We All Struggle with Sin.
Are we serious in God’s desire for our holiness?
Do we take His command seriously, that we are to walk in retrospect to Him?
The other day, as we sat together at our initial meeting, the three of us chatted to get to know one another. We had met for the first time (or at least two of us were strangers) before that day. I knew my task: Introduce the Small Group Objectives & Share My Personal Testimony.
The objectives were easily shared, for they were shared with me, and I merely needed to read them aloud to the group.
The opportunity to voice my personal testimony came, and truly, I felt “less spectacular” as I shared how Jesus saved my soul, for I did not have a supernatural revelation to speak of, nor did I have an overcoming to share how I left this life for that. I merely had my small, insignificant narrative how I was fifteen and attending a fall revival when the Holy Spirit convicted my heart and prompted me to give my heart to Jesus, to become God’s child.
To me, the story seems so small and not fantastical.
But to God, the story is perceived so differently.
For now (that I belong to God), my life, my thoughts, my actions and reactions, my attitude, my secret sins, my EVERYTHING—BELONGS TO HIM!
Therefore, I am His!
- Therefore, I am to be completely obedient to Him!
- Therefore, I am to walk differently than the way I once walked.
- Therefore, I am to talk differently than the way I once talked. &
- Furthermore, I am to think differently than the way I once thought.
This “child-like faith” that Jesus gave to me is serious business.
&
This “obedient child-like living” that God’s Spirit leads me to live is serious business.
I BET YOU WOULD AGREE!
OUR WORLD WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER IF—
WE LOVED GOD AS WE SHOULD & IF
WE LOVED OTHERS AS WE SHOULD.
In the Bible, we read of a day when the religious leaders came to listen to Jesus teach. Their purpose was clear: Twist Jesus’ words, try to make Him stumble, & try to discredit His claim as the Messiah sent by God to bring salvation to humanity.
“One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, [the Pharisees and Sadducees]
(The Gospel According to Mark 12: 28-32a NASB)
and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, [Jesus]
“What commandment is the foremost of all?”
Jesus answered,
“The foremost is, ‘HEAR O ISRAEL!
THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL,
AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND,
AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
There is no other commandment greater than these.’
The scribe said to Him, ‘Right, Teacher; . . .”
The religious leaders had a much-distorted view of what THEIR MESSIAH would be like when He came to earth. These men struggled to see Jesus as the Messiah sent by God. They struggled to accept WHO HE WAS, even though they were there, face-to-face with the Son of God, sent as the Savior by Almighty God.
Earlier this week, while driving to the university to teach, my favorite radio station became filled with static, so I pushed the nearest radio button and immediately became intrigued as I began to tap my fingers on the steering wheel as I listened.
“I love you period.
Do you love me question mark.
Please Please exclamation point.
I want to hold you in parentheses.” (“I Love You Period” by Dan Baird)
This secular melody is in no way “godly,” nor does it merit mentioning, other than to show the questions I have asked myself as the week has unfolded.
I have found myself focused on these questions:
- What sin do I love—period.
- What sin traps me—question mark?
- What sin can I not live without—exclamation point!
- What sin does the devil trap me within—(parentheses).
We All Struggle with Sin.
PERIOD!
- Not a Question, requiring a question mark, but a period.
- Not a Comma, meaning maybe this or possibly that, but a period.
- Not a Parentheses, grouping these sins as okay and those sins as not so nice, but a period.
Everyone, who walks the face of the earth—during their time while they live on earth—struggles with sin.
PERIOD!
Everyone, who is alive on earth—during their days and nights on earth—struggles with sin.
Is this not the QUESTION we continually ask?
Everyone, who breathes—during their lives—SINS.
It is a fact—EXCLAMATION POINT!
Everyone, who we encounter—during this day we have been given to live—struggles with sin.
Satan seeks to kill us, steal from us, and deceive us (while holding us tightly entrapped) inside our secret sin.
Through the Bible, we learn how to live in a way that pleases God.
Through His Holy Spirit, we learn how to walk empowered, living lives that are pleasing to the Father.
- We have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Period
- Does God desire we live holy lives? Question Mark
- YES, YES, HE DOES! Exclamation Point
- God promises to hold us forevermore, never leaving us. Parentheses
&
We are His children because He sent His only Son Jesus to die on the cross, to pay for our sins—so we could receive His atoning sacrifice for our sins. Period.
&
So, we pray:
“Father God,
Praise the Lord, we have been given a way out.
Thank You, Jesus, we have a way of escape.
Heavenly Father, we seek to humbly lay our sins at Your feet, seeking Your forgiveness.
LORD, we are YOURS, so we ask: ‘Help us be holy, as YOU are HOLY.”
This is our prayer that we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,
(The 1st Letter of Peter 1: 14-19 NASB)
but like the Holy One who called you,
be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
because it is written,
YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
but with precious blood,
as of a lamb unblemished and spotless,
the blood of Christ.”