one's spouse!
In the book of Matthew, a lawyer questioned Jesus and asked
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40
What are we to do above everything? Love God with all our "heart, soul, and mind." In other words, with everything we have in us. And second, we are to love those around us as we love our spouses.
I don't want this to be all about what we do. Because ultimately, life isn't about us. Marriage isn't about us. It's about God. Life is a gift from him. Marriage is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest gifts God's given us in this life. In marriage, God has given us a picture of the kind of sacrificial, selfless love he has for us. Of course, marriage doesn't always perfectly reflect that love--in fact, no marriage is ever perfect. That's because all marriages are between two sinful human beings. But God shows us grace, and blesses us despite our failures and shortcomings. He continues to pour out his love abundantly on us and our spouse, even when we don't deserve it. And God's love for us enables us to love one another.
The best thing any person can do for their marriage is to focus on God. Our spouse will fail us, and we will fail them. But God is always faithful, and we can trust that when we do fail, he will forgive us and renew us and our marriage.
What do you think? Is this a helpful suggestion for marriage? What's the one best tip for marriage you would give?
Linking with: The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, Yes They're All Ours, What Joy is Mine, The Alabaster Jar, A Proverbs 31 Wife
Linking with: The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, Yes They're All Ours, What Joy is Mine, The Alabaster Jar, A Proverbs 31 Wife
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Marriage :: Defined
Well, now I know how to get all my Facebook friends excited: ask them to share their opinions on the topic the Supreme Court is currently debating. (If you would like some background information, you can read it here, here, and here.)
I realize that there are a lot of issues involved in this.
-How do we define marriage?
-WHO defines marriage?
-Is homosexual marriage a right?
-Should the government have a role in marriage at all?
-Who decides who can get married and who can't?
Disclaimer: I'm going to state some of my beliefs here. I understand many of you may disagree with me, and that's OK. I'd love a discussion in the comments. I just ask that we all respect each other as people created by God.
For me, the bottom line is GOD. God supersedes the government in authority. God's Word contains the directives for daily life. Obedience to God is the best way to live. So I stand by God's definition of marriage.
Now, should the government have the right to define what marriage is?
I acknowledge that our government isn't perfect. It may even be described as corrupt. And I realize that governments have been used in the past for great ill.
That doesn't negate the fact that government was originally instituted by God for the order and benefit of society. (In 1 Samuel, God chose the first king, Saul, for the people of Israel.) In the United States, our government has outlawed such sins as murder and theft, and sexual sins such as incest, rape, and child pornography. I believe that therefore homosexuality can be decreed by our government as illegal.
This brings me to the next point... is homosexuality a sin?
I believe it is. I believe that anything outside God's design for marriage is sinful. And the Bible does speak to this. Genesis 19:1-11 make it clear that homosexual behavior is punishable. Leviticus 20:10-17 condemns homosexuality, incest, adultery, and bestiality. 1 Corinthians 6:9 clearly condemns homosexuality, along with other sins.
Romans 1:24-28 states, "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts for the degrading of their bodies with one another...Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." It is helpful to read this passage in its full context: Romans 1:20-32. Also see this article for a helpful discussion of the topic.
Now, I must make the most important point.
Do I condemn homosexuals?
NO!
I cannot condemn any sinner. Why? Because I, too, am a sinner. It is up to God to condemn sin. I saw an excellent quote on Facebook, that has been attributed to Rick Warren (although I can't verify that):
Jesus died a horrific death on the cross so that the sins of all people, of all time, would be paid for. He wants all people to be in heaven with him someday. All people have been created by God, and God loves them all, so very much! Whether your sin is drunkenness, gluttony, sloth, greed, murder, lust, theft, homosexuality, or any other sin, Jesus has died to eliminate that sin. He has died for you (and me!) because he loves us. And he doesn't want us to be separated from God for eternity.
So am I going to say homosexuality is wrong? Yup. Am I going to say it's something no one should do? Yes. Am I going to back the government if it makes a law that homosexuality is illegal? Well, I'm not going to complain... but the government hasn't outlawed my sinful habits of rudeness, laziness, and meanness. The government isn't required to make such a decision.
Will I continue to strive to love everyone around me equally, with the love of Jesus? You bet. Because that's how God does it.
Linking with: Upward Not Inward, Deep Roots at Home, Raising Homemakers, We are THAT Family, To Love, Honor and Vacuum, Messy Marriage
I realize that there are a lot of issues involved in this.
-How do we define marriage?
-WHO defines marriage?
-Is homosexual marriage a right?
-Should the government have a role in marriage at all?
-Who decides who can get married and who can't?
Disclaimer: I'm going to state some of my beliefs here. I understand many of you may disagree with me, and that's OK. I'd love a discussion in the comments. I just ask that we all respect each other as people created by God.
For me, the bottom line is GOD. God supersedes the government in authority. God's Word contains the directives for daily life. Obedience to God is the best way to live. So I stand by God's definition of marriage.
Genesis 2:23-24: The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Genesis 1:27-28: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it."God created marriage to be between one man and one woman. (Side note: his directive to "be fruitful and increase in number" would be impossible to fulfill if marriage had been designed to also include same-sex couples!)
Now, should the government have the right to define what marriage is?
I acknowledge that our government isn't perfect. It may even be described as corrupt. And I realize that governments have been used in the past for great ill.
That doesn't negate the fact that government was originally instituted by God for the order and benefit of society. (In 1 Samuel, God chose the first king, Saul, for the people of Israel.) In the United States, our government has outlawed such sins as murder and theft, and sexual sins such as incest, rape, and child pornography. I believe that therefore homosexuality can be decreed by our government as illegal.
This brings me to the next point... is homosexuality a sin?
I believe it is. I believe that anything outside God's design for marriage is sinful. And the Bible does speak to this. Genesis 19:1-11 make it clear that homosexual behavior is punishable. Leviticus 20:10-17 condemns homosexuality, incest, adultery, and bestiality. 1 Corinthians 6:9 clearly condemns homosexuality, along with other sins.
Romans 1:24-28 states, "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts for the degrading of their bodies with one another...Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." It is helpful to read this passage in its full context: Romans 1:20-32. Also see this article for a helpful discussion of the topic.
Now, I must make the most important point.
Do I condemn homosexuals?
NO!
I cannot condemn any sinner. Why? Because I, too, am a sinner. It is up to God to condemn sin. I saw an excellent quote on Facebook, that has been attributed to Rick Warren (although I can't verify that):
Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone's lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means to agree with everything they do. Both are nonsense. You don't have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.Jesus said, "Love one another as I have loved you." Jesus loves everyone equally. That's the kind of equality I'm all about! He does not love any person more or less for the choices they've made. However, Jesus did tell the prostitute caught in her sin, "Neither do I condemn you. Now go and sin no more." (John 8:10-11)
Jesus died a horrific death on the cross so that the sins of all people, of all time, would be paid for. He wants all people to be in heaven with him someday. All people have been created by God, and God loves them all, so very much! Whether your sin is drunkenness, gluttony, sloth, greed, murder, lust, theft, homosexuality, or any other sin, Jesus has died to eliminate that sin. He has died for you (and me!) because he loves us. And he doesn't want us to be separated from God for eternity.
So am I going to say homosexuality is wrong? Yup. Am I going to say it's something no one should do? Yes. Am I going to back the government if it makes a law that homosexuality is illegal? Well, I'm not going to complain... but the government hasn't outlawed my sinful habits of rudeness, laziness, and meanness. The government isn't required to make such a decision.
Will I continue to strive to love everyone around me equally, with the love of Jesus? You bet. Because that's how God does it.
Linking with: Upward Not Inward, Deep Roots at Home, Raising Homemakers, We are THAT Family, To Love, Honor and Vacuum, Messy Marriage
Monday, August 20, 2012
Not a happy camper (but a work in progress)
My husband and I spent part of this weekend at his parents' house. We hadn't spent the night there yet this summer, and since school starts a week from today (yikes!!), we wanted to get a visit in. We also hadn't broken in our new tent (from my grandparents at Christmas) and other camping gear (from my parents this summer), so we brought the tent, sleeping bags, and air mattress and set up in the back yard.
All was fine till we went to bed. I was comfortable on the air mattress (once I added more air, because it was rather flat at first), but Joshua was not. So we deflated the air mattress. Joshua was comfortable, I was not; the ground was hard, dry, and bumpy--the result of a summer-long drought. I was not a happy camper. Literally. So we eventually hauled the blankets, pillows and sleeping bags inside and camped out on the basement floor instead. Where the ground was hard, but we had plenty of padding, and it was smooth. And level. And we slept fine and woke up happy with each other once again.
But I did not handle the discomfort well. I did not listen to my husband well. I complained. And argued. And acted like a whiny little kid.
This is not the best side of me.
By now, of course, all is forgiven, but that wasn't an isolated occasion. So far all three of the times we've slept out in a tent together, Joshua has had to deal with me being unhappy and uncomfortable at some point. (He has graciously agreed to give me yet another chance! I'll get there yet.) And I act like that in other situations, too.
This morning, this passage from Philippians came to my mind:
Oops.
I goofed...once again. Thank God (and my husband) for forgiveness. But did you see? That's not all law in that passage. I realize it sounds like IF we don't complain or argue, THEN we will become blameless, pure children of God. But that doesn't happen all by our own power!
We're children of God because God chose us in our baptisms. However, refraining from complaining and arguing is part of what happens as a result of being his child. Obviously we won't ever be completely perfect, but we can, by God's grace, live a life completely devoted to serving and obeying him. We won't do it perfectly, but Jesus' sacrifice on the cross covers us, taking away all our sin, so that we can "shine like stars in the universe." Then, as we live lives that honor and glorify God, we can "hold out the word of life," the Gospel, in witness of God's grace.
Those are a lot of good reasons for me to work on this problem of complaining and arguing.
Yet another good reason is that when I complain and argue, I'm not being obedient to or respectful of my husband. Proverbs 21:9 has this zinger: "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house [or a tent, in this case] with a quarrelsome wife." Just ten verses later, verse 19: "Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife." Ouch. My poor husband would, at times, be better off either on the corner of the roof or in a desert, than living with me, the way I act sometimes.
God, in his mercy and grace, enables me to live most of the time in a way that pleases and honors him: loving, kind, respectful, obedient to my husband, and pleasant to live with. The Jaimie-in-a-tent is a side of me that needs some work. But then, I am a constant work in progress...and neither God nor my husband is going to give up on me.
Linking up to these lovely ladies, with thanks:
The Alabaster Jar; What Joy is Mine; lowercase letters; The Better Mom; Raising Arrows
All was fine till we went to bed. I was comfortable on the air mattress (once I added more air, because it was rather flat at first), but Joshua was not. So we deflated the air mattress. Joshua was comfortable, I was not; the ground was hard, dry, and bumpy--the result of a summer-long drought. I was not a happy camper. Literally. So we eventually hauled the blankets, pillows and sleeping bags inside and camped out on the basement floor instead. Where the ground was hard, but we had plenty of padding, and it was smooth. And level. And we slept fine and woke up happy with each other once again.
But I did not handle the discomfort well. I did not listen to my husband well. I complained. And argued. And acted like a whiny little kid.
This is not the best side of me.
By now, of course, all is forgiven, but that wasn't an isolated occasion. So far all three of the times we've slept out in a tent together, Joshua has had to deal with me being unhappy and uncomfortable at some point. (He has graciously agreed to give me yet another chance! I'll get there yet.) And I act like that in other situations, too.
This morning, this passage from Philippians came to my mind:
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." Philippians 2:14-16bEverything. Without complaining. Or arguing.
Oops.
I goofed...once again. Thank God (and my husband) for forgiveness. But did you see? That's not all law in that passage. I realize it sounds like IF we don't complain or argue, THEN we will become blameless, pure children of God. But that doesn't happen all by our own power!
We're children of God because God chose us in our baptisms. However, refraining from complaining and arguing is part of what happens as a result of being his child. Obviously we won't ever be completely perfect, but we can, by God's grace, live a life completely devoted to serving and obeying him. We won't do it perfectly, but Jesus' sacrifice on the cross covers us, taking away all our sin, so that we can "shine like stars in the universe." Then, as we live lives that honor and glorify God, we can "hold out the word of life," the Gospel, in witness of God's grace.
Those are a lot of good reasons for me to work on this problem of complaining and arguing.
Yet another good reason is that when I complain and argue, I'm not being obedient to or respectful of my husband. Proverbs 21:9 has this zinger: "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house [or a tent, in this case] with a quarrelsome wife." Just ten verses later, verse 19: "Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife." Ouch. My poor husband would, at times, be better off either on the corner of the roof or in a desert, than living with me, the way I act sometimes.
God, in his mercy and grace, enables me to live most of the time in a way that pleases and honors him: loving, kind, respectful, obedient to my husband, and pleasant to live with. The Jaimie-in-a-tent is a side of me that needs some work. But then, I am a constant work in progress...and neither God nor my husband is going to give up on me.
Linking up to these lovely ladies, with thanks:
The Alabaster Jar; What Joy is Mine; lowercase letters; The Better Mom; Raising Arrows
Monday, August 8, 2011
Being Honest With Myself
This post was inspired by Jon Acuff's blog post today on his website Stuff Christians Like. (Plug for Jon: if you've never visited his site, I'd highly recommend that you do, and no he's not paying me to say this, he doesn't even know me. He's a great writer, very thought-provoking, and often quite funny!)
Jon was talking about how as Christians we sometimes live a "double life." One side of us is the "good Christian," while the other side has guilty pleasures (Jon talked about music, TV shows, other stuff that I've never heard of which is probably a good thing) like watching movies we know aren't God-honoring, or reading books or listening to music that isn't God-pleasing either. I would add that that side of us can also have hidden sins that no one knows about, like a secret affair, an addiction to pornography, alcoholism, you name it. It can also be things that could seem harmless, like a propensity to laziness, worry, or gossip. None of these things is God-honoring either. Jon pointed out how we often try to hide the less God-honoring part of ourselves, or even deny that that side exists.
So Jon asked, "What's one way we can be more honest as Christians?"
Jon was talking about how as Christians we sometimes live a "double life." One side of us is the "good Christian," while the other side has guilty pleasures (Jon talked about music, TV shows, other stuff that I've never heard of which is probably a good thing) like watching movies we know aren't God-honoring, or reading books or listening to music that isn't God-pleasing either. I would add that that side of us can also have hidden sins that no one knows about, like a secret affair, an addiction to pornography, alcoholism, you name it. It can also be things that could seem harmless, like a propensity to laziness, worry, or gossip. None of these things is God-honoring either. Jon pointed out how we often try to hide the less God-honoring part of ourselves, or even deny that that side exists.
So Jon asked, "What's one way we can be more honest as Christians?"
I think some Christians (read: me) avoid talking about some of the more serious things their sinful nature has gotten them to do because 1) they don't want people to judge or think less of them and 2) they want to set a good example for their other friends and acquaintances. However, neither of these is a good reason. (I'm convicting myself here.) First, what people think matters a lot less than what God thinks, and if we've repented of our sins, God's forgiven us and sees us as perfect and holy. Period. (He KNOWS we've sinned, he just doesn't count it against us anymore.) Second, if we (I) really want to set a good example for others, we (I) can let them know our failings AND that we've repented of them AND that we're forgiven AND that we're striving to live as God would have us to BECAUSE God loves us so much. Look at all that opportunity to share the Gospel!!
I think Christians should try less to keep their secret sins (or vices, or TV shows that they probably shouldn't watch, etc, etc, etc) a secret, and instead see their own experiences as an opportunity to testify to God's grace.
I think Christians should try less to keep their secret sins (or vices, or TV shows that they probably shouldn't watch, etc, etc, etc) a secret, and instead see their own experiences as an opportunity to testify to God's grace.
Being honest can also mean, if you have a serious problem or addiction, taking steps to get help to conquer your addiction. I have my own share of sinful habits that are hard to shake, and I can tell you from experience that our sinful nature doesn't want to let us get rid of those habits. Satan loves to see us stumble and fall, and he does everything he can to try to compromise our faith in God.
But God loves us even more than Satan hates us. And God is far more powerful than Satan. God wants to help us live lives that glorify him just as much as Satan wants us to disobey God. And what God wants us to do, he gives us the strength to carry out. Sometimes getting rid of a sinful habit is really hard. I still struggle with worry and distrust and contentment, all the time. I know I'm forgiven when I fail, but that doesn't mean I want to keep sinning. By God's grace I'm able to (sometimes) say "No" when I'm tempted to sin. And his grace is so huge that it is more than enough to forgive me when I fail.
I think it's important for Christians to be honest: with themselves and with one another. It's also important to remember that God already knows the best and worst of us. What's more, whether we're honest with ourselves or not, he loves us for who we are: sinners who are covered in and saved by grace.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Great Sin, Greater Savior
In my writing class this morning we were given a few minutes to write a "creative non-fiction" essay with a religion prompt. One of the suggestions was that I "Think of a time in your life when your faith reached a turning point...when life experiences brought an abstract concept such as sin, forgiveness, grace or hope of eternal life into focus."
This is what I wrote:
I've always, at least as far back as I can remember, been aware of God and his love for and forgiveness of me. I know that at the age of five I wasn't afraid of dying because I knew I'd go to heaven.
But the magnitude of God's love and grace, his mercy and forgiveness, has become more real to me as I've become more aware of the magnitude of my sin. I think as we get older and lose innocence, we gain capacity for "bigger" sins, not ones any worse than those we committed as children, but sins that have far greater consequences than hitting a little brother or taking a cookie we shouldn't have. I know that the sins I've committed in the last couple years have created strong feelings of guilt and remorse that I didn't experience as a child.
Becoming more aware of my own sinfulness has also opened my eyes to the wonder of the Gospel. God created me, and I sin against him. He sent his Son to die, and thereby take the punishment for my sins on himself, and I still sin! But the mind-blowing thing is, no matter how much I sin, God still forgives me. When Jesus died he paid the price for every sin that I've ever committed or will commit.
I don't want to sin; I want to do good and obey God. But I end up doing what I don't want to do and not doing what I want to do. Paul talked about this very thing in Romans 7: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:18-19). Paul concludes chapter seven with, "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (7:24-25). Chapter eight begins, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (8:1-2).
Despite my sinfulness, I know that God has taken away all my sins and forgives me, completely and daily. David writes in Psalm 103, "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:8-12). God does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, he is compassionate and gracious, abounding in love, and removing our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
As I have become more aware of just how grievous my sin is, so I have come to realize and become awed by how great God's love is. His love far surpasses my sin: how great is the love and mercy of God compared to my sin! How wonderfully does he not reject me. How amazing his grace is.
This is what I wrote:
I've always, at least as far back as I can remember, been aware of God and his love for and forgiveness of me. I know that at the age of five I wasn't afraid of dying because I knew I'd go to heaven.
But the magnitude of God's love and grace, his mercy and forgiveness, has become more real to me as I've become more aware of the magnitude of my sin. I think as we get older and lose innocence, we gain capacity for "bigger" sins, not ones any worse than those we committed as children, but sins that have far greater consequences than hitting a little brother or taking a cookie we shouldn't have. I know that the sins I've committed in the last couple years have created strong feelings of guilt and remorse that I didn't experience as a child.
Becoming more aware of my own sinfulness has also opened my eyes to the wonder of the Gospel. God created me, and I sin against him. He sent his Son to die, and thereby take the punishment for my sins on himself, and I still sin! But the mind-blowing thing is, no matter how much I sin, God still forgives me. When Jesus died he paid the price for every sin that I've ever committed or will commit.
I don't want to sin; I want to do good and obey God. But I end up doing what I don't want to do and not doing what I want to do. Paul talked about this very thing in Romans 7: "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing" (Romans 7:18-19). Paul concludes chapter seven with, "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (7:24-25). Chapter eight begins, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (8:1-2).
Despite my sinfulness, I know that God has taken away all my sins and forgives me, completely and daily. David writes in Psalm 103, "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:8-12). God does not treat us as our sins deserve. Instead, he is compassionate and gracious, abounding in love, and removing our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
As I have become more aware of just how grievous my sin is, so I have come to realize and become awed by how great God's love is. His love far surpasses my sin: how great is the love and mercy of God compared to my sin! How wonderfully does he not reject me. How amazing his grace is.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
I am forgiven.
Today I was lost and hopeless and despairing in my own sinfulness. I am so unfaithful to God, and when I insist on having my own way it's only the worse for me.
I opened my Bible at random, and since God works in wonderful ways, it fell open at Isaiah 64, and I began reading at verse 6, reading it as a personal prayer to God:
"I have become like one who is unclean, and all my righteous acts are like filthy rags; I shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind my sins sweep me away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from me and made me waste away because of my sins."
This Law broke and humbled me. This is exactly how I was feeling. I haven't been seeking out God, and I have become like one who is unclean because of my sin. But I couldn't stop there. Isaiah continues in verses 8 and 9,
"Yet, O LORD, you are my Father. I am the clay, and you are the potter; I am the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember my sins forever. Oh, look upon me, I pray, for I am yours."
He is my Father. He has made me. And I know he will not remember my sins forever.
Flipping my Bible to where a piece of paper caused it to open, I read from Colossians 1:13-14, "For he [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Emphasis mine.)
God has rescued me. Through his Son, I am redeemed and I am forgiven.
Finally I turned to 1 John 1:8-9: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Considering that where I began in Isaiah, I was unclean and all my righteousness was like filthy rags, look what God has done with me! He has purified me from all unrighteousness!!!!
ALL my sins, every sin I've ever committed, has been washed away. It's gone. God has taken my sin away.
What have I learned from this? That crying out to God and searching his word is the best thing I can be doing right now, when my own worries and troubles threaten to overwhelm me, when Satan tries to destroy me with despairing over my own wretched sinfulness.
God reminds me how much he loves me. That he has forgiven me, of everything I've done, despite everything I've done. He requires nothing from me for my salvation, and I believe that he has done what he says.
I am forgiven. What blessed words those are! I have no more guilt. I can live in the joy of knowing that I am a saved, loved and forgiven daughter of God.
I opened my Bible at random, and since God works in wonderful ways, it fell open at Isaiah 64, and I began reading at verse 6, reading it as a personal prayer to God:
"I have become like one who is unclean, and all my righteous acts are like filthy rags; I shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind my sins sweep me away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from me and made me waste away because of my sins."
This Law broke and humbled me. This is exactly how I was feeling. I haven't been seeking out God, and I have become like one who is unclean because of my sin. But I couldn't stop there. Isaiah continues in verses 8 and 9,
"Yet, O LORD, you are my Father. I am the clay, and you are the potter; I am the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember my sins forever. Oh, look upon me, I pray, for I am yours."
He is my Father. He has made me. And I know he will not remember my sins forever.
Flipping my Bible to where a piece of paper caused it to open, I read from Colossians 1:13-14, "For he [God] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Emphasis mine.)
God has rescued me. Through his Son, I am redeemed and I am forgiven.
Finally I turned to 1 John 1:8-9: "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Considering that where I began in Isaiah, I was unclean and all my righteousness was like filthy rags, look what God has done with me! He has purified me from all unrighteousness!!!!
ALL my sins, every sin I've ever committed, has been washed away. It's gone. God has taken my sin away.
What have I learned from this? That crying out to God and searching his word is the best thing I can be doing right now, when my own worries and troubles threaten to overwhelm me, when Satan tries to destroy me with despairing over my own wretched sinfulness.
God reminds me how much he loves me. That he has forgiven me, of everything I've done, despite everything I've done. He requires nothing from me for my salvation, and I believe that he has done what he says.
I am forgiven. What blessed words those are! I have no more guilt. I can live in the joy of knowing that I am a saved, loved and forgiven daughter of God.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Priorities
In Luke chapter ten, an "expert in the law" tried to test Jesus by asking him, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus asked him what he had read in the Law (the Old Testament, the Torah) and the man replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind', and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" This led into the parable of the Good Samaritan, when the man asked Jesus who his neighbor was. (See Luke 10:25-27)
When I was in Sunday School, one thing I learned was an acronym for JOY:
Jesus
Others
You
You will have joy, I was told, if your priorities are in this order.
A bit law-heavy, I feel, but it makes a good point nonetheless. When God is my first priority and first interest, when I seek to love, honor and obey him in everything, then everything else falls into place. When I am obeying God, then I will be loving and serving my neighbor--all those around me. And I will have joy and contentment in obedience and loving others. Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (2:3-6) Paul continues with a beautiful, hymn-like poem detailing the life, ministry, and humility of Jesus, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!" (2:6-8)
Jesus, although he was "in very nature God", did not take advantage of that equality. He had his priorities in order: He first and foremost obeyed God, his Father, and then spent his entire ministry serving everyone with whom he came in contact. His ultimate act of service was to give his own life for the sins of the whole world. If that's not an example of ultimate selflessness and sacrifice, I don't know what is.
Now, we as Christians aren't all called upon to die for others and for what we believe in. But we can LIVE for God and for everyone around us! I know if I was more focused on others than myself most of the time, my life would probably be a lot less frustrating. I experienced the consequences of my own selfishness several times, rather painfully, this last week.
But I can imitate Christ. I have the ultimate Example of Selflessness and Love and Giving and Kindness to emulate. I will never do it perfectly, no. But that same Example desires to help me imitate him, and when I fail, he's always ready to remind me of his forgiveness.
Today, by the grace of God, I want to imitate Christ.
When I was in Sunday School, one thing I learned was an acronym for JOY:
Jesus
Others
You
You will have joy, I was told, if your priorities are in this order.
A bit law-heavy, I feel, but it makes a good point nonetheless. When God is my first priority and first interest, when I seek to love, honor and obey him in everything, then everything else falls into place. When I am obeying God, then I will be loving and serving my neighbor--all those around me. And I will have joy and contentment in obedience and loving others. Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (2:3-6) Paul continues with a beautiful, hymn-like poem detailing the life, ministry, and humility of Jesus, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!" (2:6-8)
Jesus, although he was "in very nature God", did not take advantage of that equality. He had his priorities in order: He first and foremost obeyed God, his Father, and then spent his entire ministry serving everyone with whom he came in contact. His ultimate act of service was to give his own life for the sins of the whole world. If that's not an example of ultimate selflessness and sacrifice, I don't know what is.
Now, we as Christians aren't all called upon to die for others and for what we believe in. But we can LIVE for God and for everyone around us! I know if I was more focused on others than myself most of the time, my life would probably be a lot less frustrating. I experienced the consequences of my own selfishness several times, rather painfully, this last week.
But I can imitate Christ. I have the ultimate Example of Selflessness and Love and Giving and Kindness to emulate. I will never do it perfectly, no. But that same Example desires to help me imitate him, and when I fail, he's always ready to remind me of his forgiveness.
Today, by the grace of God, I want to imitate Christ.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
On Forgiveness and -Not- Blogging
I'm frustrated with myself. I mean, really. It has been a week since I blogged last! Which means I haven't done much in the way of Scripture reading lately either.
Once again, it's the old excuse of being too busy. I really have been extremely busy; there are more things going on than I care to list. On the other hand, I know that part of my neglect is simple laziness, which is one of my worst faults.
However, I learned something this morning when my beloved fiance was leading a Bible study at his dad's church. My man talked about how God in Christ has paid for, covered, erased, and generally gotten rid of all our sins. When we, by faith, believe that Jesus has taken our sin on himself and given us his righteousness, God looks at us and sees none of our sin, but only Christ's righteousness. No matter how much or how often we sin, when we repent of that sin, God forgives us. He loves us, no matter what! He has even claimed us as his own children. To be called a child of God is something I have been familiar with my whole life, but every now and then it really hits me.
The Creator of the universe calls me his child!! His own daughter! His heir, and one who will get to spend eternity with him in heaven!!
This doesn't mean I can just keep sinning, knowing I'll be forgiven. Quite to the contrary: when we really realize what God has done for us, out of faith, love and gratitude we will respond by serving and obeying him to the best of our abilities. We can't do that perfectly, no, but that's where God's forgiveness comes in again. It's a blessed, loving circle.
With the knowledge that I am God's child, one he has chosen, I can really apply Romans 8:28 to my life again. Yes, this keeps coming up, but right now my honey isn't well at all, in fact he's not able to go to the last performance of our college's annual Christmas concert. And my heart aches for him. How I wish I was the one with the sinus infection instead of him! But I keep reminding myself, God works all things for good for those he has called according to his purpose. In this too, God will work good.
Today, I am going to remember that I am a loved, forgiven, and saved child of God: one he has called for his purposes.
Once again, it's the old excuse of being too busy. I really have been extremely busy; there are more things going on than I care to list. On the other hand, I know that part of my neglect is simple laziness, which is one of my worst faults.
However, I learned something this morning when my beloved fiance was leading a Bible study at his dad's church. My man talked about how God in Christ has paid for, covered, erased, and generally gotten rid of all our sins. When we, by faith, believe that Jesus has taken our sin on himself and given us his righteousness, God looks at us and sees none of our sin, but only Christ's righteousness. No matter how much or how often we sin, when we repent of that sin, God forgives us. He loves us, no matter what! He has even claimed us as his own children. To be called a child of God is something I have been familiar with my whole life, but every now and then it really hits me.
The Creator of the universe calls me his child!! His own daughter! His heir, and one who will get to spend eternity with him in heaven!!
This doesn't mean I can just keep sinning, knowing I'll be forgiven. Quite to the contrary: when we really realize what God has done for us, out of faith, love and gratitude we will respond by serving and obeying him to the best of our abilities. We can't do that perfectly, no, but that's where God's forgiveness comes in again. It's a blessed, loving circle.
With the knowledge that I am God's child, one he has chosen, I can really apply Romans 8:28 to my life again. Yes, this keeps coming up, but right now my honey isn't well at all, in fact he's not able to go to the last performance of our college's annual Christmas concert. And my heart aches for him. How I wish I was the one with the sinus infection instead of him! But I keep reminding myself, God works all things for good for those he has called according to his purpose. In this too, God will work good.
Today, I am going to remember that I am a loved, forgiven, and saved child of God: one he has called for his purposes.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
He is Righteous: Psalm 119:137-144
Righteous (as described by dictionary.com) means upright, morally right, virtuous. I'd say to call God righteous is an understatement! He defines what is upright, morally right, and virtuous. And his righteousness surpasses anything anyone else could achieve.
That's how the psalmist describes God and his laws in this passage. Verses 137 and 138 say,
"Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right. The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy."
God's laws are good. Sometimes they might not seem so: they might seem strict, constricting, intolerant, old-fashioned. The law causes frustration among those who try to uphold it, because it is so righteous that it is impossible to keep it completely. However, if we look at the life of the One who did keep the law completely, we can see an example of how good it really is. Jesus was that One who fulfilled every requirement of the law, and he was completely perfect and lived a sinless life. Thank God he did: because he did that for us. You and me. He did it so that God would count us as righteous. Paul writes in the book of Romans,
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in [God's] sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a perfect righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets [that's the Old Testament] testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 4:20-24)
A rather long passage, but Paul explains it so well. Through faith in Jesus his righteousness is imparted to us! God's plan of salvation is so marvelous.
I had meant to comment on other verses in the psalm, but this post is getting long enough for today. I did want to share something, however. Last night at Praise (the student-led contemporary worship/devotions that we have every week here on campus), the two student speakers were talking about worry. The passage was from Matthew 6, 25-34, where Jesus talks about not worrying. Lately I've had a lot of homework, a lot of projects due, other decisions to make, things to figure out, future things to plan for, and I've been very stressed and worried about it. One of the speakers made a great point. When we focus on our worries, we lose sight of God and how powerful he is and what he can do for us. When we focus on God, our worries are still there, but we realize that God is in control and that he is taking care of us. It really hit me, and God's timing was great with having that message just when I needed it.
One verse from the Matthew passage actually ties in really well with the psalm passage for today: "But seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34
Today, I am going to seek God's righteousness, and know that by faith I am covered in the righteousness of Christ.
That's how the psalmist describes God and his laws in this passage. Verses 137 and 138 say,
"Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right. The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy."
God's laws are good. Sometimes they might not seem so: they might seem strict, constricting, intolerant, old-fashioned. The law causes frustration among those who try to uphold it, because it is so righteous that it is impossible to keep it completely. However, if we look at the life of the One who did keep the law completely, we can see an example of how good it really is. Jesus was that One who fulfilled every requirement of the law, and he was completely perfect and lived a sinless life. Thank God he did: because he did that for us. You and me. He did it so that God would count us as righteous. Paul writes in the book of Romans,
"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in [God's] sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a perfect righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets [that's the Old Testament] testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 4:20-24)
A rather long passage, but Paul explains it so well. Through faith in Jesus his righteousness is imparted to us! God's plan of salvation is so marvelous.
I had meant to comment on other verses in the psalm, but this post is getting long enough for today. I did want to share something, however. Last night at Praise (the student-led contemporary worship/devotions that we have every week here on campus), the two student speakers were talking about worry. The passage was from Matthew 6, 25-34, where Jesus talks about not worrying. Lately I've had a lot of homework, a lot of projects due, other decisions to make, things to figure out, future things to plan for, and I've been very stressed and worried about it. One of the speakers made a great point. When we focus on our worries, we lose sight of God and how powerful he is and what he can do for us. When we focus on God, our worries are still there, but we realize that God is in control and that he is taking care of us. It really hit me, and God's timing was great with having that message just when I needed it.
One verse from the Matthew passage actually ties in really well with the psalm passage for today: "But seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34
Today, I am going to seek God's righteousness, and know that by faith I am covered in the righteousness of Christ.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
He has Mercy on Me: Psalm 119:121-136
So, due to a massive amount of homework, three different meetings, and a variety of other things, I failed to post yesterday. I didn't read the passage either, unfortunately. However, today is a new day, and I read both sections of the psalm before breakfast this morning.
In the verses for today, the psalmist is asking God for wisdom and understanding to discern God's laws, and asking God to treat him with love and mercy.
124 Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.
125 I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.
I think the psalmist realizes here the struggle we all have in understanding God's word sometimes. God is patient and loving, however, and because he wants to impart to us knowledge he "deals with us according to his love" and "gives us discernment" to "understand his decrees".
Some days I read the passage and go, "What is this supposed to mean? I don't get this at all. I don't see how this applies to me or my life in the least." The same thing happens in Bible studies or sermons sometimes. God knows that sometimes we have trouble understanding Scripture, for whatever reason, and he lovingly and patiently gives us discernment and understanding.
It's a neat circle, too, because as we read Scripture more we gain more wisdom and understanding, as the psalmist continues,
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
I am definitely simple-minded sometimes, but as God's words unfold (I love the sound of that), I gain understanding.
Verses 126 and 136 are two ways of phrasing the same thing, which is a common pattern in this psalm:
126 It is time for you to act, LORD; your law is being broken.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
The psalmist is mourning the fact that God's law is being broken and disobeyed. I don't like it when other people disobey God, but it's even worse for me when I disobey him. I've experienced sinning and then bursting into tears with regret and shame and sadness because I have broken and disobeyed God's law. I ask him to act on my behalf to help me obey him.
This leads right into verse 132-134, which say
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression, that I may obey your precepts.
This is such a beautiful prayer!
God, turn to me, Lord, have mercy on me, for I love your name. Turn my life to focus on your word. Don't let sin take control of me. Save me from my own sinful self and from sin in the world, because then I will be able to better obey your teachings.
Today, I am going to know that God has mercy on me, and that he will help me live a life that glorifies him.
In the verses for today, the psalmist is asking God for wisdom and understanding to discern God's laws, and asking God to treat him with love and mercy.
124 Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.
125 I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.
I think the psalmist realizes here the struggle we all have in understanding God's word sometimes. God is patient and loving, however, and because he wants to impart to us knowledge he "deals with us according to his love" and "gives us discernment" to "understand his decrees".
Some days I read the passage and go, "What is this supposed to mean? I don't get this at all. I don't see how this applies to me or my life in the least." The same thing happens in Bible studies or sermons sometimes. God knows that sometimes we have trouble understanding Scripture, for whatever reason, and he lovingly and patiently gives us discernment and understanding.
It's a neat circle, too, because as we read Scripture more we gain more wisdom and understanding, as the psalmist continues,
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
I am definitely simple-minded sometimes, but as God's words unfold (I love the sound of that), I gain understanding.
Verses 126 and 136 are two ways of phrasing the same thing, which is a common pattern in this psalm:
126 It is time for you to act, LORD; your law is being broken.
136 Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
The psalmist is mourning the fact that God's law is being broken and disobeyed. I don't like it when other people disobey God, but it's even worse for me when I disobey him. I've experienced sinning and then bursting into tears with regret and shame and sadness because I have broken and disobeyed God's law. I ask him to act on my behalf to help me obey him.
This leads right into verse 132-134, which say
132 Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression, that I may obey your precepts.
This is such a beautiful prayer!
God, turn to me, Lord, have mercy on me, for I love your name. Turn my life to focus on your word. Don't let sin take control of me. Save me from my own sinful self and from sin in the world, because then I will be able to better obey your teachings.
Today, I am going to know that God has mercy on me, and that he will help me live a life that glorifies him.
Monday, November 8, 2010
He is My Refuge and Shield: Psalm 119:113-120
Psalm 119 very much contrasts the wise- those who follow God's law- with the wicked and foolish- those who reject God's law. Today's passage carries that theme. I'll look at each verse in turn.
113 I hate double-minded men, but I love your law. This goes back to verse 53, which was about the righteous indignation a follower of God's law has against someone who disobeys it. Personally, those who claim to be Christians but don't act like it really make me frustrated, too, because it is a poor reflection on the body of Christ. I can somewhat relate to the psalmist here.
114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. My favorite verse in the passage, definitely! I love the mental picture I'm getting of this. In the midst of the spiritual battle that is going on all around us, God is the place where we can hide from the evil that surrounds us; we can rest in him and not fear the attack of Satan. When we are out fighting, God is still protecting us as our shield. He keeps us safe from attack. We can be confident even when fighting this spiritual battle because our hope is not in how well we can fight, but in God's word, and in his word we learn that he has already won the battle and so we have too!
115 Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God! Do you ever feel like if it wasn't for sinful people all around you and the evil in this world, it would be a lot easier to obey God? Yeah. Me too. And apparently the psalmist felt the same way.
116 Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. I like taking psalms apart verse by verse like this because it brings out parallels and patterns. This goes with verse 114-- God's word contains promises that he will take care of us, and we also hope in his word. Verse 116 is a prayer that verse 114 would happen. Verse 117 echoes that also:
117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.
118 You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain. I think it's funny in a really sad way when people think they can trick God. It's like the little kid who steals a quarter off their dad's dresser or disobey their parents in some other way, and think they can get away with it. Mom and Dad see everything, and God does even more so! When people wander away from God and think they can get away with it, he sees it, and rejects them. This is echoed in verse 119:
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes. Dross was the scum removed from molten ore or metal, according to my study notes. It had to be removed for the metal to become pure. It was useless and impure, and was therefore thrown away. This might seem like really harsh language, and it is, because it's law, but there are major consequences for those who disobey God.
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws. This verse on first sight makes God sound like some big, scary, awful being. He's big, yes, but he's awe-some! We have every right to be a little bit afraid of God, when we consider the immeasurable power he has. But go back to verse 114 again: "You are my refuge and my shield." This big, powerful, amazing God protects and takes care of each one of his children. Just think how cool it is to have God on your side--because he IS!!
Today, I am going to rest in the knowledge that God is my refuge and place of rest, and he is my shield and protects me from all evil.
113 I hate double-minded men, but I love your law. This goes back to verse 53, which was about the righteous indignation a follower of God's law has against someone who disobeys it. Personally, those who claim to be Christians but don't act like it really make me frustrated, too, because it is a poor reflection on the body of Christ. I can somewhat relate to the psalmist here.
114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. My favorite verse in the passage, definitely! I love the mental picture I'm getting of this. In the midst of the spiritual battle that is going on all around us, God is the place where we can hide from the evil that surrounds us; we can rest in him and not fear the attack of Satan. When we are out fighting, God is still protecting us as our shield. He keeps us safe from attack. We can be confident even when fighting this spiritual battle because our hope is not in how well we can fight, but in God's word, and in his word we learn that he has already won the battle and so we have too!
115 Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God! Do you ever feel like if it wasn't for sinful people all around you and the evil in this world, it would be a lot easier to obey God? Yeah. Me too. And apparently the psalmist felt the same way.
116 Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. I like taking psalms apart verse by verse like this because it brings out parallels and patterns. This goes with verse 114-- God's word contains promises that he will take care of us, and we also hope in his word. Verse 116 is a prayer that verse 114 would happen. Verse 117 echoes that also:
117 Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.
118 You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain. I think it's funny in a really sad way when people think they can trick God. It's like the little kid who steals a quarter off their dad's dresser or disobey their parents in some other way, and think they can get away with it. Mom and Dad see everything, and God does even more so! When people wander away from God and think they can get away with it, he sees it, and rejects them. This is echoed in verse 119:
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes. Dross was the scum removed from molten ore or metal, according to my study notes. It had to be removed for the metal to become pure. It was useless and impure, and was therefore thrown away. This might seem like really harsh language, and it is, because it's law, but there are major consequences for those who disobey God.
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws. This verse on first sight makes God sound like some big, scary, awful being. He's big, yes, but he's awe-some! We have every right to be a little bit afraid of God, when we consider the immeasurable power he has. But go back to verse 114 again: "You are my refuge and my shield." This big, powerful, amazing God protects and takes care of each one of his children. Just think how cool it is to have God on your side--because he IS!!
Today, I am going to rest in the knowledge that God is my refuge and place of rest, and he is my shield and protects me from all evil.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
He Teaches Me: Psalm 119:97-104
Today's passage is all about God's law, and how (according to my study notes), "meditation on God's revelation yields the highest wisdom." Here is the passage:
97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
I think this passage points out how wonderful and all-surpassing the wisdom of God is. Oddly enough, in the song that was playing on my iTunes as I typed that last sentence, "Have You Not Known?", I heard this phrase: "His knowledge is unsearchable, his wisdom strong and sure." Coincidence? I think not! Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"
Another wonderful thing about God's wisdom is that he imparts it to us also, though his word. This passage of Psalm 119 says that when we meditate on God's law, it makes us wiser than all our enemies, gives us more insight than any human teacher, more understanding then our experienced elders. Why should we not then desire to learn and follow God's law?
I do have the desire; it is the carrying out of God's will that I have trouble with sometimes. But I know that God has patience with me, and I can say with the Psalmist, "I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me."
Today I am going to listen to God's teaching and learn from him.
97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
98 Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
I think this passage points out how wonderful and all-surpassing the wisdom of God is. Oddly enough, in the song that was playing on my iTunes as I typed that last sentence, "Have You Not Known?", I heard this phrase: "His knowledge is unsearchable, his wisdom strong and sure." Coincidence? I think not! Romans 11:33 says, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"
Another wonderful thing about God's wisdom is that he imparts it to us also, though his word. This passage of Psalm 119 says that when we meditate on God's law, it makes us wiser than all our enemies, gives us more insight than any human teacher, more understanding then our experienced elders. Why should we not then desire to learn and follow God's law?
I do have the desire; it is the carrying out of God's will that I have trouble with sometimes. But I know that God has patience with me, and I can say with the Psalmist, "I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me."
Today I am going to listen to God's teaching and learn from him.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Looking for the Gospel. Psalm 119:49-64
So, although I did read yesterday, I never had time to post. Better than not reading at all! Today I'll write on two sections, and because my mom pointed out to me how I'm putting myself down a lot in my posts, I'm going to try to focus more on God and what he does than what I should be doing. That's a little hard with this psalm because it is very law-focused, but there needs to be an even balance. I'm not going to type out all sixteen verses, just those that I'm really looking at.
Verses 49-50: "Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." A friend of mine has been blogging exclusively on hope lately; I'd recommend checking out her blog. Another two friends are experiencing health issues, and their blogs speak to that as well (Nikki and Karen). I'm blessed and inspired by all these women.
Anyway, these verses maybe don't have as much meaning for me as for some people. I'm incredibly blessed, and right now I'm really not suffering much. A few things have been frustrating to me lately, but mostly they've been taken care of. Homework will always be there, but it's not very important if I look at life with an eternal mindset. I was talking with a dear friend about that last week. Some things that seem like such a big deal are really incredibly insignificant if I am eternally minded. What's going to really matter in the long run--in eternity? It's those things, like my faith life, my relationships with God and with other people, and sharing the love of Christ with those around me, that really matter. That's what I should really focus on.
Back to the psalm. It does focus a lot on what the writer does, and what I should do, but here's what it says about God: God has given me hope (49). God's promise preserves my life (50). God's laws give me comfort (52). God's "decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge" (54). God is my portion (57). God is gracious to me according to his promise (59). God has filled the earth with his love and he teaches me his decrees (64).
Hope. Promise. Comfort. Portion. Grace. Love. This is what God is. He's all that we need! If God, the Creator of all the universe, the Savior of the world, the Determiner of right and wrong, the Ruler of all creation, loves me, very small, insignificant me, then what else do I need? That gives me purpose for life. That is what I have to live for. That's why I live. This is good news: God loves us. God forgives us. God has given us life and shows us how to live it. Not only that, he's promised us eternal life!
Today, I'm going to look for God in everything. Instead of focusing on what I'm doing wrong, I'm going to focus on his rightness.
Verses 49-50: "Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." A friend of mine has been blogging exclusively on hope lately; I'd recommend checking out her blog. Another two friends are experiencing health issues, and their blogs speak to that as well (Nikki and Karen). I'm blessed and inspired by all these women.
Anyway, these verses maybe don't have as much meaning for me as for some people. I'm incredibly blessed, and right now I'm really not suffering much. A few things have been frustrating to me lately, but mostly they've been taken care of. Homework will always be there, but it's not very important if I look at life with an eternal mindset. I was talking with a dear friend about that last week. Some things that seem like such a big deal are really incredibly insignificant if I am eternally minded. What's going to really matter in the long run--in eternity? It's those things, like my faith life, my relationships with God and with other people, and sharing the love of Christ with those around me, that really matter. That's what I should really focus on.
Back to the psalm. It does focus a lot on what the writer does, and what I should do, but here's what it says about God: God has given me hope (49). God's promise preserves my life (50). God's laws give me comfort (52). God's "decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge" (54). God is my portion (57). God is gracious to me according to his promise (59). God has filled the earth with his love and he teaches me his decrees (64).
Hope. Promise. Comfort. Portion. Grace. Love. This is what God is. He's all that we need! If God, the Creator of all the universe, the Savior of the world, the Determiner of right and wrong, the Ruler of all creation, loves me, very small, insignificant me, then what else do I need? That gives me purpose for life. That is what I have to live for. That's why I live. This is good news: God loves us. God forgives us. God has given us life and shows us how to live it. Not only that, he's promised us eternal life!
Today, I'm going to look for God in everything. Instead of focusing on what I'm doing wrong, I'm going to focus on his rightness.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Lifting Up My Hands: Psalm 119:41-48
This has nothing to do with today's passage, but I've been starting to follow several other blogs lately (see the sidebar), and been thoroughly disenchanted with my own writing. Compared to others, I am neither witty nor wise nor thoughtful even very interesting. But then I remembered that I'm really doing this for me, and perhaps one or two other people will benefit from my ramblings. (Although, I admit, it would be nice to know that people are reading what I write!)
Anyway, here is today's passage:
41 May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;
42 then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
43 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.
44 I will always obey your law, for ever and ever.
45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
46 I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
47 for I delight in your commands because I love them.
48 I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.
My study notes have a nice, concise summary of the passage: "May the Lord deliver me and not take his truth from my mouth; then I will honor his law in my life and speak of it before kings, for I love his commands."
Hm. I'm just thinking about this, and wondering how much God's truth is even in my mouth. How much do I speak of God's love, power, forgiveness? I had opportunity to speak a word of forgiveness last night to someone who thought she'd never have it. I praise and thank God for that opportunity; it doesn't happen very often. But what about to myself? How often do I speak God's word of truth to myself? Isn't that as important as speaking it to others?
God loves me. God forgives me, no matter what. I need not be afraid of anything and I need not be ashamed. Christ has given himself for me and has erased all of my sins.
And you know what? You unknown reader, if you even exist: God has done the same for you. Completely without any help from you, he has saved you from the power of sin, death and Satan. He LOVES YOU!! Just because he made you. Because he is merciful, gracious and loving. Because he is God, and God is love.
Knowing all that God has done for me, I can do no less than to forgive others (as it says in the Lord's Prayer), and praise God in every aspect of my life. I don't normally do a very good job of that: but thank God for his forgiveness! (A lovely circle, isn't it?) Verse 48 speaks to this. Lifting up one's hands is a gesture of praise. We lift up our hands- we praise- God for his commands, which we can love because they are good. We can lift our hands, literally or figuratively, all day long for what God has done for us. I wonder how my life would change if I were to have the mindset of praise all the time?
Today, I am going to lift up my hands to God for his laws and his love.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Running with a Free Heart: Psalm 119:25-32
Today's passage has such beautiful imagery! Here is the whole passage, with my favorite parts highlighted:
25 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
26 I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.
27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep my from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.
30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
31 I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.
In the first section, note the pattern of each sentence: law, and gospel. We sin, we are sorrowful, we are burdened with our sin and God's laws: but he preserves our lives, he teaches us, he strengthens us and is gracious to us.
Verse 28 really strikes a chord with me, because often my sin causes my soul to be "weary with sorrow". I HATE sinning against God, yet I do all the time! This is wearying and saddening to me. But God in his great mercy strengthens me according to his word: this is gospel.
In verse 30 the psalmist tells us what is truth: God's laws. We live in a culture where the definition of truth is so widely varied, and here we see what it really is. This I cling to.
Verse 32 is probably my favorite. It's just a beautiful picture of what God does for us. We in our sinful state are stuck in the slavery of sin and death. God's law binds and burdens us. But God through Jesus has set us FREE from that law! Our hearts are FREE because Jesus paid the ransom for our sins. We are free to "run in the path of God's commands". His laws don't bog us down anymore; instead of being the walkway to death they are the path of life. This verse brings to mind a picture of a frolicking (I love that word), happy child, free from care or worry, skipping along a sunlit, flower-strewn path. Living in the love and grace of God is great!
Today, I am going to realize the freedom I have in Jesus, and run in the path of his commands with a free heart!
25 I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
26 I recounted my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.
27 Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep my from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law.
30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
31 I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD; do not let me be put to shame.
32 I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.
In the first section, note the pattern of each sentence: law, and gospel. We sin, we are sorrowful, we are burdened with our sin and God's laws: but he preserves our lives, he teaches us, he strengthens us and is gracious to us.
Verse 28 really strikes a chord with me, because often my sin causes my soul to be "weary with sorrow". I HATE sinning against God, yet I do all the time! This is wearying and saddening to me. But God in his great mercy strengthens me according to his word: this is gospel.
In verse 30 the psalmist tells us what is truth: God's laws. We live in a culture where the definition of truth is so widely varied, and here we see what it really is. This I cling to.
Verse 32 is probably my favorite. It's just a beautiful picture of what God does for us. We in our sinful state are stuck in the slavery of sin and death. God's law binds and burdens us. But God through Jesus has set us FREE from that law! Our hearts are FREE because Jesus paid the ransom for our sins. We are free to "run in the path of God's commands". His laws don't bog us down anymore; instead of being the walkway to death they are the path of life. This verse brings to mind a picture of a frolicking (I love that word), happy child, free from care or worry, skipping along a sunlit, flower-strewn path. Living in the love and grace of God is great!
Today, I am going to realize the freedom I have in Jesus, and run in the path of his commands with a free heart!
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