Separate

COMMENTS

God has recently been speaking to me, as evidenced by some of my posts, about my sin and His mighty work of salvation and purification.  He continued that theme this morning.

NOTES

I have a tendency to think of myself as okay, even good.  That’s easy to do when I get self-righteous and make the wrong comparisons.  That’s probably why He has pointed me so often lately to my sin, but He has never left me in that pit.  He always reminds me of His redeeming work.  He calls me to Himself and to righteousness.  One aspect of my morning prayer today was that He will work in me to purify me and make me more like Him.  He took me to 2 Corinthians 6:14b-7:1:

“For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?  What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?  For we are the temple of the living God.  As God has said:  ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.  Therefore, come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.  Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.’

“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”

When I’m not making one of my common self-righteous comparisons, I compare myself to Paul, desiring to reach his level of commitment to Jesus.  But that, too, is a wrong comparison.  Paul points me not to himself but to Jesus Christ.  Jesus is my standard.  Being like Him is my goal.

So, this morning, He issued me a challenge:  “Is your heart willing?  Do you really want to be like Me?”  If my answer is “yes”, He tells me in this passage what I’m to do. I’m to separate myself from this fallen world.  I’m not to be contaminated by the evil that rules here.  I have a choice.  It’s my choice.  I make the decision--choose to be influenced by the world or choose those things that lead to purity and righteousness.  If I am, indeed, “the temple of the living God” as He says here, my choices should reflect that.  I will make the right choices “out of reverence for God.” 

And, as always, He gives me love and encouragement in the form of a promise:

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my…daughter.”

(2 Corinthians 6:18)

Lord, help me to remember that as I make choices today—and tomorrow—and always.

I Am New

COMMENTS

There’s always something that I need to confess.  That’s very disappointing.  Perfectionist that I am, it seems that I should LEARN!  Why do I so often have to confess the same thing I confessed yesterday?  If I take the “glass half empty” approach, it’s very discouraging.  But wait!  God says the glass isn’t “half full”—it’s spilling over!

NOTES

It’s true that I disappoint me.  I long to be that servant of God who always hears, always obeys, is always holy and righteous.  The reality, however, is that as long as I am in this body, I will not, cannot be that person.  But, praise God, I am His; and He is at work!  My God is not a God of discouragement.  He is a God of hope and peace and joy and opportunity.  And although I often blow it, He forgives me and gives me another chance…and another…and another…and….  By the blood of Christ, He sees not the sinner but the saint; not the current me but the completed and perfected me.

As He so often does, He spoke this truth to me in a song.  This time it happened to be I Am New by Jason Gray.  Listen with me:

Now I won't deny
The worst you could say about me
But I'm not defined
By mistakes that I've made
Because God says of me

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I'm dearly loved
I am new

Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing
To ever believe

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I'm dearly loved
I am new

Too long I have lived
In the shadows of shame
Believing that there
Was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new
Doesn't see me the way that I do
He doesn't see me the way that I do

I am not who I was
I am being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy
And I'm dearly loved
I am new

I am not who I was
I am being remade I am new
Dead to the old man, I'm coming alive
I am new

Forgiven beloved
Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy
Reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name

This is who we are now...

Now, that’s a glass that’s overflowing!

Used in a Different Way

COMMENTS

Today, we’re going to discuss the word “used”.  It’s interesting that the same word can have so many different connotations.  My last posting discussed how God uses such an unworthy individual as I to do His work.  That’s a wonderfully positive “use”.  The use I’m feeling today, though, is anything but positive.

NOTES

It’s wonderful to feel used by the One True God.  However, to feel used by another human being is usually negative and disturbing.  Why is that?  To be used by God means that He values me.  When I’m used by other people, it’s usually because they value not me but the benefit they receive from me.  That puts a whole different spin on things.

I’m a nice person.  I’m not bragging, and I’m not saying I’m perfect.  I’m not saying that I’m never cranky or inconsiderate.  All I’m saying is that I was raised to be thoughtful and considerate of other people.  (Credit my mom and dad for that.)  It’s discouraging, though, when someone takes advantage of that “niceness”, uses it for his/her own benefit, and then has no time for me.  Fellowship and relationship aren’t a part of the mix.  I’m wanted for what I can give not for who I am.  They don’t want to spend time with me; they want the benefits they can derive from knowing me.

So, I’m faced with the decision of how to handle this.  What’s the godly thing to do?  I don’t believe that God has called me to be a doormat, but His Word tells me over and over to be kind and to forgive. 

I don’t yet have the solution to this problem, but I have no doubt that He has a way for me to deal with it and that He will reveal it in His perfect timing.  I’m up very early this morning because I awoke thinking about this and was unable to go back to sleep.  As I was praying, God showed me the following verse:

“Those who are treated badly for doing good are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”  (Matthew 5:10 New Century Version)

You may be more familiar with the following wording of that verse from the Sermon on the Mount, one of the Beatitudes:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:10 New International Version)

God gave me the New Century Version (NCV) this morning because I never would have connected with the NIV.  I don’t feel “persecuted”, and I certainly don’t feel “righteous”.  But I do feel mistreated for doing good.  And what is God’s promise to me?  That I am (“am”, not “will be”) happy.  Honestly, I’m not happy about being mistreated.  I’m not happy that I’m going to have to deal with this situation.  But I am overjoyed that I’m a part of the kingdom of heaven!

“Depend on the Lord; trust Him, and He will take care of you.  Then your goodness will shine like the sun, and your fairness like the noonday sun.  Wait and trust the Lord.”  (Psalm 37:5-7a NCV)

Follow-up Note:

I almost didn’t post this because the Lord has healed my heart and allowed me to get past the emotions expressed above.  The situation hasn't changed, but I have.  He may have me say something, and He may not.  Either is okay with me.

The reason I feel led to post it anyway is because those feelings were honest.  That was truly the way I felt at the time.  You may feel that way about something, as well.  Satan loves to take our thoughts and feelings and blow them out of proportion.  In his hands, a hill becomes a mountain.  I encourage you to take it to the Lord and allow Him to apply His healing balm.  His “medicine” makes the boo-boo better!

Used, In Spite Of...

COMMENTS

When I look at my life, I see things that I’m ashamed of.  Things I wish weren’t there.  But, amazingly, I also see times that God has used me.  Why would He do that?

NOTES

As I read my Bible, I find story after story about people who have messed up.  Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Rahab, Samson, David, Peter, Paul—to name a few.  How would you like for your sin to be recorded in God’s Book for all to read, generation after generation?  No, thanks!  Yet, each of these people were used by God in MIGHTY ways.  Many of them are listed in Hebrews 11, the famous “Hall of Faith”.

How in the world did that happen?  It happened because God sees our sin, but He also sees our hearts.  The heart that loves God and longs to please Him, to see Him, is a heart that can be used.  And so, He uses it.

Like the rest of the human race, I’m a mess.  I’m a sinner (the subject of my last posting).  When I look at my life, especially some particularly wayward times, I wonder why God would even want me.  I don’t see myself as a particularly promising specimen for the Kingdom of God.

Yet, God’s Word tells us that God looks at us differently than our peers look at us or than the way we look at ourselves:

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7)

And:

“Let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, because we have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”  (Jeremiah 31:34)

And, again:

“Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned.”  (Psalm 32:1)

What does all this mean?  It means that when God looks at me, He sees not who I was but who I am in Him.  And who I am in Him is one who can be used.  He has used me.  I’m not worthy of that.  I don’t understand it.  But the fact remains that He has done it.  That astonishing fact gives me great joy—and purpose!  Where have I sometimes been the most useful?  In areas where I have sinned.  Once again, I see Romans 8:28 at work:  “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”.  Was my sin good?  Absolutely not!  Did God bring good out of it?  Absolutely yes!

So, maybe the title of this commentary is wrong.  My sin, in the Master’s hands, has been redeemed.  That which Satan longed to use to drag me down was used by God to lift others up.  He didn’t use me “in spite of”.  He used me “because of”.  Because of His grace.  Because of His mercy.  Because of His forgiveness.  Because of His love.