Blessings to you! Glory to our Father! May He continue to inspire me to type this blog. If I look to the left or to the right (Proverbs 4:27), may He convict me, remove the blog or inspire me to change, quickly!
How do you like the title? It is so interesting, isn't it? Actually, this blog will center around sin and how sin simply equals sin.
As I have typed previously, the Lord has sanctified me in numerous ways. You could call it healing, you could call it blessings or you could call it sanctification. I am attempting to iron that out. I don't stress over such things. A redeemed sinner is grateful for his Bondsman. He is grateful for his new Owner. He doesn't sweat much of his new life wondering how he got there or why is journey is so delightful in the present. He just praises. I do find that I am opening new doors continuously, as I do examine my journey. More grace abounds as I do this!
One problem of being a new creation at age 42, was that I was surprised at how all of our journeys are so different. One of the issues that I believe comes into play is running into Christians who have gotten stuck on a "sin category" mentality.
I cringe when I hear someone say, "Wow, can you believe their testimony?" This is typically regarding a person who lived quite worldly, God came into their life, and they shed their old ways. Supernaturally, of course. Yes, their testimony is tremendous. We folks in this category are actually humbled to such a point, that we painfully see the "mature" ones really don't have a true testimony. Theirs may go something like this: "I really didn't have any big sin problems. I wasn't a drinker or a druggie. I don't have much to tell about my transformation". "I was born into the church and didn't fall into sin".
Yes, there are some who had this life. But in my opinion, there are very few. If they do have this type of testimony, the problem is, is that they see their gluttony sins, gossip sins, US Magazine sins, dividing and unnecessarily complaining about their church sins, worshiping their children sins, laziness sins, not spreading the Gospel sins, build up my money so I can retire and not volunteer sins as NOT SIN. And certainly, they claim to not possess the sins of gambling, drugs and alcohol and sexual sins (from their pasts).
Actually, to me, a more refreshing testimony is one from a person in the above paragraph. But, when will I hear one?
Did they really crumble and have to crawl to Christ? We all need to. Charles Spurgeon has two awesome books on the Holy Spirit. (These are cheap books at the Christian book stores and are approximately $5.00 each) He speaks quite frankly about the alarming number of church going Christians who are truly not born again. I read this and tremble. I don't celebrate in this. I pray that the Lord will keep my heart fleshy, bleeding and quivering, never hardening as I walk longer with Him.
What is the problem? Pride. Read Andrew Murray's book called Humility, The Journey Towards Holiness. (Some of the best writer/evangelists/preachers are deceased. There are timeless works out there to treasure).
Somewhere, quickly along the line, and we can assume within the first few years of The Acts Church, the Devil creeped in and convinced Christians to "measure" sin. This relieves us! Ahhh. Yes, I didn't ever do THAT. We look around and find comfort. We love to hear the prostitutes' testimony......
Let me recommend another great book: It is by Charles Stanley and it is called The Blessings Of Brokenness. If you have not lived a roller coaster, cops in your driveway life and feel you are set apart to not have to be "broken", please read this and tremble. Ask the Lord to show you the path to be broken for Him:
Matthew 22: 43-44 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.
My interpretation of this is that I would rather be broken than crushed. Have I been broken? Yes.
2 Corinthians 4: 6-9 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that his all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
In conclusion, here is the synopsis of this blog:
My past life of 3 martinis equal your present 3 Twinkies (my abstinence and deliverance from alcohol vs. your current struggle with gluttony--and not accepting that as current and unrepentant sin)
My past fornication vs your present book, Fifty Shades of Gray. (my deliverance from sexual sin vs your unrepentant and hardened heart regarding true sexual sin)
My past Las Vegas wasted time trips vs. your lottery ticket (do I need to explain?---remember: gambling at the foot of the cross for His garments was a detail put in the Gospels for a reason)
May you read this and be convicted. May I be convicted of my sin as well. Lord, change us, chisel us, mold us.
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