sorrow=repentance=change

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight...Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Psalms 51:1-13, 17 NLT)

I love the transparency of David!  At some point in the Psalms David displays everyone emotion known to man.  He struggled with the same sins and temptations we struggle with today, those Paul described in Galatians 5:19-23.

David also knew the key to not living, not remaining or making this sin his lifestyle by choice, was being open and transparent before God and others; recognizing that at the very core of our sinful nature is rebellion against God; and not remaining in the guilt of the past.  The above Psalm was penned after his adultery with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband to hide the sin.  

Hidden sin will always remain a stumbling block to any recovery and restoration.  Sharing how God has worked through it is critical to our freedom.  Too often we fall short of this freedom because of fear from what others might think or do.  Sometimes freedom comes from the hand of confrontation.

Being remorseful (sorrow) is the doorway leading to repentance, never the end result.  Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

"...the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have...For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death."

Acknowledgment of sin = sorrow = repentance = change.  Sorrow is not repentance.  Sorrow is a feeling; repentance is an action which results in change.  David experienced and lived this process.  Was he perfect?  No, his sin brought consequences to his household for generations to come.  But because he choose true repentance over just sorrow God called him "a man after my own heart." 

Change

God created me at my core a unique individual, just as he has you, for his purposes and to bring him glory.  Period. 

His purpose and plan may change from time to time, day to day, and perhaps even moment to moment; our response can be interesting, adventurous and yet confusing and defiant—not on God’s part but ours or more specifically mine. 

Just the time I get comfortable it seems he changes the game plan AND without consulting me! 

Could this ‘change’ be the refreshing everlasting water[i] constantly flowing in and through me rather than stagnant and unyielding water I tend to gravitate to?  At heart, I am a very private person and like my time and my ways.  But I’m coming to realize God did not create me for…well, me.  That is not to say we don’t need quiet and/or alone times to refresh and be rejuvenated.  I’m talking about the avoidance of others just because I don’t feel like interacting or feel like changing my plans. 

Could it be that chance meeting was an ordained crossing of two paths God orchestrated for encouragement, healing or salvation?  Perhaps it was to be the exact moment in time for God’s glory to be revealed to one who is desperately seeking someone higher than their thoughts and ways.  Could it be God wants to teach me rather than the person I come across something or open my eyes in an area I have shut? 

I recently read that God could have created us with incorruptible bodies and morally flawless character but instead he created us out of dirt—clay.  Why?  So it would be absolutely obvious that anything of eternal value accomplished through our lives is from God and not from us[ii] (2 Corinthians 4:7).   

So in the end, it’s realizing my comfort is not God’s purpose for my life.  OUCH!!  Obedience and surrender are not popular topics nor are they to come from a defeatist attitude.  Obedience and surrender are costly.  They are also at the heart of understanding and accepting who God is, why he created me and how he takes great pleasure in my partnering with him for the amount of years he has given me to live.   

So at times it is with kicking and throwing tantrums that I surrender.  And with a grateful heart God doesn’t treat me as my sins deserve[iii] but rather with grace he loving opens his arms and walks beside me--wherever that may be.  Am I to do anything less for those around me? 

What about you?  Where are you in your process or should I say progress?

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[i] http://www.youversion.com/bible/John.7.38.nlt

[ii] Becoming A Vessel God Can Use by Donna Partow (pg 78)

[iii] http://www.youversion.com/bible/Ps.103.10.nlt

Costume change

As a little girl I remember playing dress-up, being magically transformed into nurses, teachers, fairy princesses and doctors. Perhaps you became Darth Vader or a cowboy or ruler of an unseen kingdom.
Remember how the costume became the doorway into living, albeit for a short amount of time, the character by taking on the characteristics and mindset (or what we could possibly imagine it would be at that age) of a particular person? Sometimes the language would even change, especially if we were living in France or England. We spoke words with no clue of their meaning, they just sounded like it would be what that character would have sounded like.

When our children were younger they would play for hours with costume jewelry my mother-in-law had given them. They would become pirates on the open seas (amazing what a Sit ‘n Spin would transform into) or in the summertime marooned on a desert island when playing in the pool.

I must admit, there are times when the simplicity and excitement of those days would be wonderful to slip back into especially when my day is hectic or demanding.

I was thinking of this in view of the perspective Paul gives in Colossians 3:10-14.
“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and forgive anyone who offends you…above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.”

Opposite of our childlike transformations, this “clothing change” becomes permanent, or at least it was designed to. This is the new nature and renewing Paul speaks about in Colossians 3. It is one-size-fits-all yet amazingly fits each one perfectly. Cannot be sold, bartered or exchanged, although we can choose to never wear or own it. Never needs washed or cleaned, yet is renewed daily within us.
What is the old costume we are to get rid of in exchange for the new?
“…sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world…get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” (Col 3:5-10)

Don’t rush through these words. God chose you…He loves you…He wants to live in and be with you. We put on this new clothing, taking on his character, by learning to know our Creator and become like him. Jesus said, “…I am in the Father and the Father is in me. All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them and we will come and make our home with each of them.” (Jo 14:9-11, 23)

So how well are we who call ourselves Christ followers doing? Do we play dress-up with respect to our new life in Christ or have we really taken on and become transformed into who and what Christ represented on earth? When we walk outside our homes do others “see, hear, feel or experience” God when they encounter us? Is our language one of love, mercy, compassion, gentleness, forgiveness and humility or is it “church-anese” that only a select group of people understands? Is this change of clothing one that I wear in my home with my loved ones or does my costume change according to whom I am with or trying to impress?

As eagerly as we played dress up as a child, today may we be all the more eager to exchange our old worn out costume for the new.

GROW…GROW….GROW

Growth…Our hearts swell with generosity as our waists grow with all the wonderful goodies the holiday season brings.  Cookies, candies, cakes, Christmas party buffets—my mouth is watering as I write this! 

Growth… Parking lots at area malls and shopping districts overflow from macadam to grass.  What usually takes five minutes to “run in and out” of a store now takes twenty minutes.  Restaurants have a longer than usual wait time to seat and serve their customers.  Lines at the post office get longer and traffic, well let’s just say it can be a bit testy! The thoughts of someone being without the basics of a home, food or clothing is heightened during this holiday season and we respond generously.

Growth…While all the above growths are temporal there is a kind of growth that should never stop or be based purely upon a certain season or emotion.   This growth produces both long term and short term affects in our lives that has the potential to change the course of our lives and those around us.

Webster defines what I am writing about as “anything believed; complete trust or confidence.”  Faith.

Peter gives us a beautiful picture of growing in faith in 2 Peter 1:3-8.
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life…And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires... Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.  The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NLT)

 Since I am a very visual person, when I read this passage I liken it to the growth of a tree.

God has given us everything we need in giving us the rich soil of our lives.  God allows all circumstances (whether good or bad) to come into our lives which creates fertilization for the soil to produce good fruit (vs. 3-4).  When we realize God has carried us through a difficult situation our faith begins to grow.  This faith becomes the foundation to build upon for future circumstances.  We learn God can be trusted even though we may not be able to see the outcome or even want what the outcome becomes.

When our faith is placed in God the way we approach life changes.  Our moral values begin to change and we set higher standards to our life choices and what we put into our minds.  We begin to realize the depths of God’s love and compassion for us.   To understand that He doesn’t view us with a big club waiting to smash us for making a mistake brings freedom and openness for intimacy with Him. God longs and desires to have an intimate and daily friendship with us. We become hungry to know who He is how He wants us to live and treat others.  This creates a drawing to read His Word which increases our knowledge. 

Through this knowledge we become aware of issues or life styles within us that need to be dealt with in order for that freedom and intimacy to grow.  Self control is the result of this realization, which becomes a lifelong respect of the change starting within us.  Patient endurance becomes the byproduct of this knowledge and self control.  We begin to view others around us not with a judgmental attitude but one of the same grace and mercy God has extended toward us.  This produces a godliness within us because we are beginning to take on the character of Christ (vs4) living within us (Gal 5:22-26).  It is only because of these characteristics we can have true affection and love for those around us.

Just as we can’t plant a seedling and expect fruit the next day or without giving it water or fertilization, we can’t expect fruit in our lives without living this process.  One area cannot be bypassed to move to another and get the same results.  This isn’t a “once-and-done” event or a feeling of “I’ve finally arrived.”  It is a lifelong growth process, but the end result is well worth staying the course.  We produce not just fruit but everlasting fruit (John 15). 

                                     

BUDS/FLOWERS: Patient endurance, godliness,

brotherly affection, love for everyone……fruit that can change the world

ROOTS:Moral excellence, knowledge, self control,

Fertilized soil 
 

So in this season of growth don’t stop when January 1^st comes around. GROW…GROW….GROW.