Rising Above Our Sin

Life’s Like This — Someone that has truly stood face to face with God in their heart and their spirit, will find it very hard, very nearly impossible, to turn back from that revelation of Him in their life. They may suffer setbacks; they will fail in certain areas of their life; different things can creep in and dilute life at times, and their may be certain times of wavering. But if you look back over a long span of time, you’ll find them always progressing. Somewhere in their heart and in their life they are growing and they are even learning from their failures. I remember as a child, about the age of eight, that I first came to know about Jesus. I did not have an epiphany, as some people do, but through Sunday School lessons, and my mother’s faith, I came to know Christ and the gift of salvation that He gave, not only to me, but to all of mankind. It was a gift that I had accepted by asking Jesus to come into my heart, to forgive my sins, and to help me live my life for Him. But if truth be told, I did not fully understand and appreciate, at that young age, the magnitude of suffering that Christ paid on the cross for my sins. I did not, at that age, even comprehend the significance of sin in my life and the hold it will have on my behavior and the consequences that would follow me all through my life as a result of living a life riddled with sin.

Sharing Our Faith

Life’s Like This — In an ideal environment, all our relationships would draw us closer to the Lord. However, we live in a fallen world with sinful people. God wants us to influence those who aren’t walking obediently with Him, but unless we’re careful, we could easily end up following them. Being a faithful Christian is a challenge for even the most devoted man or woman of God. But for those of us that are weak in our faith, who lack the spiritual countenance to weather the storms of life, our faith and witness to others can be sorely tested and we can easily find ourselves following the footsteps of those that have not yet come to know Christ. As much as we may want to reflect Christ-like behavior and attitudes toward others, unless we take on the armor of God to shield us from the sinfulness of the world, we will fail in our Christian walk and our ability to influence those that God calls us to lead to Him.

Wall of Shame

Life’s Like This — Quite often, God will give us opportunities to demonstrate the things we have learned. Hopefully, we are good students of life and learn our lessons well. But in reality, each of us have our unique learning curve, and because of that we may require extra coaching in some areas of life. I find this especially true in matters of faith and how we live out our Christian lives. As Christians we are called to reflect the life and ministry of Jesus Christ — a tough act to follow. If it was meant to be easy, then there would have been no need for Christ to die on the cross for our sins, because prior to His crucifixion, just as it is today, mankind was caught up in willful disobedience and constantly turned to the pursuit of self-interests rather than the fulfillment of God’s Word. God does not expect us to be perfect in any of our endeavors, but He desires us to have a heart in pursuit of Christ-like behavior and thoughts so that we can be brought into closer harmony with His will and purpose for our lives. It would be so much easier for us to live Christ-like lives if when we went through a spiritual transformation that left our new-found faith and love for God so deeply embedded in us that nothing could separate us from His will. As much as we may want to be faithful in our walk with Christ, the nature of sin and its constant tug will always be present and seeking to undermine our relationship with Christ.

The Christian Family

Life’s Like This — We all need relationships that stimulate and challenge us to become the people God wants us to be. God did not mean for us to go through this journey of life alone. He wants us to have relationships with each other that are loving, supportive, and fulfilling. Finding the right people to enjoy a Godly relationship with is critical for our spiritual growth. For some of us, we like to wing it by ourselves, hoping that our relationship with God can be strengthened without any interaction with our fellow man. But that was not God’s plan — God did not mean for us to be alone; He created us with the intention to have fellowship with each other; to have relationships that will nurture friendship and bring us in closer harmony with God’s will for our lives. Once we recognize the need for Godly people in our lives, we can then continue our christian journey with renewed zeal and hope for happiness that is founded on God’s Word and our relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Gift of Salvation

Life’s Like This — Like a minor cut or abrasion that becomes infected when left untreated, sin grows and soon poisons the whole body. I was at church yesterday, kneeling before the alter and about to receive communion when I realized that sin has a way of creeping back into the forefront of your mind. I was anxious as the pastor approached because I was not yet ready to receive the sacraments. Even though I was granted absolution of my sins earlier in the service, my human tendency to not forgive myself for my sins was an impediment to my receiving the body and blood of Christ — and for the renewal and restoration of my relationship with God. In a fervent prayer, I cried out to God, confessing my sins and praying that he will help me in my walk with HIm as I continue to try to turn from my sinful nature and escape the bondage of my sins. That’s the nature of sin, if we allow it to fester and grow it can take control of our lives and keep us from experiencing a oneness with God that is so important for our spiritual transformation and growth. By confessing my sins, and clinging to His promises, I was able to prepare my heart, mind, and soul so that I might enjoy the blessings of the sacraments. I had to realize that nothing I could do could restore my relationship with God, unless I first came before him claiming the gift of salvation that His Son, Jesus Christ, gave to us all when he paid the price for our sins on the cross so many years ago.

The Face of Social Tolerance

From the outset, what I am sharing may be unpopular because it represents conservative Christian views. Also, it is not about casting negative connotations on any one individual or class of people. We are all sinners and much of what has become the “norm” in our society is a result of some church denominations watering down biblical doctrine in an effort to be more inclusive and the changing of societal values. God loves all people, even those that commit the most grievous of sins, however, God does hate sin because it is an affront to His Holiness and it causes people to be separated from Him. We can not forget the free will God has given us to make personal choices; personal choices that carry consequences, and choices that may not please God. As humans, we should leave the judging to God. We do have a responsibility, however, to be discerning of behavior or actions that go against God’s Word. And so it is with social tolerance; we need to be discerning of behaviors or actions that are contrary to the Word of God, even when they are in the name of social tolerance.

Life’s Like This — The values we once held dear and close to our hearts are now being corrupted by the idea of social tolerance. I am not talking about being tolerant of the numerous religions around the world, I am not talking about unlawful discrimination based upon race, gender, national origin, creed or religion but rather the tolerance of lifestyles and beliefs that are growing rampantly in our society and that threaten the moral fabric and foundation of our long established value systems. The face of tolerance is a deceptively seductive encroachment into values that many of us grew up with and have taught our children. One that embraces social tolerance is often described as being a good person, who is loving and accepting of others. What could be wrong with that? After all, who wants to be perceived as a bigot similar to the one famously portrayed in the sit-com, “All In The Family”.

 

Living For Christ

Life’s Like This — With all the temptations in this world, it is often difficult to live your life for Christ. There is probably no greater way to honor God than to live your life as a reflection of His love. If you profess to being a Christian, as I do, you have probably heard in countless sermons how we should repent and turn from our sins. I see Christians all around me, people that seem to be living Godly lives — people who are diligent in studying God’s Word, who by every appearance seem to be walking the walk, who are involved with numerous church ministries, that can quote scriptures as if they have photographic memory, are able to pray the most beautiful prayers, and that have a spiritual demeanor and countenance that reflects a true devotion to following Jesus Christ. To be honest, I find myself envious of these people — as much as I want to live my life for Christ, I find myself plagued with a sinful nature that is relentless in its attempts to seduce me with the temptations of life. As much as I want to break free of the bondage of my sins, the influences of the world and my personal weaknesses prevent me from truly honoring God in all that I do. And when I am caught up in sin, I often wonder if I am truly a Christian.  

"Read Me"

Life’s Like This — While the Bible is said to be the best selling book of all time, it seems that for many people the Bible sits on their bookshelf collecting dust. Imagine what that means for a second; the Bible, the Word of God, is left gathering dust rather than being used to transform our lives. With countless self-help books on the market, why would people not turn to the Bible and read His Word with all the wisdom it contains and that can help us more profoundly than any other book ever written? For many people, the answer lays in their not believing the Bible is God’s Word. For many others, they simply do not believe in God, so obviously why would they turn to the Bible for help. But the bigger question is, why do so many Christians not read their Bibles?

Are Christians Hypocrites?

Life’s Like This — It isn’t easy to walk the Christian walk. If you are a Christian, you probably know this all too well. So many people regard Christians as hypocrites because while they talk the Christian talk, they don’t live out their faith by walking the Christian walk. It’s as if they expect Christians to be perfect and not have the same short-comings in life that they have themselves. Christians face an awesome challenge, because while they are sinners, they also carrry with them a responsibility to reflect their faith to the world around them. As the image to the right says, we should “Live in such a way that those who know you but don’t know God will come to know God because they know you”. If we, as Christians, agree with that statement, then it is easy to understand why there are those that perceive Christians as hypocrites. The word hypocrite is defined as someone who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie their stated beliefs.