If we walk in the light as He is in the light…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. —1 John 1:7
“To mistake freedom from sin only on the conscious level of our lives for complete deliverance from sin by the atonement through the Cross of Christ is a great error. The evidence that I have been delivered from sin is that I know the real nature of sin in me. And it is not until we truly perceive the unrivaled power of the Spirit in us that we understand the meaning of 1 John 1:7 , which says, “…the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” This verse does not refer only to conscious sin, but also to the tremendously profound understanding of sin which only the Holy Spirit in me can accomplish. I must “walk in the light as He is in the light…”— not in the light of my own conscience, but in God’s light. On the conscious level it produces a keen, sorrowful knowledge of what sin really is. The love of God working in me causes me to hate, with the Holy Spirit’s hatred for sin, anything that is not in keeping with God’s holiness. To “walk in the light” means that everything that is of the darkness actually drives me closer to the center of the light.” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
Does the fact that you continue to sin concern you? Even a little bit? Or are you content with being a marginal Christian. Like the Princess Bride where Miracle Max describes Wesley as being "mostly dead" we can mistakenly think of ourselves as "mostly Good" which is good enough! Are you accommodating sin in your life because, well frankly, you like it. If you love your culture. If you embrace what it offers or promotes as truth and right, even though the Word of God says it is a lie and wrong, then that is exactly where you are.
It is not a function of what you have but what has you. Listen, freedom from sin is not freedom to sin. It is really not OK. The problem is, because so many “Christians” are in love with the world and the things of the world, that when they look at other Christians and not Jesus, they can find justification for what they do and don’t do very easily. We are not to love our neighbor and then love for God will result. It is the other way around. Love God and then you will love others because of our love for God and His love for us. (1 John 4:19 and Matthew 22:37-39) The Christmas celebration is not too far behind us. Some churches try to accommodate people by not have a service on Christmas morning. Why? So people can be at home and focus on gift giving. Don’t ask them to come to church instead … the preacher may be preaching to empty pews. Even though we may say “Jesus is the reason for the season” we don’t want Him to get in the way of our revelry.
No - I am not descended from Scrooge! I want you to think about where your heart is and where your priorities are. Loving God and not loving the world is not an option, it’s a command. Your devotion to your family is a good thing but not when it trumps your devotion to God. Would you consider going into debt to give to God? Would you think about how your tax return will pay for the tithe you put on your credit card? No? Yet you will do that for your family. Often buying them gifts they don’t need … why? God sent His Son as a gift to save us from the world and our sin. Think about it. We over indulge ourselves in the things of the world and then give God an hour to sing Christmas carols.
I type what the Lord puts on my heart at the moment. You might be thinking “he is not talking about me!” If not .. praise the Lord, but be watchful … the temptation is all around you. The bottom line …… Each of us should examine our hearts. Child of God …. I am encouraging you to let the light of Christ shine (Matthew 5:16) .. first in your home, in your culture and then the world.
Think about it – Pray about it – 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