“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts” – Zechariah 4:6
“Whenever he [Brother Lawrence] considered doing some good deed, he always
consulted God about it, saying, “Lord, I will never be able to do that if You
don’t help me.” When he sinned, he confessed it to God with these words: “I can
do nothing better without You. Please keep me from falling and correct the
mistakes I make.” After that he did not feel guilty about the sin.” (p15, The
Practice of the Presence of God)
There are two thoughts and one principle.
The spiritual principle is this. Our new life in Christ is a
spiritual one at its foundation and its essence. We are totally dependent upon God, the
Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit to live it out. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesian
2:8-9) and live by the Spirit Who lives in us (Galatians 5:25)
If you go without drinking water for more than 3 days, you will
most likely die, some people have lived for 10 days. A person becomes desperate
for water when their survival instinct kicks in. Have you ever felt a desperate need for the Spirit
of God? To draw close to the Father? Sadly I don’t always live with an awareness
of my dependence upon the Spirit for my new life. I have been foolish in that
regard. Thinking I can live me new life on my own. How about you?
“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now
being made perfect by the flesh?” – Galatians 3:3
That brings me to the first thought. If there is anything that God
asks me to do – if I have the thought to do that glorifies Him and helps others
– it is impossible to accomplish without Him.
“I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.”
– Philippians 4:13
The opposite of that truth is that there is nothing I can do
without His strength which is made possible by submission to the Spirit and an
abiding relationship with Him. Living
our new lives as Christians is more than being nice or doing good deeds. The
power to do rightly from God’s perspective and to live out our new lives lies
in our willingness to drink in the Living Water every day.
The second thought is this.
It is impossible live a sinless life, that is to live without sin in
this natural life, but it is possible to sin – less. The fact that we sin is
not excusable but it is understandable. When we sin it is because we have
yielded to our old nature – the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the
pride of life. (1 John 2:16) To acknowledge to God that “I can nothing better
without You [Father]” is to admit that my new life in Christ is totally
dependent upon the God and not my personal moral strength and will. Brother Lawrence was not making an excuse,
but was admitting the truth. Understanding the reason that he had sinned.
Seeking forgiveness and walking in it.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have
not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” – I John 1:8-10
So how is it that Brother Lawrence could say that he did not feel
guilty about his sin? He understood that he was forgiven through the blood of
Jesus. That is not to say that he did not have remorse – that there was not a
need for reconciliation or restitution on the part of the one or ones that were
offended, but he was forgiven and cleansed.
We should not confuse guilt and remorse.
Guilt will stifle your walk much like unconfessed sin will. But once
confessed – we are no longer guilty before the Father. (there is the spiritual
context again) God has cleansed us. But resist the temptation to think that sinning
does not matter – that is your flesh seeking the opportunity to have its way in
your life.
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace
may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or
do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into His death?” – Romans 6:1-3
Believe it – walk in it. Let your light shine and
give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His
Glory Alone
No comments:
Post a Comment