Clinging To Christ6/30/2014 I cling to sin in the same way I am united with my wife. I have walked hand in hand with, had dinner with, enjoyed time with and taken long trips with my sin and my wife. It would not be a stretch to refer to me and my sin just as one would refer to me and my wife... as one.
As a Christian my relationship with my wife is to be a representation of Christ's relationship to the Church. Ephesians 5:25-27 says that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless". This means that I am to be as dedicated to my wife as Christ is dedicated to the big "C" Church. As a believer in Christ as my Lord and Savior, Christ and I are one in the Spirit (1 Cor 6:17) and since I am one in Spirit with the Lord Christ I cannot be united to or cling to sin. God says He is a jealous God in Exodus 20:5 We are admonished to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Heb. 12:1). In Matt. 22:37-39 we are also told to love God and others. How do I get rid of all that stuff? The answer lies just above the question, I love God and others. I focus on God in contrast to having my focus on sin where I only look at me and my desires and elevate my desires above the Lord's desires therefore creating an idol. All sin is rooted in idolatry, having a god above one true God. The truth is that I don't trust God to provide for me so I try to control my life and do things that make me feel good to help me escape from my reality. The Lord has convicted me of my sin through His Word. Just as He called to Adam "where are you?" in Gen. 3:9 He is calling me. He is calling me to be intentional not well intentioned. He calls me to have no fear (except the fear of Himself) and to trust Him above all else. On a the contrary, I am well intentioned, not intentional and full of fear and worry not faith in Christ. I am desperate for joy yet don't trust God. God created marriage and He created it for good, for blessing and to bring glory to Himself. If not for the Lord how would any of us have found our spouse? It wasn't an accident or coincidence. Lord, help me to cling to you as the image portrays for strength and courage in the storms of life to do the things that need to be done but that I don't want to do to be a Godly husband and love my wife as Christ loves the church.
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You Know Better11/4/2013 Music has great power, especially when one can identify with the message of the song. I came across this song on my wife's Mercy Me CD named The Hurt And The Healer and got stuck on the first song, which is linked above, "You Know Better".
The song is about my struggle with being in control, maybe you struggle with this too. I want to be in control of my life and circumstances and if I'm not... let me rephrase that...WHEN I'm not in control I am easily angered. A spiritual fight ensues where I argue with God and state my point and think I should win, um, get my way. Realistically though, no one has ever won that fight in the history of creation. NOT ONE! "I keep picking a fight with letting go... and keep getting hammered. It's a knock-down, drag-out Oh, and I am face down for the count and I'm reminded I'm not the one in control" When I fight God I always loose and never have peace, which is defined at BibleStudiesOnline.org as, a cessation of conflict, a state of contentment and quietness of heart, a sense of well-being. It is in those times when I fight for control, and I do it quite often, "I keep getting hammered". How many times will I be found "face down for the count"? The correct answer is... wait for it...it's a doosey...as many times as it takes! So, through this song I have discovered a prayer that I need to pray several time a day "Would You wake me up and make me aware of what you are doing? It's not very clear where this is going But it's Your call, help me understand it's not how I fall but where I land so so I'm reminded I'm not the one in control... I want to know You more and more and more" When I submit my live and will to the Lord and take in His Word as nourishing mana from heaven am engaged in Christian community I experience peace as defined above, even in troubled times. "I know you know better so why don't I go wherever You say come follow wherever You lead, So won't You help me?" Please see Troubled Peace and Peace Be With You for more on peace. |