Following Jesus Son of God …

(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If I am faithful and just, and really, really mean it – “cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye,” and really repent – I mean not lip-service repent, but the real thing, really changing my mind and the direction of my life, and promise to never do this again, God will forgive me (I hope!), but I still have to remember the cleansing part – clean up my act, work on my pride, because God is going to get tired of this over and over again asking for forgiveness.

I mean. . .What do I expect him to do if I keep coming to him, confess, sin, confess, sin? It’s not like he’s going to keep forgiving and cleansing.

Even though. . .that is what the text says, I think I probably just need someone to explain this to me. Hmm…

But now wait a minute here. I’m thinking that I should have at least 490 times before God cuts off forgiveness from me. Isn’t that kind of the quota that Jesus taught Peter? It might be hard to keep track of but at least I would have something in black and white.

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 ESV).

Peter maybe thought he was really being generous throwing a seven out there but Jesus slapped a seventy times seven on him. If you think that is raising the bar, some people get really carried away and say that Jesus didn’t even mean a specific figure but that he meant as long as they keep sinning, we keep forgiving; that even if they don’t ask for forgiveness we should still be ready and willing to forgive and to have an attitude of kindness and forgiveness toward them.

This is getting really confusing; almost like God sets a higher standard for me than for himself.

And then there is that time when Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray.

(Matthew 6:14-15 NCV) Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins. (15) But if you don’t forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.

I think the next time someone wants my forgiveness I am going to have to make sure they are really serious about this for their own good, no cheap grace here. I might have them do the “cross my heart, needle in the eye” thing for emphasis. Then I could tell if they are really sincere. I mean I don’t want to promote some milk-toast theology; people gotta’ pay, baby. That’s how our world works. Do the crime; do the time.

Whew! Now only one more hurdle. I am told to forgive others as God in Christ forgave me.

(Ephesians 4:32 ESV) Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

I might have to work on this one for a while. Maybe read a few books; attend a seminar; listen to some messages on being really, really serious and meaning it and getting right before God kind of stuff. And being committed and sold out too. Walk the aisle, baby, that’s where it’s at!

Yeah! That might do it.

If that all doesn’t work, possibly I can get someone to challenge me. You know – “double-dog dare me” to never sin again.

God would be proud of me then.

He said, “What do you think God is going to do if you just keep confessing your sins again and again?”

I thought (actually muttered in a whisper), “He is going to forgive me and cleanse me.”

(1 John 1:9 NKJV)  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Duh!  It is what God had his spokesman communicate to us in written form in his holy book the Bible.

This is not original with me by any stretch, but if your view of grace does not allow room for abuse, then you do not understand grace.

Of course someone may “take advantage” of this teaching.  But are they really?  Do we really know what is going on in his or her life?

Do we know what “wash cycle” or “rinse cycle” this person is in his walk with God?

Christ’s death at Calvary provided a sufficient supply of grace and forgiveness to wash the worst of sinners and to keep the process going until perfection happens.

But that is in heaven.

Here’s a good one when in doubt: Always/Never.

Always owe love; never pay back evil.

Romans 13:8 ¶ Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled {the} law.

This text gripped me during my junior year in Bible college. I had never heard it referred to except someone saying something about our finances, which is a faulty interpretation based on a feeble observation. This verse is smack dab in the middle of a discussion of our debt to society. How should we then live?

Do you want a truth that will energize your spiritual life as possibly nothing else? Then live this truth: Owe nothing but love. In your day-to-day, everyday, mundane, people-connected real world, live these words.

And you will see your world differently. God will bring you behind the curtain, Dorothy, and show you who is really pulling the levers.

You will have an understanding of people and of God that you never knew possible. . .

Because you will begin a process of seeing the people around you and the world you live in and the God you trust less and less through the “lens of you.”

You will become less egocentric and more Christ-centric.

How many people have I seen through the “me lens” who offended me, and then I quickly changed to the “always owe love” lens and then saw someone who was not a competitor but someone who needed a God person in his or her life.

And, yippee, God plopped me right in her path.

“Always owe” can change the complexion of a relationship in a moment as God presents himself to your humbled spirit.

The flip side of “always owe” is never “pay back.”

Romans 12:17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

Feel slighted, rejected, hurt feelings, attacked, insulted.

Perfect opportunity for God to give you new insight into how he views people and how he does things.

Never pay back the evil. Never return the insult or the harsh word. Never manipulate people to harm someone.

I don’t know if you are listening or believing, but you will grow in Christ as never before.

Sometimes we have moments where thoughts and expressions, truth about God or ourselves or the world we live in sink in past the layers of cliche and we have “Aha” moments.

You know what I mean, similar to “learning it all over again for the first time,” deja vu going on, dude, as the abstract concept grows to a greater level of living reality in our lives.

(Habakkuk 2:20 NCV) The LORD is in his Holy Temple; all the earth should be silent in his presence.

Hush. Silence. Familiar with the truth, but now it has penetrated more deeply into my life.

Bowing before God, tempted to be afraid, remembering the love of God poured out in Christ, knowing I have been purchased by holy blood. . .praise, worship and extreme thankfulness.

Hush. God calms my heart. He is God, sovereign, holy, love and light.

Now I am quiet enough to see the greatness of God.

Thank you, Father.

“God says. . .or the Bible says. . .”

Do you ever notice how easily we do that?  Speak for God, I mean.

We are so quick to bridge the gap between heaven and earth, fallen man and risen Christ, sinful human race and holy God.

We get a Bible verse or two under our belts and look out:  “Well, the Bible says. . .”

Leviticus 16:3-4 ESV  But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.  (4)  He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on.

It was recently pointed out to me by our pastor that Aaron came into the Holy Place in plain clothing, not the ornate robes, turbans, etc., not in clothing that would speak anything of authority.

He came in plain clothes and bowed before a holy God.

I don’t think it is saying too much to suggest that when we speak for God that we are moving into holy ground, that we should be in our linen garments (figuratively), that nothing about our demeanor speaks authority other than God’s.

Bowed servants before God wisely choosing our words as we represent our Savior and Creator.

That seems to be such a better tack than our prideful, pugnacious- “God says, the Bible says” when all we are really doing is pushing a human thought around with powerful God words.

(2 Peter 1:10 MSG) So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing,

Sometimes we cling to truth that we haven’t lived and proved. It’s just there in our brain.

Information about God and heaven that gives us the warm fuzzies.

We don’t understand that God’s words are so powerful that even a mere intellectual grasp of God’s plan can encourage our hearts.

We have ourselves an “intellectual blanky.” You know what I mean. I have grandchildren who can’t go anywhere without their “blanky,” their security blanket.

Some people write a date and time in the front of their Bible when they raised a hand, walked an aisle and prayed a prayer. But nowhere does Scripture teach that those steps should give us assurance of our salvation or security.

We have misled and been misled.

A pursuit of God such as taught in 2 Peter 1.1-11, however, will bring assurance.

Think about it this way: Live as if God and eternity are real and the reality of God and eternity will grow in your heart.

You can have all the facts, but if you are not living as if God is there then you just have an intellectual grasp that will fail you in daily living and collapse when the rain and wind come.

Throw away the “blanky” and live the truth.

Walk with God and he will surprise you with moments of amazement.

Walk with God.

Walk with God; witness to the world.

Does God’s word refer to seminars, routines, methodologies, etc.?

Walk with God, love your brothers and sisters in Christ, reflect the light of God.

(Micah 6:8 NKJV)  He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

We must live our lives in a context greater than the obvious.

(2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NKJV) Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (17) For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, (18) while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We must look at the things that are invisible to mesh with God’s plan for our lives. Okay, Blondie, I’ll simplify. To live the will of God we have to live past the temporary. We must have eternity always on our minds to get the most out of life now.

This is faith: I see the outward physical me fading away; I see my spiritual innards being renewed day by day.

Journal 1999   ds

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.    Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:2-5 NIV).

Where do we find pure joy?  In our maturity and completeness in Christ.

Process: The key is accepting God’s disruptive plan, letting go of our agendas, continuing toward our goal.  Our pride will suffer irreparable damage; humility must replace it.

Promise: The key is that God promises to support us generously and without criticism.  God knows the struggle, we must trust him without wavering for wisdom to complete the course.