Tag: Forgiveness

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Posted on by Dorci

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

They say the best things in life are free.  Yet every year the day after Thanksgiving (well, now you barely have time to eat your last bite of pumpkin pie) the stores open and people rush the gates like race horses at the Kentucky Derby.  Even now there are people everywhere still scrambling to find that last perfect present or two.

I wonder if we really do believe the best things in life are free.  All the frenzied waving of credit cards is really just a distraction, a way to make Christmas mean something when we fail to make it about Christ. And it’s hard to do that when He hasn’t been Lord the other 364 days a year.

Thanksgiving Day I was in the kitchen, as I am every Thanksgiving, going about the cooking I’ve now gotten down to a science, when I stole a moment to take a peek through our kitchen window which faces the front of our house.  The streets were lined with cars that had brought family and friends to spend Thanksgiving with so many neighbors.  It made me feel just a little bit lonely.

I love my family, my husband and our two sons whom we’re still blessed to have at home, but we have no extended family we’re able to spend the holidays with.

I didn’t have much of a family life growing up, so it was always my dream to have huge family gatherings at the holidays, the house full of laughing, eating, cooking, and a dozen different conversations going on a once, catching each other up on our lives, our victories and our defeats, encouraging and loving each other, so that when the day was done we’d be as full in our hearts as we were in our bellies.

A long time ago, though, I accepted the house would be a little less full and a little more quiet. That it would be just the four of us, and I’m happy with that.  Still, I couldn’t help but peer out the window a time or two (maybe three) more and caught a glimpse of all those cars in front of so many other houses.

Instead I’ve filled the holidays with one of the few talents I did have: mad baking skills.  I started baking when my kids were tiny and we didn’t have enough money for store-bought birthday cakes.  I started collecting cookbooks and practicing the art of cake making, frosting, and decorating.  I bought all kinds of frosting tips and every food coloring in the rainbow.  I practiced my royal icing roses. My mouth full of sweet teeth had me quickly expanding to almost any kind of cookie, pastry and dessert you can think of.

And when the holidays rolled around I’d have a field day.  I’d stock up on flour and sugar and butter and chocolate and peppermint candies.  I’d pore through my hundreds of recipes of Christmas cookies and delectable desserts and wonder which to bake first.  Wedding cookies or Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels?  And there are always cream cheese frostinged cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.

But now I have health issues that make it almost impossible to enjoy eating sugar or any kind of carbohydrate. Oh I can eat it, I just have to be willing to face the consequences when I do.  My family is trying to eat healthier, too.  So every year I’ve baked less and less, and this year I haven’t done any.  Yet we are inundated with messages that for Christmas to be Christmas we should indulge in one sugar-laced treat after another.  But since I can’t it’s just one more thing that can make me feel like I’m somehow outside the party peering in.

There are other things, too, that getting older make celebrating Christmas the way I’d like very difficult or impossible.

Sometimes, when we’ve been stripped away of so much that the world says we must have and do to be happy, God is able to show us what’s most important.  To see what the best things in life really are.

No matter what gifts I’ve been given, the best by far will always be my salvation.  Ultimately, of course, I am forever indebted to Christ for dying for me, and to the Holy Spirit for pursuing me, opening my eyes, and revealing to me my need for a Savior. Regardless of what I am not able to have in this life, eternity will be filled with family and feasting.  Relationships will be restored and my body will be perfect.  This life is only temporary.  Eternity’s forever. And I’m looking forward to it!

I would not have that hope if it weren’t for the willingness of some to offer prayers and the honest teaching of God’s Word.  Those were gifts to me, gifts I could never afford.  Gifts that are free.

And now I, and many of you, are in the position to be able to offer those gifts to others.  No credit card needed.  Some may not open their gift of salvation right away, perhaps for years.  But even seeds are gifts.  Water is a gift.

So maybe it’s time to slow down and allow those things the world says we must have in order to have Christmas be stripped away.  Maybe it’s time to give a gift that would last for eternity.  Maybe you’re a seed-bearer, or a waterer.  Maybe you’re a harvester.

Wherever God would have you be in the process, give a gift of your gifts.  Your spiritual gifts have been given to you to not only encourage fellow believers, but to bring truth to unbelievers.  There is no better gift than the truth that leads to salvation.

One phrase that I hear over and over every Christmas season that’s become a pet peeve of mine, is when someone uses the word Christmas in place of the word gifts.  “She won’t be able to give her kids Christmas.”  “They won’t have a Christmas.”

Even the Grinch came to understand Christmas when he’d stripped the Whos of all he thought would make them happy, yet their joy on Christmas morning was undeterred and unrestrained.

“That’s a noise,” grinned the Grinch, “That I simply MUST hear!”
So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow.
But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!
He stared down at Whoville! The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”
“It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!”
“It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”

A little bit more indeed.  A lot more.  It means the birth of our precious Savior who came to give us the best gift of all.

So if you’re struggling this year, I hope you’ll take heart,
And know that the life we live here is only the start!
Christ was born in a stable for you and for me
And He died to give us eternity.
So wherever you are, whatever you do
Remember that Jesus, yes Jesus loves you!
He gave you salvation and that’s the key
To knowing the best thing in life is free.
So remember that Christmas doesn’t come from a mart
It comes when we let JESUS fill up our heart!
So store up for yourselves treasures in heaven
Give the gift of telling others how they can be forgiven!

Merry Christmas and God bless you!

Lost and Found

Posted on by Dorci

One of my favorite sounds of the summer (or just about any time of the year here in Arizona) is the distant hum of a lawn mower. The rumbling of the engine as it cuts rows into the grass makes me feel comforted and secure. Instantly I am taken back to my childhood when I heard the same sound in our own yard. 

That choppy, little engine meant my daddy was home. 

I didn’t hear our lawn mower as much as I would have liked, though.  It sat in the workshop much too often, while my dad was out in the world doing other things. 

His absence left an emptiness in my heart, and without a positive, strong father as a role model, I grew up feeling insecure and lost.  I went on to spend my late teens and early 20’s searching for something to fill the void.

There was a T.V. show that ran from the mid- to late 2000’s that illustrates this feeling well. It was a little show called Lost, presumably titled because it’s about a group of people whose plane crashes somewhere over the Pacific Ocean and they become lost on an uncharted island. 

But I think they were all lost long before they became castaways and found themselves battling their inner demons come to life. 

The series portrays a group of people who, for one reason or another, has each endured painful and damaging relationships with their fathers.  As each character’s past unfolds, we get a better understanding of how the pain of those broken relationships has left them confused, lonely, searching for the love of a father and at the same time running from their pain. 

Lost.   

We witness their journeys from inside their pain as they try to fill their own voids, and their struggle toward healing, or not. 

Unfortunately, these kinds of painful struggles aren’t limited to TV shows. Real life is full of them.  The news is full of stories of people who have been flung into the world without the solid foundation of an involved, loving father.   

Why? We’ve come to believe a lie that’s been perpetrated on us for a long time, and the lie has gained momentum.  The enemy of God and of love and truth has lied to us, telling us children don’t need a father, and the world has swallowed the lie. Now we’re paying the price.

The truth is God created marriage.

God created marriage as a picture of Christ and His bride, the Church.  Husbands were created to be an ongoing personification of Christ’s sacrificial love for her. 

God has given both men and women important roles.  They were both created in God’s image, but in case you haven’t noticed, they were created differently.  In God’s wisdom, He’s given each of them separate, distinct characteristics that, when brought together in a marriage, form a more complete picture of the image of God. Opposites attract as a way of bringing two sets of strengths together to a marriage and a family.      

The truth is God created families. 

Moms and dads each bring their unique God-given characteristics and abilities to the raising of their kids.   Too often, though, dads have been pushed out, left, or have never been involved at all.  Whatever the case may be, unless we get back to God’s vision for the family, we will continue to see the eroding of society. 

So what are husbands and fathers to do?

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:19

It starts with the marriage.  Fathers are the first man in a young woman’s life. The example he sets by how he treats his wife is the portrait she internalizes in how she should be treated by a man.  Fathers are the example young men look to in how to treat a woman. 

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.  Ephesians 6:4

God’s discipline is always given with grace and wisdom.  Disciplining too harshly causes children to become bitter.  God says it’s to be done in a loving, nurturing, teachable way.  Not disciplining at all can also cause bitterness and a disrespect for authority.

Fathers are the first impression children form as to who God is, and that impression can last a lifetime. 

Dads, you are needed.  You are important to your children’s lives, and to the prosperity of your family, community, and our society.  The ripple effect of a dad’s relationship with his children can either be an earthquake or a peaceful wave landing on the shore.  I pray you will seek the Lord and let Him show you how to parent your children, that you will be active in their lives, conveying to them how much they’re loved and how important they are to you.  They will carry that into their adulthood.

If your children are alive, it’s not too late to be the father God desires you to be.  Ask Him for wisdom.  Sometimes the most teachable moments and best times of building a relationship are just hanging out together.  Throw a ball.  Make a fort.  Mow the lawn.  Just let them know you’re there for them. 

And if your children are grown, it’s not too late to pray for reconciliation. 

I was able to connect with my dad when I was in my 30’s, just a few years before his death. We didn’t have a lot of time, but the time we had was sweet. The truth is he had his own father issues and searched his entire life for a way to fill his own void of loneliness. I understand that now.  Because of God’s faithfulness, someday we’ll be together again and our relationship will be complete. 

No matter the situation, know that in Christ there is forgiveness and love. 

Sons and daughters, forgive your dad.  It’s the best gift you can give yourself, and your children.  The sad truth is that if he was harsh or absent he probably had his own pain he was grappling with, and unfortunately that pain taints all our relationships. Pray for him. Love him with the love God gives you.

Know that the image we have of our fathers is not an accurate representation of God.  The best of dads (and moms) are not perfect.  Don’t assign your dad’s weaknesses to your Heavenly Father. 

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. Psalm 27:10

I’ve relied on this verse throughout my walk with God.  No matter how lost you may have felt before God, in Christ you are now found.  Christ died for you, rose for you, and sought you.  He wooed you until you were His.  He will never leave you nor forsake you. His love and provision are limitless.  His grace and mercy abound to you.  He is faithful.

God bless you on your journey,

 

 

 

Image credit: mulden / 123RF Stock Photo

The Race is On

Posted on by Dorci

And crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Luke 23:46 

Faith doesn’t come only when things are good – when the sun is shining, the bills are paid, and everyone loves us.  Who needs faith then?

But when the storms rage, the money jar is empty and the enemy knocks at the door, that is when we need faith.  That is when the exercise of our faith in God is most beautiful and He is most glorified. 

Christ is our example.  Rather than avoid it, He walked through the suffering, through the pain, through the rejection and spitting and scoffing and unbelief – even by His own friends.  Why?  Because He had faith in His Father, the Father who sent Him to the cross.  He kept faith that He had a plan and a purpose in His suffering. 

They would never know anything but how to reject, how to accuse, how to inflict pain unless He died.  Unless He offered forgiveness for their sins and they took it.  Only when their eyes were opened and their hearts were wiped clean of sin would they have the capacity for true love.  So He gave Himself so they could be forgiven and bring love into the world.

And they would go on to trust God through their own sufferings, to commit their spirits to their heavenly Father like their Savior did, so others could hear of Him, have their eyes opened and hearts wiped clean of sin.  So they could learn how to love like Jesus did, completely and unselfishly, and fill the world with it.

The torch has been passed to us, and we are called to do the same.

Grace and peace,

 

Another Chance to Pray for Our Nation

Another Chance to Pray for Our Nation

Posted on by Dorci

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Thursday, May 2, is the National Day of Prayer and we have another chance to collectively pray for our nation.  And boy do we need it.  It seems every day there is more news that our nation as a whole is moving further into darkness.  Right is called wrong and wrong is called right.

And instead of being a godly influence on the world around her, the church as a whole seems to have allowed itself to be molded by the world.

Jesus’ light is, of course, as bright as ever, but the light of the church has dimmed.

Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship has been chosen to be this year’s Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer.  Not surprisingly, he has already encountered conflict as a gay and lesbian group has called for his removal from the position because of his godly stance on the truth in God’s Word on homosexuality.

Pastor Greg is refusing to step down, and that doesn’t surprise me.  In fact, I haven’t even heard him mention it.  He is moving full steam ahead in the strength and power of Christ as usual.  And he needs our prayers as he moves forward.  The country needs our prayers, and not just superficial prayers, but real repentence.

Humility isn’t a very popular thing anymore, but it’s what God calls us to.  And if we’re going to see ourselves, and as a result, our country be healed, we need to return to humility, get on our knees and pray for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

These are a few of the prayer needs I can think of.  If you can think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to post them.

1. Pray the Lord Jesus Christ will be held high and glorified as the only way, the only truth, the only life.

2. Pray that those who call themselves followers of Christ, especially those who have been called to lead, will hear from the Lord and repent of any ways in which they’ve turned away from God.  Pray for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit for all of us that we may, above all, love one another, and live uncompromising and bold lives in our families, our neighborhoods, our churches, our workplaces, our cities, and wherever God chooses to place us.

3. Pray for those who believe they are saved but are not and are instead living in a system of religion only or believing that being a “good” person will earn them a place in heaven.  Pray the Lord will open their eyes to see the truth that religion and good works cannot save.  That it is only through the forgiveness of our sins through the atonement of Christ’s shed blood that any of us can be saved.

4. Pray that as Pastor Greg prays on Thursday those who oppose the truth will feel God’s love (and ours) and His desire to come into the life of anyone who would repent and turn to Christ.

5. Pray the leaders of our nation will be convicted and will turn to Christ for salvation and begin to lead us in a godly way.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.”
Matthew 6:9-13

God bless you as you seek Him,

Addicted to Unforgiveness

Posted on by Dorci

One of the first things God put on my heart shortly after I accepted Christ 23 years ago was to forgive a man who had maliciously intruded into my life several years before.

But why did I need to?  I hadn’t thought about him, much, in years. I was married now.  I had a child.  Why did I need to revisit such a nightmarish memory?  Couldn’t I just forget it? 

The truth is God knew I hadn’t forgotten.  The memory and all its pain was buried deep in my heart.  And that pain was leaking poison.  And if I was honest, those painful memories were more at the surface than I’d like to have led on, even to myself.  

And God knew that if I didn’t let go of that poison, it would contaminate my heart, my life, my relationships with my husband, people and even with God.

The only way to rid a body of that kind of poison is to accept the antidote: forgiveness.

After months of praying and choosing to forgive the man, God supernaturally moved that forgiveness from my head to my heart.  And suddenly I felt forgiveness toward him. 

One down, 3,563 people and circumstances to go.  Roughly.  And that didn’t even count the things I needed to forgive myself for. 

Still, God had set me on the path to freedom.

Recently the Lord has shown me some awesome truths about unforgiveness. 

It can become a habit that’s as poisonous as alcoholism or drug addiction. You start off holding onto unforgiveness as a coping mechanism.  A balm to soothe the pain of the hurt.

But unforgiveness is liar.

The sin of unforgiveness goes much further than the unforgiveness itself.  There’s a certain self-righteousness that comes with it.  An earned anger.  And loneliness. And they’re all wrapped up in pride.

The truth is there is no balm in unforgiveness. There is no soothing of the pain.  There is only poison. 

Before the man, I’d already had a lifetime of pain.  I’d already learned to use unforgiveness as a crutch, an excuse, a way to steel my heart from any future pain.  My coping mechanism was set, my walls built, my heart scabbed over.  And every day that went by, the poison contaminated my heart.

But there was a war going on inside my heart that only God could see.  Behind that wall of pain and unforgiveness lay a heart that wanted so badly to be tender and sensitive and loving. 

The Lord saw my heart, the heart behind the wall.  And with that one act of obedience to forgive a man I’d see only once in my lifetime, the Lord had broken through that crusty heart.  And the poison I’d held there was gone.

Still, in the years since there’s been much more pain.  And I’ve had my coping mechanism. My habit. And time and time again it was proven to me that I had a reason to keep that heart walled and secret and safe.  Fresh wounds gave me a right to hold onto unforgiveness, or so I thought.  I was still dealing with pain the way I had since I was a little girl.

But now I’m learning to let go of old habits.  And instead, I’m learning to trust the Lord. 

Because that’s what it all comes down to.  Trust. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust that He sees your pain.

Trust that He is a good and fair God.

Trust that He is using every situation for your good.

Trust that He will make it all right in the end.

Trust that He loves you.

Forgive.  And let His peace fill your heart.

I wouldn’t have thought that being assaulted thirty years ago would be used for my good.  But God is that kind of God.  The kind that can take a twisted, depraved act chosen by a sinful man and turn it around to make me a better person.  To teach me forgiveness.  And mercy. 

And to allow the life of Jesus—the One who has shown me an unknowable amount of forgiveness and mercy—to flow through me. 

And every day, with every circumstance, I have a choice to make.

Am I going to fall back on old habits or am I going to choose to lay down my pride, trust God and forgive?

Today I choose forgiveness. 

Will you?

Glorious Resolutions

Posted on by Dorci

I used to think making New Year’s resolutions was useless.  I thought, what’s the point? Maybe you make it through the month of January, maybe you don’t.  But now I think that’s a defeatist attitude.  

And that the only goals that are sure to fail are the ones we don’t make. 

So go on!  Set a goal.  Be intentional.  Change your life. 

Just be sure that what you do is in the will and strength of God.  Because when we do something out of God’s will and in our own strength, we may go along fine for a while, but sooner or later something’s going to trip us up and we’re going to find ourselves eating a little floor. 

So whatever you do, whether it’s setting new fitness goals, communicating better with your spouse or children, being a better employee or {insert your own goals}, there is one God-given goal we have in all of them. One ultimate reason we’re here. 

To give God glory. 

In all we say, in all we do, we were made to glorify the King of kings. 

To praise and worship Him in all we do.  To proclaim His great love and the great things He’s done for us. To let the joy He gives us spill out onto everyone around us.

Can you grasp how great a mission that is?  That we’re given the gift of relationship with the Almighty God and are filled with His Holy Spirit to walk in Him and glorify Him to others is an amazing gift.  And we should use that gift wisely.

There are two kinds of people who need to see the glory of God through us:

1. Unbelievers

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

In case you’ve been under a rock, the world is going to hell in a handbasket. And if we have even an inkling of the love of Christ, we’ll care that they are. It’s crazy out there and getting crazier by the minute. People are lost, hurt, and suffering.  And they need to know that there is a God Who loves them and whose glory is unmatched. 

They need to know that all the world’s gold doesn’t shine as glorious as He does. That no amount of fame knows the glory we know in Jesus Christ. They need to know that there is a glory that will give them peace–peace with God and peace with themselves. They need to know the glory that is so great it’ll carry them into eternity, if they receive it by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

They need to see the glorious love of Jesus in words and actions and we’re the ones elected to bring it to them.  Unfortunately, all too often they see Christians as hypocritical and judgmental.  They can get that from the world.  We need to show them the glory of Christ instead. 

2. Believers

“Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.” Romans 15-5-7

It’s a tough world out there for Christ-followers, and it’s easy to get discouraged.  The sad thing is that at times I’ve been most discouraged by my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  Why?  Because their eyes have been opened. They have the Holy Spirit and they know the truth. They should know better. 

And so should I.

But sometimes we get lazy. We spend too much time in the world and let it mold us. We forget to put on Christ’s attitude and allow His glory to flow through us.  We’re human and we’ll fail.  And then we have the God-given ability (and commandment) to forgive and ask for forgiveness. 

Instead, let’s determine to love each other.  To protect each other.  To shine the glory of Christ through our love and kindness and help others on their way. After all, we’re soldiers in a spiritual war and we’re in the trenches together.  We can’t afford to turn on each other by being unkind, critical, snarky, or rude.  The enemy loves it when we do.    

So how do we do it?  How do we glorify the Lord to everyone around us?

We get up in the morning and we sit with Him.  It doesn’t have to be a big production.  Just grab your Bible and find a quiet corner.  Pray.  Read His Word.  Even a verse or two.  Just let God prepare you for what He knows you’ll encounter that day, before you have a chance to act or react in your human, sinful flesh.

His Presence = His Glory

There is nothing like starting a fresh new day with the Lord and letting Him fill us up with His glory and power and strength.  No matter what happens, our perspective will be His, our attitude and our words will be His. And all day long we’ll exude Jesus and bring Him glory. 

Only God knows what He can do through a man or woman who is determined to glorify the One Who holds the future and all its dreams and visions. 

So pray big prayers!  Set big goals.  We have a big God.

And He’s given us the treasure of His glory.

 

God bless you in the new year!

 

Jesus is the Answer

Posted on by Dorci

I sat across from the woman who’s been making my nails presentable for a couple of years now. She smoothed the jagged edges while we discussed the day’s horrific events. Another client sat next to us, giving us information as it unfolded on the internet in the palm of her hand.

His mother was dead, too.  They can’t find his girlfriend.  He was 24. No 20.

My nail miracle-worker began to tell me about a client she had seen not that long ago.  He sat across from her and told her that he saw no purpose for living. Within two days he got sick and died.  So many people living without purpose, she said.  I nodded. 

Jesus gives us purpose, I told her.

Twenty-four people are dead, no twenty-six.

And like the rest of the country, we began to ask why.

And inevitably after the whys come the finger-pointing.  We want to blame something, someone…  We want to list the whys and fix it so it’ll never happen again.

I know.  I’ve asked why about a hundred painful things in my own life.  I want to fix it so it’ll never hurt me again.

The best I’ve been able to come up with so far is sometimes there are just no answers. Not in this life anyway.  There are no whys to grasp and wrap in a neat, little, labeled package, keeping them forever locked away so they never hurt anyone again.

No answers as to why a young man would want to cause so much pain. Nothing concise as to why other young men before him took the same path.

No clear-cut answers to why any of us hurt another, whether it’s with a gun, a knife, or cutting words.

Except that we live in a world diseased with sin. Including our own.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

And the only cure is the blood of Christ.

Unless we turn to God, we have no purpose, and we act and react in our natural, sinful state. We bully, we become angry, we refuse to forgive, we reject, we neglect, we belittle, we lie, we cheat, we steal. 

Little by little, day by day, our sins affect us and the people around us. The darkness of sin seeps into our hearts and twists our minds so that good is bad and bad is good. 

And through the world the enemy of God whispers in our ear that there is an escape to the pain of our sin.  So we pick one up–a bottle, a baggie, sex—any sex outside the God-given bounds of marriage—pornography, depression, violence. 

But we will inevitably discover that our intended escape is really a dead end that only added to the pain we were trying to forget. 

Unless we turn to God, we will attempt to be our own god and lord it over others weaker or unable or unwilling to fight back: a spouse, a friend, an employee, anyone on the other side of our computer screen, the elderly, children.

Unless we turn to God and invite Him to overwhelm us with His grace and love and forgiveness, a lifetime (no matter how short) of our own sins and the sins of others heaped upon us will overwhelm us.

Add into the mix a mental illness and a society that continues to attach stigma to it which makes it even more difficult to admit and seek help, and the mind can be even less capable of handling the stresses of this world. 

And in a world that glorifies violence as the answer, some will pick up a gun. Or a knife. Or a bomb.

It’s as simple, and complicated, as that.

It’s easy to sit in self-righteous judgment of someone who’s ended a life.  But God looks at the heart. Our hearts.

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28

All sin destroys.

Each choice to sin, without repentance, is a step away from God. Sometimes we’ve taken so many steps we lose sight of Him. The good news is that it’s always only one step back.

At any time in this process, God invites us to turn to Him and ask for forgiveness.  He is always waiting with open arms.  And when we do, He smoothes our jagged edges.  He pours out His love. He works miracles in our lives.  He gives us hope and brings us peace.

Whatever the question is, Jesus is, was and always will be the answer.

We live in difficult times and we need Jesus every minute of every day.  We need to stay close by His side through prayer and the study of His Word.  We need the Holy Spirit to continually flow through us so we can be a light to the dark world and show God’s love no matter what.

It’s time we stop conforming to the world and let Jesus live through us.  It’s time to stop playing around with our faith, put away sin and start living to the glory of God. The world needs us to show them Christ, right now. 

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”  Philippians 2:1-11

Grace and peace to you,