Thursday, March 14, 2024

That Dirty, Gritty Feeling

     


     A few days ago, I spent a good deal of time cleaning our tile and wood floors.  We have a good sized home so it takes a while to do the job.  I cannot stand to walk on floors that feel dirty or gritty and having a dog who loves to run in our back yard through the bushes doesn’t help.  He always finds a patch of dirt to go through and then happily brings it into the house.  We have a vacuum, a robo cleaner and a dust mop, but no matter what I try, the Florida sand keeps coming back.  That’s the price we pay for having a dog and living in sand country.


     As I thought about it though, our lives are a lot like that gritty sand on the floor. When we come to Christ in true repentance, He cleans us up and fills us with His Holy Spirit. Then, before we know it, old sinful habits, unkind words, or thoughts we ought to avoid can come creeping back into our lives just like that nasty sand.  We can feel it in our hearts as the Holy Spirit convicts us.  It seems like a never ending cycle, but we must remember that while Jesus Christ has forgiven us of our sins and made us new creations in Him, we still carry with us the old flesh until we go home to be with Him.

     Paul knew all about that struggle. Read all of Romans chapter 7 for a full exposition, but let me highlight verses 15-20:  “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have a desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” Then Paul asks a good question in verse 24b: “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” He concludes by saying in verse 25a “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” It is only through the blood of Christ that we find forgiveness for those daily sins that still way us down in the body.  One day, we shall see Him and be made perfect as He is but until then, we have a great remedy given to us to get rid of that sin in our soul.

     I John 1:9 tells us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  That is why, along with Paul, we can thank Jesus Christ for what He has done for us. We do not have to keep that grit in our souls any more than I need to keep it on my floor. Long ago, I learned that a good practice is to stop and take a daily moral inventory as we pray each morning asking God to reveal to us where we have fallen short of His glory. Then, we confess those sins He brings to mind and ask forgiveness for those things which we did that we are not even aware of doing. This clears our heart, and sets us free to begin the day walking by the Spirit.

     God is at work in each of us conforming us to the image of His dear Son. He will finish the work He has begun in us, but we must make certain to keep our hearts clean before Him. We should rejoice along with Paul in saying “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” One day we will leave the flesh behind, but until that day, we have the privilege of coming to God to repent when we stumble. I wish it was that easy in keeping my floors clean, but that is another story! May God help us to quickly turn to Him when we have sinned that we might walk by His Spirit and not in the flesh.  Selah! 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Grace for Today and Tomorrow

     Grace is one of those words we hear often in the Christian faith.  It means undeserved favor, mercy or kindness towards another, and we think of this when we think of God.  We are saved by His grace...not because we deserved God’s love and forgiveness but because He chose us before the foundation of the world to be His own through Christ our Lord (Ephesians 1:4). This is a type of love that the world cannot comprehend.

 


   Beyond saving us, God provides grace for us to face each day through its hardships as well as the good times.  However, there are times when we wish we had a little more information about the future or what tomorrow might bring our way.  This can lead us to worry or anxiety.  Even the Apostle Paul was acquainted with this concern when he dealt with his thorn in the flesh.  2 Corinthians 12:8-9 tells us:  “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Oh that we could say this when we fall into trials! So what is Paul’s secret?  He trusted God.

     Building trust in God comes from knowing Him intimately and believing that He is good.  Prayer is one key to developing that relationship.  Obviously, Paul did a lot of praying and crying out to God over his affliction. The result came when the Lord answered him.  His illness would not go away, but he found reassurance in the fact that God’s power would be made perfect in his weakness. Paul could go on knowing that the grace of God would be sufficient for him.

     In addition to prayer, we can drive out our doubts and worries by knowing the Word of God. Do we read it every day?  We should because it reveals to us God’s character and all that we need to know to lead a godly life. Jesus said in John 15:15:  “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Jesus knew the Father’s innermost thoughts. Through the pages of the Bible we are given the revelation of God. It gives us our bearings and the Spirit gives us the power to obey. This is how we develop the trust that drives fear away.

     God’s grace is not just for today but for the future just like His provision of manna in the wilderness which He provided for the Children of Israel.  They never went hungry because the Lord provided their food daily.  Their clothes never wore out during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. In the same manner, God’s grace is sufficient for whatever we are called to face, and we know there are hard times as well as times of rejoicing. God will give us the grace just when we need it and not before.  Therefore, we need not worry or fret. Instead start each day with a prayer: “Lord, help me and give me your grace today.”  Then, say thank you and rest in Him! He won’t disappoint!  Selah!

 

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Relief is Found in Him

     Our minds hold a treasure trove of information....some very useful and other random information that resembles the junk drawer in our kitchen into which everything seems to go.  Under the random information category, I remember quite clearly some of the old jingles from T.V. shows and commercials.  Why I remember the Alka-Seltzer jingle is beyond me but the character in the commercial told us:  “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz.  Oh what a relief it is!”  Of course, the company wanted us to think of their product when faced with indigestion, and it worked.  Just drop the tablets in a cup of water, drink it down and feel better fast!  This world offers us temporary solutions, but when it comes to long lasting relief, there is only one source that can meet our needs. We find the remedy in God’s Word.  This is why we are encouraged to meditate on it day and night.  While indigestion is a temporary, there are many other things like worry or anxiety that plague our thoughts keeping us from true peace of mind.

     Anxiety is not a sin.  It is an emotion, but left unchecked, it can lead us to sin.  Emotional eating


disorders, alcohol, or drugs are often the quick fixes people resort to when overwhelmed by fear and anxiety.  However, Jesus warned us in Luke 21:34, NIV:  “Be careful or your hearts will be weighed down with...the anxieties of life...”  He spoke these words to encourage his disciples to be ready for the Day of His return. We must face the fact that it is hard to function when we are weighed down by worry.  So what are some of the signs that anxiety has us in its grip?  We must ask ourselves some questions:  Do we always see things in a negative light?  Do we assume that something bad is going to happen?  Do we dismiss good news by diluting it with our negative thoughts? Would we rather avoid being around others and instead, just want to stay in bed?  How much do we laugh and enjoy life?  If we can affirm any of these patterns, we may be dealing with anxiety/worry/fear.  Thankfully, God’s Word has the remedy for us to meditate on.

     Paul’s letter to the Philippians tells us (Phil. 4:4-8): “Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things.” We find four simple take aways in this passage that will keep us in perfect peace. First, rejoice in the Lord. Think on Him and praise His name for all He has done in our life.  Second, we must ask God for help in prayer.  He will hear us when we come in the name of His Son Jesus Christ.  Third, we must leave our requests with Him knowing that His plan for us is good. Finally, we need to fix our minds on whatever is just, true, noble, pure, lovely and of good report. Negative thinking brings us down, but fixing our mind on the Lord will always lift us up.

     While the world scurries around looking for instant relief from the stress of living (the Alka-Seltzer fix), we as believers have the promise of God’s abiding peace in our lives despite our circumstances. Isaiah 26:3 reminds us:  “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You.”  The key is having our minds renewed daily by washing them in the Word of God. As we clean out the junk drawer of our thinking and replace it with God’s thoughts, our lives will find relief in ways that fizzy tablets cannot!  Selah!