Glad to Know

I've discovered something else about coming to realize just how sinful we really are. 

As Christians, with sin comes the need to CONFESS those sins. We must not sit around dwelling on the fact that we are DEAD in sin, we must move on to be glad in knowing that we are ALIVE in Christ. 

Sin is death. 

Christ is life.

By the grace of God, we are CALLED and CAPABLE of putting off the old ways of sin and death and putting on the new ways of Christ and life. 

 

 

Once again, Bilquis in her book "I Dared to Call Him Father" had something to teach me about this...She was really struggling with her sin. It was discouraging her. Things like white lies said to protect herself, anxiety, and fear were some of the specific sins she mentioned. They were overtaking her, she could not go on without them. 

BUT THEN, she learned that when she realized what she had done it was IMPERATIVE that she confess those sins. Each time she would turn to God in order to put off sin, she found herself taking up Christ. 

It's the same for all of us. We cannot walk in death and life. We cannot walk in sin and in Christ. We will sin and each time we find ourselves there, it is a call to go back. To go to God to confess, to remind ourselves of the Gospel and what we have in Christ.

 

 

It is in confessing sin that we get to SEE and to HEAR reality for a moment. We see ourselves for what we really are and it causes us to RUN to God in order to call on His strength. 

 

We ARE wicked.

 

God IS doing something about it.

 

He feeds us His Word, His truth, and His glory. He ASSURES us that, no matter what, we ARE His.

 

Walking in that looks like living life and constantly going to Him, letting each sin be a reminder of our weakness and His holiness and grace. 

 

In this, we are simply living life as God intended it. Through Him, for Him, and by the grace He supplies. This is what I mean by looking and listening.  

 

 

Click ^^^ for a list of the posts in this series.

Not Far

In light of the bad news that I shared yesterday, I have some HOPE to offer you today. 

Even though we do not fully grasp how bad that news about us is, God does. He knows it, He knows how bad it is, and He is doing something about it. 

God has ALWAYS been doing something about our sinfulness. 

Acts 17:26-27 says,

"And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us..."

He puts His people exactly where He did, when He did  THAT they would come to know Him. 

All the while as we are deaf and blind, He is there. 

While we're running after SOMETHING, ANYTHING....He is there, THE ONE who will and can and desires to satisfy us with Himself. 

Yesterday's news should show you this: You NEED God. 

Today's hope should assure you of this: He is not far from you. 

The bad news is bad. But then, the good news, is REALLY, REALLY good. Keep reading in Acts 17 if you want to see just how good it is. 

Click ^^^ for a list of the posts in this series. 

A Real Problem

Writing this series has been so good for me. For the first week or so, I got up and sat down at the computer to write before the day was really started. Having a plan of what I was going to share and taking the time to sit long enough to say it was really good. 

Then, I started something else that really needed to begin during the time I was usually blogging....And then last week was CRAZY. I had stuff to deal with and on Wednesday morning, I headed out to spend a few days at my friend Heidi's. It was my first overnight visit with them since the end of July. 

We did some painting,  hauled some junk, cooked (and I mean COOKED, apple crisp, three different kinds of chinese meats and some egg rolls, breakfast pocket thingies, and I feel like I'm forgetting something), visited with everyone at the ranch, folded laundry, and got a good dose of chatting in. I also got lots of time with their kids reading stories, playing with busy bags, doing hair, and enjoying the funny things that come out of the mouth of a four year old. So many times, I just had to smile. I didn't realize how much I had been missing all of them. Needless to say, my heart was a little heavy and a little sad when it was time to head home.

And it's Tuesday. I skipped out on six days of posts, but I'm here again. Let's just say, you might be hearing some of the posts I had planned for a while. After October is over, I'll spread whatever posts I didn't get around to writing out here and there! 

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The last few weeks have been about understanding God's plan in creating this world and everything in it. 

We've been inspired by Isaiah where I came across these things:

A call to look and litsen.

The bigger picture of what it is we are too see and hear. 

The role of God's Word in how we are to look and listen. 

 

And now I come with some bad news....Honestly, it's the WORST news that you will ever hear. Ever. 

You and I are sinners. We are such sinners that we actually DELIGHT in sin. We cling to it, we look for it, we run to it. We find COMFORT in sin. 

It's sickening really. 

Here is the news straight from Isaiah 42:20,

"He sees many things, but does not observe them, his ears are open, but he does not hear."

Everyday we do look and we do listen. 

In our sin we see beautiful things and delight in THEM. We can't REALLY SEE...We don't see WHY they are beautiful, we don't see WHO made them, and we even mistake terribly disgusting things as things that are breathtaking. 

In our sin our ears only hear the things that are happening around us in real time. We can't REALLY HEAR...We don't hear the REASONING of what is really there, we don't hear WHOSE glory these things are proclaiming, and we even tune our ears into things that are destroying our souls. 

We are such sinners that we use our eyes and ears to feed sin rather than to kill it. 

That word OBSERVE really stuck out to me. I'm still trying to put my finger on why...I'm thinking it has something to do with the fact that our culture is obsessed with pursuing meaning and influence. 

 

We dig deep, but for what? 

 

To look in a mirror and approve of what we see. 

 

To dupe people into thinking we are something that we're not. 

 

LOOK at me. LISTEN to me. 

 

Sin.

 

Today, you and I will see many things, but we will not observe them. Our eyes will be craving MORE. 

 

Today, you and I will have ears open, but we will not hear. We will still be longing to hear SOMETHING. 

 

This is reality and it's a problem. 

 

 

Click ^^^ for a list of posts in this series. 

 

Talk About It

If you heard one thing from yesterday's post I hope it was this:

God is doing something. 

You're here to talk about it. 

 

 

 

Verses like this one from Isaiah 43:19-21 help to REMIND us of exactly what this looks like,

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 

The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people,

the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise."

 

 

God is doing it.

 

He makes the way, He gives the water and the rivers and the drink.

 

He made us. 

 

We're here to declare His praise.

 

Simple enough, right? 

 

 

 

 

I think we have A LOT more to praise Him for than we even realize! 

 

Look. Listen. Drink. Declare. 

 

It's a process. And we continually get to circle right around to THANKING Him for leading us in it. 

 

Today, let's TALK about Him. 

 

 

Click ^^^ for a list of the posts in this series.

 

What Are You Saying

Remember the bombing that happened at the Boston Marathon earlier this year?

Remember the response of Boston, and the people around the US? 

Maybe this slogan is familiar: "Boston Strong"? 

After all of that, Marvin Olasky of World Magazine had a talk with John Piper. You can check out the article and video HERE (the video is on the second page).

I heard two things:

1. Christian, you and your city and your country are weak. You need God. Our boast is not in our strength but His. If we want a slogan, it should be God-Strong. 

2. Christian, you are a witness sent to declare...This is a time for witness. 

In the video portion, Piper said,

 "You're not called to make change. 

You're called to talk! Keep talking...Get beyond, 'If I can't fix it, I don't talk.' 

You're not called to fix it! 

You are called to talk! And keep talking till you don't have a voice in you anymore." 

There again the strength, the change, the fixing is all God. We must know this and knowing this we must talk in order to point people to Him.

If they hear, there will be more voices doing the same. If they don't hear, if they get upset, if they actually hurt us, we must respond in humility. The influence of our voice will probably only grow.

Luke 21:12-13 says, But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for My name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness...

 

Mathew 24:13-14 says, But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come...

God's plan is that the Gospel will be preached. He sends His people to talk. 

Our God is strong and He has given us His Word that we would have something to say. 

Are you saying it?  

Click ^^^ for a list of the posts in this series.