May 19, 1992
During a recent visit, our oldest son noticed I kept forgetting to do something and quipped “I get that too — it’s called granny-disease.”
I should have swatted him. Most women want to forget birthdays only, and never become old enough to be forgetful! However, I did console myself with this thought: I am in good company — God forgets things too.
Directly related to God’s forgetfulness is one aspect of our own ability to forget. My husband and I marvel how the memory of confessed, forgiven sin fades. Our recall of things done in the past, things we were so ashamed of, has faded to the point where neither of us can remember details, even if we try. Yet there was a time we thought we would never forget.
Recently, God graciously delivered a friend of mine from a life of violent sin and demonic oppression that once dominated everything she did. What amazes her is that now she can scarcely remember even the most recent images from her past. She is particularly overjoyed that plaguing mental images are completely gone — as if she did not even experience them.
I know that some people are able to push painful or ugly memories out of their minds with busyness and noise, but their forgetfulness is repression, a deliberate effort. It is not the same as what God does with a Christian’s memory of sin.
To understand it, we need to first know what God Himself does with our sin. The Psalmist explains that “the LORD is merciful and gracious and slow to anger... while He does hate sin, He does not stay angry for ever...” even though He has every right to remain angry with us.
God offers forgiveness for at least two reasons. First, He can forgive because of the gospel. The death of His Son satisfied His righteous wrath against sin. We deserved the penalty but He loved us so much that He sent His Son to pay the penalty our sin deserved. Those who acknowledge their sin and need for forgiveness and believe in Christ as their sin-bearer, are pardoned. Their offenses are removed from them, nailed to His cross and God says, “Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more (Hebrews 10:17).
Second, His own nature demands forgiveness. Because He is holy, He cannot hold grudges. He says: “I, even I, am He that blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember your sins.” That is why we can pray as the psalmist did: “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD” (Psalms 25:7).
The marvel is God not only forgives our confessed sin but also removes it. He promises: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Psalm 103 goes on to say “He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities... as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
Christians experience the reality of freedom from guilt. As we confess daily and as each sin is cleansed, its guilt is taken away. Then, as we learn to live more and more under the control of the Holy Spirit, we more and more think like He thinks — and the more we think like He thinks, the more we are able to simply forget our sins — as He does.
None of us like it when we can’t remember the names of our good neighbors or where we put the car keys, but when it comes to forgetting cancelled sin, I do welcome having granny-disease.
Showing posts with label cleansed from sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleansed from sin. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
The Root of Pollution .......................... Parables 189
November 1, 1989
These brisk fall mornings are wonderfully invigorating walking weather. Head up, chest out, deep breaths of fresh air, the warm sun shining on my face -- a great way to start the day!
But there is a problem. Something ruins the cool air and hides the sun. Looking straight ahead is often difficult, my stride broken; sometimes I come home with a sore throat and dirty shoes.
But I can’t do anything about it. At least that’s my first thought. After all, what would people think if some stranger turned on a hose and rinsed off their sidewalk? How would folks like it if I picked up the newspapers and scooped up the dog-do from their front boulevard? And what would the companies whose processes spew brown stuff into the air think if I walked in their workplace and pushed their stop button? Getting involved, at least at that level, might get me in trouble.
However, the more widespread pollution becomes, the more inadequate individuals feel to control it. Some will say it’s a problem of big business. If the mega-corporations don’t do their part, what good will it do to put my trash in a colored box? It’s just a drop in the bucket. Even if I keep my personal space clean, sooner or later industry or just the litterbugs all about will close in and mess it up anyway. So why bother?
On the other hand, I could jump on the conservation bandwagon and fervently preach green products and recycling. I could go door to door and give out trash bags and lectures. I could organize and lobby and demonstrate. I could write letters to local and federal legislators. It might help — a little. In fact, I am committed to doing my part.
However, from examining my own heart, I know that behind every act of pollution is a self-centered thought. It expresses itself in excuses, laziness or a demand for personal rights. “It’s too far to the nearest trash can.” “No one else is picking up and cleaning up.” “This is my yard -- I can let trash accumulate in it if I want to.”
The whole problem with self-centeredness is that the Bible calls it sin. This inner disposition asserts, “I will do what I want, regardless of who it effects or what God says” and it is capable of far more harm than leaving candy bars in public places.
God told mankind to take dominion of the earth, not exploit it and leave it in ruins. The word ‘dominion’ means to rule — and the Bible is filled with examples and commands of what God intended regarding ruling.
But back to the root problem, if we want our planet cleaned up, wouldn’t it make sense to deal with sin first, then its fruit, one of which is pollution? It would, but it’s not that easy.
Jesus Christ came to offer forgiveness for sin, power to say no to it, and a sure hope of some day being rid of it, but in spite of all He did, we still are not promised heaven on earth. For one thing, not everyone responds to the offer Christ made. They don’t want Him.
As for those who do, we soon find we don’t change as quickly and completely as we would like to. What folly to think we can get our neighbors to clean up on the outside when we know the problem starts on the inside — and also know how horrendous that battle can be.
God will hold us accountable as individuals and nations for what we do in response to His commands, and although pollution is a dirty word not found in Scripture, its roots are there, along with God’s provision. In the meantime, Romans 8 says that all of creation groans along with His people, waiting for the complete redemption He has promised. Someday there will be complete delivery from the corruption of sin and entrance into eternal life where there is “nothing that defiles” both inside and out.
In the meantime, this old planet still could use a good spring-cleaning.
These brisk fall mornings are wonderfully invigorating walking weather. Head up, chest out, deep breaths of fresh air, the warm sun shining on my face -- a great way to start the day!
But there is a problem. Something ruins the cool air and hides the sun. Looking straight ahead is often difficult, my stride broken; sometimes I come home with a sore throat and dirty shoes.
But I can’t do anything about it. At least that’s my first thought. After all, what would people think if some stranger turned on a hose and rinsed off their sidewalk? How would folks like it if I picked up the newspapers and scooped up the dog-do from their front boulevard? And what would the companies whose processes spew brown stuff into the air think if I walked in their workplace and pushed their stop button? Getting involved, at least at that level, might get me in trouble.
However, the more widespread pollution becomes, the more inadequate individuals feel to control it. Some will say it’s a problem of big business. If the mega-corporations don’t do their part, what good will it do to put my trash in a colored box? It’s just a drop in the bucket. Even if I keep my personal space clean, sooner or later industry or just the litterbugs all about will close in and mess it up anyway. So why bother?
On the other hand, I could jump on the conservation bandwagon and fervently preach green products and recycling. I could go door to door and give out trash bags and lectures. I could organize and lobby and demonstrate. I could write letters to local and federal legislators. It might help — a little. In fact, I am committed to doing my part.
However, from examining my own heart, I know that behind every act of pollution is a self-centered thought. It expresses itself in excuses, laziness or a demand for personal rights. “It’s too far to the nearest trash can.” “No one else is picking up and cleaning up.” “This is my yard -- I can let trash accumulate in it if I want to.”
The whole problem with self-centeredness is that the Bible calls it sin. This inner disposition asserts, “I will do what I want, regardless of who it effects or what God says” and it is capable of far more harm than leaving candy bars in public places.
God told mankind to take dominion of the earth, not exploit it and leave it in ruins. The word ‘dominion’ means to rule — and the Bible is filled with examples and commands of what God intended regarding ruling.
But back to the root problem, if we want our planet cleaned up, wouldn’t it make sense to deal with sin first, then its fruit, one of which is pollution? It would, but it’s not that easy.
Jesus Christ came to offer forgiveness for sin, power to say no to it, and a sure hope of some day being rid of it, but in spite of all He did, we still are not promised heaven on earth. For one thing, not everyone responds to the offer Christ made. They don’t want Him.
As for those who do, we soon find we don’t change as quickly and completely as we would like to. What folly to think we can get our neighbors to clean up on the outside when we know the problem starts on the inside — and also know how horrendous that battle can be.
God will hold us accountable as individuals and nations for what we do in response to His commands, and although pollution is a dirty word not found in Scripture, its roots are there, along with God’s provision. In the meantime, Romans 8 says that all of creation groans along with His people, waiting for the complete redemption He has promised. Someday there will be complete delivery from the corruption of sin and entrance into eternal life where there is “nothing that defiles” both inside and out.
In the meantime, this old planet still could use a good spring-cleaning.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
One Vital Option ................... Parables 174
(July 19, 1989)
Every time our family discusses the possibility of trading in a vehicle or buying another one, the word OPTIONS comes up. Most cars come with basic features and offer luxury options. A few come with basic luxuries and about the only options left to choose are colors. Personally, I like a variety of choices. Decision-making may take longer but it is fun putting together the possible combinations, trying to get the most and the best and still be under-budget.
Actually, car buying and life are alike. We want the most and the best without going’ bankrupt in the process! Life’s basics include death, and some humorists add taxes. Another is our incredibly tendency to violate the laws of God.
A few years ago, I looked up every verse in Scripture with the word “sin” in it. I’d had the idea that sin consisted of breaking the Ten Commandments, specifically murder, adultery, lying, and stealing.
Even these were graded, so I thought. At some point, they passed over the line from “sin” to “excusable.” I also thought that since some people didn’t do anything too horribly bad, they would not be considered sinners. And even those who were could do enough good deeds to somehow balance out the bad. I wasn’t worried about my sins. I thought I wasn’t as bad as some people I knew.
Out of that word study, I learned a lot about sin. I learned God has high standards and anything that falls short is called “unrighteousness.”
This short verse, “All unrighteousness is sin,” dashed my ideas about it being graded. No excusable “little white lies” at one end and sinful “big whoppers” at the other. All get one label.
I also discovered this one, “Whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he is guilty of all.” One sin makes a person a sinner, even if the rest of his life seems okay. It’s like an omelet. One rotten egg ruins the whole thing, no matter how fresh the rest! Gone was my idea that little transgressions would be overlooked.
By this time, I was beginning to get the picture. Innocence doesn’t exist. Sin is basic to the human condition. I couldn’t opt out on that one. Romans 3 confirms it, “All have sinned...” and then chapter 6 condemns it, “The wages of sin is death.” I also discovered death means eternal separation from God.
Since the Bible is about heaven and how to get there, all this bad news could make a person wonder if there is any point in trying to make at least a few good choices. Why Proverbs 24:9 says, “Even the thought of foolishness is sin.”
It would appear no matter the level of goodness reached, one bad thought overrules. Not much hope given for all us sinners in these verses about sin. But there was one more. Jesus told His disciples that He would go away but the Holy Spirit would come. One of the Spirit’s functions would be to convict (convince) the world of sin. Then He defined it, “... sin, because they do not believe in Me.”
Eureka! With every other sin there was too much water under the bridge and too many unwise choices already made, but here is the one sin I could do something about! There is an option that changes human destiny.
Instead of choosing to believe in my own resources to deal with sin, I was offered the option of trusting in the death and resurrection of Christ. He took all those choices I’d already made, every sinful thought, word, and deed, to their just end on the cross, leaving me with just one option upon which my eternal destiny hinges: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
I may never own a fully loaded, 4-wheeled anything, but because of Jesus Christ, I can pick eternity with Him. It isn’t a basic, but thank God, that option is available.
Every time our family discusses the possibility of trading in a vehicle or buying another one, the word OPTIONS comes up. Most cars come with basic features and offer luxury options. A few come with basic luxuries and about the only options left to choose are colors. Personally, I like a variety of choices. Decision-making may take longer but it is fun putting together the possible combinations, trying to get the most and the best and still be under-budget.
Actually, car buying and life are alike. We want the most and the best without going’ bankrupt in the process! Life’s basics include death, and some humorists add taxes. Another is our incredibly tendency to violate the laws of God.
A few years ago, I looked up every verse in Scripture with the word “sin” in it. I’d had the idea that sin consisted of breaking the Ten Commandments, specifically murder, adultery, lying, and stealing.
Even these were graded, so I thought. At some point, they passed over the line from “sin” to “excusable.” I also thought that since some people didn’t do anything too horribly bad, they would not be considered sinners. And even those who were could do enough good deeds to somehow balance out the bad. I wasn’t worried about my sins. I thought I wasn’t as bad as some people I knew.
Out of that word study, I learned a lot about sin. I learned God has high standards and anything that falls short is called “unrighteousness.”
This short verse, “All unrighteousness is sin,” dashed my ideas about it being graded. No excusable “little white lies” at one end and sinful “big whoppers” at the other. All get one label.
I also discovered this one, “Whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he is guilty of all.” One sin makes a person a sinner, even if the rest of his life seems okay. It’s like an omelet. One rotten egg ruins the whole thing, no matter how fresh the rest! Gone was my idea that little transgressions would be overlooked.
By this time, I was beginning to get the picture. Innocence doesn’t exist. Sin is basic to the human condition. I couldn’t opt out on that one. Romans 3 confirms it, “All have sinned...” and then chapter 6 condemns it, “The wages of sin is death.” I also discovered death means eternal separation from God.
Since the Bible is about heaven and how to get there, all this bad news could make a person wonder if there is any point in trying to make at least a few good choices. Why Proverbs 24:9 says, “Even the thought of foolishness is sin.”
It would appear no matter the level of goodness reached, one bad thought overrules. Not much hope given for all us sinners in these verses about sin. But there was one more. Jesus told His disciples that He would go away but the Holy Spirit would come. One of the Spirit’s functions would be to convict (convince) the world of sin. Then He defined it, “... sin, because they do not believe in Me.”
Eureka! With every other sin there was too much water under the bridge and too many unwise choices already made, but here is the one sin I could do something about! There is an option that changes human destiny.
Instead of choosing to believe in my own resources to deal with sin, I was offered the option of trusting in the death and resurrection of Christ. He took all those choices I’d already made, every sinful thought, word, and deed, to their just end on the cross, leaving me with just one option upon which my eternal destiny hinges: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
I may never own a fully loaded, 4-wheeled anything, but because of Jesus Christ, I can pick eternity with Him. It isn’t a basic, but thank God, that option is available.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Does suffering bring people closer to God? ................. Parables 143
Laura, in a Little House On The Prairie re-run, was told those who are closer to God are more apt to have their prayers answered. The episode closed with Laura, face aglow, at the foot of a mountain, preparing the arduous task of “getting closer to God.”
While we smile at a child’s literal interpretation, there are adults who believe they can move closer to God by sticking pins in themselves or walking on burning coals or dragging a heavy cross for hundreds of miles. Others think seclusion will do it, retreating to caves, monasteries, bomb shelters or isolated communes. A southern California religious school even moved out into the desert and now advertises itself as being “fifty miles from the nearest sin!”
Label them naive, nutty, or fanatical, yet it is not wrong to want to be close to God. In fact, He commands it. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...” (James 4:7). But how can man draw near to God?
David, the psalm-writing king of Israel, asked the same question, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place?” (Psalm 24)
David answers his own question with, “He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.” The rest of James 4:7 agrees. It says, “Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded.” But both raise another question, “How can I be clean and pure?”
The answer is again found in David’s psalms. He confessed after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight . . . create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me . . . . For thou desires not sacrifice else I would give it . . . the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
David recognized two things many of us never think about. One that God is utterly holy, utterly beyond our reach. Two, that unless He in mercy reaches down, there is no mountain high enough, no sacrifice great enough, no retreat far enough to make us clean enough to come close to Him.
David also knew the secret of coming closer. It is not in climbing higher but in bowing lower. Isaiah wrote, “For this is what the high and lofty One says, He who lives forever, whose name is Holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.’” Jesus echoes with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In other words, outward religious activity does not bring us closer to a God who knows what goes on inside our hearts. We need inward changes. James says we need to humble ourselves in submission to God. Humility is never easy. We would rather redefine our sinful condition, or rationalize it, excuse it, cover it, deny it, or even be perversely proud of it, anything but humbly admit we cannot make ourselves fit to draw near to God. Besides, contrite submission to Him means turning away from our own efforts to draw closer and coming to Him in the only way He accepts.
Laura, with the humble faith of a child, may find God at the top of her mountain, but not because she scaled his peak. God meets His people even in the valleys, as long as they come admitting their spiritual poverty. He doesn’t care where we are, but what we are — on the inside, where only He can see. When we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, He promised to lift us up — and draw us close to Himself.
While we smile at a child’s literal interpretation, there are adults who believe they can move closer to God by sticking pins in themselves or walking on burning coals or dragging a heavy cross for hundreds of miles. Others think seclusion will do it, retreating to caves, monasteries, bomb shelters or isolated communes. A southern California religious school even moved out into the desert and now advertises itself as being “fifty miles from the nearest sin!”
Label them naive, nutty, or fanatical, yet it is not wrong to want to be close to God. In fact, He commands it. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...” (James 4:7). But how can man draw near to God?
David, the psalm-writing king of Israel, asked the same question, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place?” (Psalm 24)
David answers his own question with, “He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.” The rest of James 4:7 agrees. It says, “Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded.” But both raise another question, “How can I be clean and pure?”
The answer is again found in David’s psalms. He confessed after he committed adultery with Bathsheba, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done evil in thy sight . . . create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me . . . . For thou desires not sacrifice else I would give it . . . the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
David recognized two things many of us never think about. One that God is utterly holy, utterly beyond our reach. Two, that unless He in mercy reaches down, there is no mountain high enough, no sacrifice great enough, no retreat far enough to make us clean enough to come close to Him.
David also knew the secret of coming closer. It is not in climbing higher but in bowing lower. Isaiah wrote, “For this is what the high and lofty One says, He who lives forever, whose name is Holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit.’” Jesus echoes with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In other words, outward religious activity does not bring us closer to a God who knows what goes on inside our hearts. We need inward changes. James says we need to humble ourselves in submission to God. Humility is never easy. We would rather redefine our sinful condition, or rationalize it, excuse it, cover it, deny it, or even be perversely proud of it, anything but humbly admit we cannot make ourselves fit to draw near to God. Besides, contrite submission to Him means turning away from our own efforts to draw closer and coming to Him in the only way He accepts.
Laura, with the humble faith of a child, may find God at the top of her mountain, but not because she scaled his peak. God meets His people even in the valleys, as long as they come admitting their spiritual poverty. He doesn’t care where we are, but what we are — on the inside, where only He can see. When we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, He promised to lift us up — and draw us close to Himself.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Becoming White as Snow ................... Parables 141
Snow is a marvelous cover-up. November’s drab dresses up in sparkling white. Muddy vacant lots, once eyesores, are beautifully blanketed. Naked black branches are draped in layers of shimmering crystal, outlined against a pearl grey sky.
While not so inspiring, our backyard grass needed one more cut, one more rake, but the snow hid it all; the jobs that didn’t get finished are covered; our lawn looks just as good as the neighbors who were more ambitious.
We have one tree that stubbornly refuses to yield all her leaves to winter. But this morning, the cold wind won a round. The snow was speckled with drab, round gold pieces - spots on an otherwise unblemished blanket. They looked like acne on a teen’s face, or mud splattered on a snow white Cadillac.
Later I thought of Christ who promises to wash hearts whiter than snow. (Isaiah 1:18). We need it, you know. The Bible says Jesus is our snow-white standard, but there is not one life who can match His unblemished purity. How short we fall. Yet the New Testament says we are made spotless by faith in Him. His blood is applied as a cleansing agent for those who believe, powerful to wash away our sin and remove it”as far as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12).
After that is done, Scripture says He is able to keep us blameless before God and present us faultless on that day when He comes to receive all who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 1:8, Jude 24).
But, James 1:27 warns Christians to keep themselves unspotted from the world. In fact, I found references warning against a “spotted” and “blemished” condition in nearly every book of the Bible. We are not to spatter our new life in Christ with blotches of sin. Yet when it happens, we can be made white again.
The good news is, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ keeps on cleansing us from all sin, and if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:7,9). Our part is to admit our sins, confessing them to Him, and come with a heart that is willing to forsake them. He will do the rest.
The snow covered everything. Along came the wind that shook the tree, blotching that pristine perfection with leaves. The snow will return, likely in the night, The next time I look those leaves will be hidden. The mystery of Jesus’ blood goes one step further. Yes, He covers sin, but somehow He cleanses and washes it away, changing and remaking our lives pure and clean.
Such a glorious truth. No need to try and erase that which defiles, even if we could. Instead, we have His saving power to forgive and restore us when we fail. We can take any transgression to Him and leave it there, trusting His eternal power to save us from it completely, just as He promised He would do.
While not so inspiring, our backyard grass needed one more cut, one more rake, but the snow hid it all; the jobs that didn’t get finished are covered; our lawn looks just as good as the neighbors who were more ambitious.
We have one tree that stubbornly refuses to yield all her leaves to winter. But this morning, the cold wind won a round. The snow was speckled with drab, round gold pieces - spots on an otherwise unblemished blanket. They looked like acne on a teen’s face, or mud splattered on a snow white Cadillac.
Later I thought of Christ who promises to wash hearts whiter than snow. (Isaiah 1:18). We need it, you know. The Bible says Jesus is our snow-white standard, but there is not one life who can match His unblemished purity. How short we fall. Yet the New Testament says we are made spotless by faith in Him. His blood is applied as a cleansing agent for those who believe, powerful to wash away our sin and remove it”as far as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12).
After that is done, Scripture says He is able to keep us blameless before God and present us faultless on that day when He comes to receive all who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 1:8, Jude 24).
But, James 1:27 warns Christians to keep themselves unspotted from the world. In fact, I found references warning against a “spotted” and “blemished” condition in nearly every book of the Bible. We are not to spatter our new life in Christ with blotches of sin. Yet when it happens, we can be made white again.
The good news is, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ keeps on cleansing us from all sin, and if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:7,9). Our part is to admit our sins, confessing them to Him, and come with a heart that is willing to forsake them. He will do the rest.
The snow covered everything. Along came the wind that shook the tree, blotching that pristine perfection with leaves. The snow will return, likely in the night, The next time I look those leaves will be hidden. The mystery of Jesus’ blood goes one step further. Yes, He covers sin, but somehow He cleanses and washes it away, changing and remaking our lives pure and clean.
Such a glorious truth. No need to try and erase that which defiles, even if we could. Instead, we have His saving power to forgive and restore us when we fail. We can take any transgression to Him and leave it there, trusting His eternal power to save us from it completely, just as He promised He would do.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Made clean .......................... Parables 096
Occasionally something happens in our household that I hope no one ever finds out about. The first Saturday in January was one of those occasions.
We had a family meal together just before leaving to spend the holidays in California. At that time we planned a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for January 9, after we returned. On the 9th, our daughter arrived early to help in the kitchen. She wanted to make a green salad so began pulling out ingredients and asked her brother to get down the salad bowls. When he did, out came groans and words like “yuck”... The top bowl was clean...but the four underneath it and the large serving bowl had been put back into the cupboard without first making a trip through the dishwasher.
We couldn’t decide whether to throw them out or boil them in bleach. The kids were soon laughing because no one had a clue “who did it.” Even the person who did will never know because none of us would have done it deliberately (we are generally a family of “cleanies”) and it had to have happened at that last meal together before Christmas, too long ago to clearly remember. So out came the puns, wisecracks, and accusations. It will become a family memory of sorts, one to bring up when we are reminiscing over a bowl of popcorn (especially if it is served in that salad bowl!)
After the turkey leftovers were in the frig I began to think about a promise that God made to the people of Israel, a promise that also applies to any who will claim it: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
How does God clean up the sin that disgusts Him? Do we have to be recycled, boiled in bleach, or is it possible to be so disgusting that His only option is to toss us on the scrap pile and look for better material?
His response to our sin could be described by my rough paraphrase of that verse in Isaiah: “Come now, let’s think this out together, says the Lord: though your sins be as disgusting to me as month-old leftover salad is to you, you can be as appealing and as pleasing to me as turkey dinner with all the trimmings has been to you.”
The next promise God gave about being clean from sin is in Ezekiel 36: “...then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you... and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgements and do them...”
The promise was fulfilled in the New Testament. Following a description of sinners, I Corinthians says: “And such WERE some of you but NOW you are washed, but now you are sanctified, but now you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
He makes sinners clean! How does He do it?
The Father said that without the shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for sin. So the nation of Israel were commanded to trust God and sacrifice unblemished lambs. However that did not change their sinfulness.
When Jesus, the Lamb of God, died on the cross, the Word of God says His blood was shed not only so those who believe in Him could be forgiven, but so we could be cleansed as well, and our very nature changed. “How much more (than the blood of lambs) shall the blood of Christ... purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Our part is to believe in His provision for cleansing, confess our sins and remain in the light of His Word: “If we confess our sin He is “faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Sin may be repulsive to God but because of His power to make clean, we can be clean; not cast aside but made precious to Him.
We had a family meal together just before leaving to spend the holidays in California. At that time we planned a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for January 9, after we returned. On the 9th, our daughter arrived early to help in the kitchen. She wanted to make a green salad so began pulling out ingredients and asked her brother to get down the salad bowls. When he did, out came groans and words like “yuck”... The top bowl was clean...but the four underneath it and the large serving bowl had been put back into the cupboard without first making a trip through the dishwasher.
We couldn’t decide whether to throw them out or boil them in bleach. The kids were soon laughing because no one had a clue “who did it.” Even the person who did will never know because none of us would have done it deliberately (we are generally a family of “cleanies”) and it had to have happened at that last meal together before Christmas, too long ago to clearly remember. So out came the puns, wisecracks, and accusations. It will become a family memory of sorts, one to bring up when we are reminiscing over a bowl of popcorn (especially if it is served in that salad bowl!)
After the turkey leftovers were in the frig I began to think about a promise that God made to the people of Israel, a promise that also applies to any who will claim it: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
How does God clean up the sin that disgusts Him? Do we have to be recycled, boiled in bleach, or is it possible to be so disgusting that His only option is to toss us on the scrap pile and look for better material?
His response to our sin could be described by my rough paraphrase of that verse in Isaiah: “Come now, let’s think this out together, says the Lord: though your sins be as disgusting to me as month-old leftover salad is to you, you can be as appealing and as pleasing to me as turkey dinner with all the trimmings has been to you.”
The next promise God gave about being clean from sin is in Ezekiel 36: “...then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you... and I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgements and do them...”
The promise was fulfilled in the New Testament. Following a description of sinners, I Corinthians says: “And such WERE some of you but NOW you are washed, but now you are sanctified, but now you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
He makes sinners clean! How does He do it?
The Father said that without the shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness for sin. So the nation of Israel were commanded to trust God and sacrifice unblemished lambs. However that did not change their sinfulness.
When Jesus, the Lamb of God, died on the cross, the Word of God says His blood was shed not only so those who believe in Him could be forgiven, but so we could be cleansed as well, and our very nature changed. “How much more (than the blood of lambs) shall the blood of Christ... purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
Our part is to believe in His provision for cleansing, confess our sins and remain in the light of His Word: “If we confess our sin He is “faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Sin may be repulsive to God but because of His power to make clean, we can be clean; not cast aside but made precious to Him.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Perfuming a pig? .................... Parables 085
While washing the wood paneled walls that line the stairway to the basement of our home, I felt like I was trying to perfume a pig. The stairs themselves are still the 2 inch boards used by the builder, without benefit of carpet or tile to cover them. A few years ago someone painted them off-white; someone else walked on the paint before it was dry; a few families moved in and out; some put a chip here, a gouge there... those stairs looked pretty shabby. In energy born from frustration, I grabbed a paint brush and give them a quick coat of fresh paint.
The nicks and gouges are the same color now. The wood is still rather beat-up but the paint gives a uniform effect. It will do, for a time, but I still feel vaguely unsatisfied; I did not fix the real problem.
That can happen in other areas of life too. Ever have an argument with someone, mumble “I’m sorry”, but still feel that something was left undone? Also, there is the vague unrest after doing a job at less than our best. It is easy to make an excuse and shrug it off, but it gets added to the clutter of the unfinished, the unsatisfactory, the “I-wish-I-could- do-it-over” stuff in our lives.
The Bible tells Christians to put the past behind, to press on toward the goal of Christlikeness. That sounds great, but we must also settle differences with others, pay our debts, and do our very best. How can we put the past behind without feeling like we are leaving a trail of debris along the way?
1) Keep short accounts with God: When I was a little girl, my grandmother told me never to apply perfume without first taking a bath. The principle carries over into spiritual life. If it is battered and gouged, or spotted and dirty, any efforts to whitewash it will only cover it up, not fix it. So, if the left-overs include unconfessed sin that must be dealt with. Putting on the perfume of goodness is important, but it does not correct the problem of any dirt that might be underneath.
Sin is serious, not to be swept under the carpet or whitewashed with excuses. David acknowledged his sin saying it was “always before me” and asked God “cleanse my heart and restore the joy of my salvation.” He did that because he knew that God “...is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9).
2) Make restitution: The past may include some unresolved relationship problems. God asks us to deal with them too, even if they seem like “old” issues. When I became a Christian the Lord impressed upon me to apologize to someone I had wronged ten years before. It was hard to find the person’s location and write a letter of apology, but the burden of the unfinished was lifted. Jesus said not to bring any gift to the alter of God without dealing with unresolved differences with others. (See Matt. 5:23,24)
3) Put the things we cannot do anything about into the Lord’s hands: No amount of regret, sighing, or unscrambling will change most of the past. If we have confessed any sin to God and done what we can to correct broken relationships with others, then it is time to move on. Moaning “if only” is destructive and time-wasting. When we spend a lot of time wishing we had done differently, that is all we do, wish. And our lives never change now - when we have opportunity to change.
4) Be free to build memories for the future. Tomorrow I want to be able to look back on today with the awareness that I did what the Lord wanted me to do with as much ability has He has given me to do it. If it does not happen that way, then, because of His mercy, I am “not consumed... His compassions fail not. They are new every morning...” making each new day a new beginning without a backlog of the unfinished to spoil it.
The nicks and gouges are the same color now. The wood is still rather beat-up but the paint gives a uniform effect. It will do, for a time, but I still feel vaguely unsatisfied; I did not fix the real problem.
That can happen in other areas of life too. Ever have an argument with someone, mumble “I’m sorry”, but still feel that something was left undone? Also, there is the vague unrest after doing a job at less than our best. It is easy to make an excuse and shrug it off, but it gets added to the clutter of the unfinished, the unsatisfactory, the “I-wish-I-could- do-it-over” stuff in our lives.
The Bible tells Christians to put the past behind, to press on toward the goal of Christlikeness. That sounds great, but we must also settle differences with others, pay our debts, and do our very best. How can we put the past behind without feeling like we are leaving a trail of debris along the way?
1) Keep short accounts with God: When I was a little girl, my grandmother told me never to apply perfume without first taking a bath. The principle carries over into spiritual life. If it is battered and gouged, or spotted and dirty, any efforts to whitewash it will only cover it up, not fix it. So, if the left-overs include unconfessed sin that must be dealt with. Putting on the perfume of goodness is important, but it does not correct the problem of any dirt that might be underneath.
Sin is serious, not to be swept under the carpet or whitewashed with excuses. David acknowledged his sin saying it was “always before me” and asked God “cleanse my heart and restore the joy of my salvation.” He did that because he knew that God “...is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9).
2) Make restitution: The past may include some unresolved relationship problems. God asks us to deal with them too, even if they seem like “old” issues. When I became a Christian the Lord impressed upon me to apologize to someone I had wronged ten years before. It was hard to find the person’s location and write a letter of apology, but the burden of the unfinished was lifted. Jesus said not to bring any gift to the alter of God without dealing with unresolved differences with others. (See Matt. 5:23,24)
3) Put the things we cannot do anything about into the Lord’s hands: No amount of regret, sighing, or unscrambling will change most of the past. If we have confessed any sin to God and done what we can to correct broken relationships with others, then it is time to move on. Moaning “if only” is destructive and time-wasting. When we spend a lot of time wishing we had done differently, that is all we do, wish. And our lives never change now - when we have opportunity to change.
4) Be free to build memories for the future. Tomorrow I want to be able to look back on today with the awareness that I did what the Lord wanted me to do with as much ability has He has given me to do it. If it does not happen that way, then, because of His mercy, I am “not consumed... His compassions fail not. They are new every morning...” making each new day a new beginning without a backlog of the unfinished to spoil it.
Monday, September 9, 2013
The only cure for guilt ........................... Parables 018
What would you think of a doctor who gave you a few aspirins for a broken leg? What would you think of the staff in an emergency ward if you were in agony with a face full of glass and they offered you a 292 and a drink of water? You probably wouldn’t be too impressed at their efforts to treat your pain.
The dictionary defines pain as: “The unpleasant sensation of feeling resulting from or accompanying some injury, over-strain, or obstruction of the physical powers.” Obviously, pain has a purpose. It is there to inform us that something is wrong. The person who constantly treats pain with painkillers rather than seeking the source of the pain, is certain to face far more serious consequences than some “unpleasant sensations or feelings.” In fact, their life could be at stake.
Our emotions also contain a warning signal. This signal is designed to inform us when something is wrong with our spiritual condition. It is the unpleasant sensation or feeling that we call “guilt” and it acts much the same as pain. It accompanies some offense committed, or obstruction that we have placed between ourselves and God, to prevent His power from being active in our lives. And, as with pain, we have invented some “guilt-killers,” things that we use to try to cover the issue instead of getting to the root of the problem. I don’t know what other people do, but here are some of my “home-cure remedies” for guilt, none of which do any good, and in fact compound the problem and confuse the patient:
1) Blaming others and therefore denying responsibility for my own faults.
2) Rationalization, which is really redefining the “illness” so that I am not really guilty at all, and therefore need no treatment.
3) Excuses: “I couldn’t help it” “I didn’t know any better” “You made me do that!” and this gem, “That’s just the way I am!” Sometimes excuses are valid, but most of the time they are offered as a panacea for guilt.
4) Promising that I will never do it again, a sort of fantasy whereby I begin to think that because I have such good intentions, I have solved the entire problem.
5) Talking to myself about the various aspects of the problem so much that I have covered all the angles, am sick of the subject, have dulled my sense of guilt, and therefore have not had to admit it or do anything constructive about it.
6) Balance it out by focusing on my goodness, which is like saying, “Oh, I know my left arm is broken, but my right one is still okay.”
7) An extreme self-condemnation, exaggerating my responsibility for the mess that the entire world is in, to the point where I simply do not do anything specific about the garbage that is really mine.
8) And when all else fails, self-pity, even though it is a bitter spoonful of medicine to take, transfers the pain of guilt to a more satisfying pain of being a “poor innocent victim of circumstances!”
I am thankful to my Lord that even should I decide to take this entire batch of supposed painkillers for my guilt, He eventually brings me back to the place where I started, and to this verse which offers the only remedy that is effective: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Just as a healthy body enjoys the well-being of being pain-free, those who know God’s forgiveness and cleansing from sin can enjoy freedom from guilt. His remedy is to get to the root of the problem and when we receive the forgiveness that He offers, the symptom is taken care of along with the disease.
The dictionary defines pain as: “The unpleasant sensation of feeling resulting from or accompanying some injury, over-strain, or obstruction of the physical powers.” Obviously, pain has a purpose. It is there to inform us that something is wrong. The person who constantly treats pain with painkillers rather than seeking the source of the pain, is certain to face far more serious consequences than some “unpleasant sensations or feelings.” In fact, their life could be at stake.
Our emotions also contain a warning signal. This signal is designed to inform us when something is wrong with our spiritual condition. It is the unpleasant sensation or feeling that we call “guilt” and it acts much the same as pain. It accompanies some offense committed, or obstruction that we have placed between ourselves and God, to prevent His power from being active in our lives. And, as with pain, we have invented some “guilt-killers,” things that we use to try to cover the issue instead of getting to the root of the problem. I don’t know what other people do, but here are some of my “home-cure remedies” for guilt, none of which do any good, and in fact compound the problem and confuse the patient:
1) Blaming others and therefore denying responsibility for my own faults.
2) Rationalization, which is really redefining the “illness” so that I am not really guilty at all, and therefore need no treatment.
3) Excuses: “I couldn’t help it” “I didn’t know any better” “You made me do that!” and this gem, “That’s just the way I am!” Sometimes excuses are valid, but most of the time they are offered as a panacea for guilt.
4) Promising that I will never do it again, a sort of fantasy whereby I begin to think that because I have such good intentions, I have solved the entire problem.
5) Talking to myself about the various aspects of the problem so much that I have covered all the angles, am sick of the subject, have dulled my sense of guilt, and therefore have not had to admit it or do anything constructive about it.
6) Balance it out by focusing on my goodness, which is like saying, “Oh, I know my left arm is broken, but my right one is still okay.”
7) An extreme self-condemnation, exaggerating my responsibility for the mess that the entire world is in, to the point where I simply do not do anything specific about the garbage that is really mine.
8) And when all else fails, self-pity, even though it is a bitter spoonful of medicine to take, transfers the pain of guilt to a more satisfying pain of being a “poor innocent victim of circumstances!”
I am thankful to my Lord that even should I decide to take this entire batch of supposed painkillers for my guilt, He eventually brings me back to the place where I started, and to this verse which offers the only remedy that is effective: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Just as a healthy body enjoys the well-being of being pain-free, those who know God’s forgiveness and cleansing from sin can enjoy freedom from guilt. His remedy is to get to the root of the problem and when we receive the forgiveness that He offers, the symptom is taken care of along with the disease.
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