So, You Want To Get Better?

So, you want to get better?

Over the years I listened to hundreds of confessions of sins large and small.  Some let their story leak out slowly as if they were unwrapping a parcel, peeling back the layers of justifications they used to conceal the thing from the world and often even from themselves. Others sit down and after a few words the dam of emotion breaks and guilt floods over the room with a cascade of tears.  My hope as their pastor is not merely to relieve the guilt of those who sin. I also aim to compassionately point them in towards true repentance and renewed hope in Christ Jesus.  As much as telling our stories of betrayal, brokenness, abuse, and addiction can be difficult,  it is part of becoming whole and holy!

It is impossible to estimate how much suffering – physical, emotional, and spiritual – is created by hidden sin and the resultant guilt.  The Psalm speaks of the weight of guilt feeling like “bones that are crushed.” We cannot underestimate the power in this Scripture: "Prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." (James 5:15-17, NLT)  Until we match the Love of Jesus with our own depravity, we cannot be truly free nor can be we completely whole!  Our part is confession – owning our sins without excuse. His part is to give us mercy and grace, which He does in immeasurable ways.

In our human condition, we do not want to feel the sting of guilt. So, what do we do? We learn to shift the blame, to accuse and excuse. Pointing out the sins of another is not hard, is it?  We do not need the sleuthing skill of Sherlock Holmes to see the pride, selfishness, laziness, sensuality… (it’s a long list) that resides in the other guy. In counseling with married couples who are struggling to stay together, I find that she has a crystal clear vision of his failures and he of hers!  But, though he may understand something of his sin, he is certain it would change if only she would stop doing whatever it is that he claims is his trigger to sin! Healing only comes when blame is discarded.  Often those who yell the loudest about the sins of others are hiding the deepest cesspool of sin in their own mental backyard.  For example, I listen to accusations that ‘the church shows no love at all.’   “The people here are a self-centered bunch who care nothing for others.”  It takes great restraint to keep myself from pointing out that the speaker is a leading offender, indicted by her own words! Yet, there is seldom the slightest flicker of recognition of the irony of their words.

Even as I write today, I do so with genuine humility.  I am not exempt from this blindness to Self.  I frequently borrow the prayer of David "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. " (Psalm 51:10, NKJV) I do not lead a sinless life and my only hope of salvation rests on Christ who covers me with mercy that is completely undeserved.  In the same breath, I lay claim to ever increasing holiness through the work of the Spirit for "we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." (Romans 6:4, NLT)  "So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires. Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God." (Romans 6:11-13, NLT)  Confession leads me to the understanding that while I am not all I will be, and I am who I once was.

Here is the glorious promise, our word from the Word. "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago." (Micah 7:18-20, NIV)  Don’t be reluctant to face yourself and think, to pray an honest prayer of confession, to go and own your failure.  Regardless of how others respond, God is faithful to forgive and our confession opens the path to healing of body, soul, and spirit.  Hallelujah!

Keep Faith Alive!

(I have been missing in action for a couple of days.  Sandy blew through and disrupted life. We are  grateful for a generator  which has allowed us to stay warm and keep our well pump operational. We still have no power, no phone, no internet, no cable at home and it may be another week or so before we do. It’s been our privilege to help our neighbors, to have people in our house warming up, charging up, and cleaning up! Hopefully, over the next few days I can return to the normalcy of life and ministry.)

Keep the faith!

The fire in our fireplace in the living room is a beautiful thing. The flames give light and warmth, delighting our eyes with their dance. Keeping the fire going demands attention; adding wood, poking at the embers. As long as I tend it, I can enjoy the benefits it provides.  Faith is much the same.  When first lit by the touch of the Spirit, faith burns brightly, warming us with hope.  Remember those first weeks or months after you received the gift of faith through Christ Jesus?  With the weight of sin and guilt lifted, with the promise of knowing God became personal, when the hope of eternal life was yours to own; life blazed in vibrant faith. 

Does it still? Have you tended the flame?

It is a great sorrow to this pastor to find that many fail to tend that faith only to find the fire dying until the embers cool to dark, cold charcoal!  Jesus warned of this possibility. He said that tough times will come. Temptation will increase. Persecution will make life tough. Evil will take over all around us. Lying preachers will promise blue skies and full bank accounts.  The sad result for some Christians will be that " the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes. " (Matthew 24:12, The Message)  Mid-life can bring a time of increased influence and our most years that produce a lasting contribution to the work of the Lord, or it can bring the despair of failed faith, resignation to fate, and bitterness.

When I first met my wife, Bev, 38 years ago I was certain that she was the perfect woman. I just knew that when we wed our marriage would prove to the world that love was really that ‘many splendored thing.’  (I wonder if she thought the same of me?)  That infatuation gave way to commitment. We began to build a life together, around the Lordship of Christ. We raised children, shared in ministry, grew through times of grief and rejoiced in times of increase.  Our love, tended and nurtured, has given us a partnership that increases our individual strength by many times over what it would be if we were apart.  Most come to Jesus Christ with childish expectations. They mistakenly believe that their faith will produce a smooth road, an easy life of comfort.  When Jesus does not magically take away every problem, heal every sickness, or eliminate temptations; they have a real choice:  grow deep or grow cold.  If you’re reading this and thinking that people who experience such things must be less spiritual or somehow deserving of their own disappointment, think again.  Jesus says that we all will experience “the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things,” and for some, it will “choke the word, making it unfruitful." (Mark 4:19, NIV) But for those who build their faith, "who hear the Word, embrace it”  there will be “a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.” (Mark 4:20, The Message)

We must tend our faith. How?

We feed it with consistent intake of the Holy Scripture. 

We strengthen it with regular times of personal and corporate worship. 

We build it by dealing with sin with quick repentance and confession that keeps our hearts warm to the Spirit’s Presence.

Just like love, faith matures!

Here’s a word from the Word. May it strengthen you in the faith!

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." (Hebrews 10:35-39, NIV)

Speaking to my own soul

My emotions were fired up. The day was one of peaks and valleys, exhilaration and anxiety, all mixed into one potentially intoxicating brew. I could feel the tension rising and knew it was time to speak to myself. No, I am not mentally unbalanced! I have learned from experience that when emotions are running high, it is appropriate to remind myself Who is God, of His eternal promises, and of the calling to live as His child.  Remember Jesus' disciples who were in a boat with Him as a storm rose on the Sea of Galilee?  They gave in to fear and soon were accusing Him of not caring for them! Graciously, He stood and quieted the storm and then He "reprimanded the disciples: "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?" (Mark 4:40, The Message)  Panic will run wild through the corridors of our minds if we give fear unrestricted access. Anger will become a roaring blaze of rage if we do not restrain it. Desire will turn rapidly to all-consuming lust, greed, or gluttony if we do not learn how to invite the Spirit to rule in us. So, David teaches us by example when he talks to himself! He says, "Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me." (Psalm 103:2, NLT) One of the great myths of our time is that every thought must be spoken, every feeling explored, every desire fulfilled. Self-discipline is despised, even demeaned. The result is that too many fully grown adults are still throwing tantrums, living irresponsibly, and expecting others to indulge them while they whine and cry about their lot in life. Sadly, they are often completely unaware of the deepening chaos they are creating because they will not speak to their own soul with the voice of reason and in the power of God's Spirit. Those who are Spirit-filled Christians are freed from the control of the sinful nature, released to be godly and whole people who live as overcomers in the middle of temptation. They do not gain this victory by ignoring the inner tumult, by denying negative emotions, or repressing unpleasant feelings. They know what they feel, but they also know that God gives a gift of a will, empowered by His Spirit! We can fully acknowledge our emotions without letting them take control. Jeremiah, called 'the weeping prophet,' faced calamity and felt the crushing weight of sorrow. His example is powerful. "My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the LORD." I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:18-23, NIV) John reminds that the Spirit of God is 'greater than the spirit that lives in the world.' (1 John 4:4) So, step up Christian to the challenge. Pray for maturity. Let the Spirit help you to be self-controlled and alert so you do not fall prey to the schemes of evil. (1 Peter 5:8) Here's a word from the Word. Meditate on it and let the peace of God rule. "I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure." (Psalm 16:2-5, NIV) Let My Words Be Few You are God in heaven And here am I on earth, So I'll let my words be few. Jesus, I am so in love with You. And I'll stand in awe of You. Yes, I'll stand in awe of You; And I'll let my words be few. Jesus. I am so in love with You. Beth Redman | Matt Redman © 2000 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) CCLI License # 810055