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Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11
Remember the “Where’s Waldo” pictures? It was quite a fad for a while. You would be looking for Waldo, in the midst of a bunch of other very similar looking people or backgrounds. Sometimes it is almost impossible to find Waldo.
When the apostle Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, he had a few things to talk to them about. While they were very strong in some areas. They were very weak in others.
One of the ways that they had become weak was in taking on the attitudes, and sometimes actions of the surrounding culture. In fact, sometimes the church in Corinth was actually worse in their morality than the culture around them!
Paul reminds them of two things. First of all, he reminds them of the life that they used to live. Lives marked by immorality, partying, and lies. Then he reminds them of how life should be different for those who follow Christ.
We are called to be different than the world. To stick out, to stand alone, to rise above the chaos. We are not called to be chameleons, camouflaged by current trends.
The Old Testament tells the story of three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were their names, who were commanded to bow down to an idol when the trumpets blew.
Everyone bowed down to the idol except these three guys. Imagine how they stuck out from the crowd. It may be hard to find Waldo in some pictures, but it was easy to find those three!
Yet they took a stand and God delivered them. The same is true for us. Don’t be a chameleon. Stand above the rest. Be excellent in your words, actions and attitudes. Be Jesus in skin. That way, when people say, ‘where is Jesus’, they will be able to look to you and know exactly where he is.
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” Matthew 18:21
I was wrong. For the millionth time it seems I’d broken a promise. A promise I’d made, and broken, before. I was truly sorry. I had every intention of doing better. I tried to make things right. So, humbly, I asked.
“Will you forgive me? Again?”
Without emotion, or even eye contact, he said, “I have to forgive you. The Bible says so” and walked away.
I knew at that point I wasn’t forgiven. Words mean nothing when the heart isn’t in them.
Forgiveness is hard. Forgiveness to many is weakness. Forgiveness to some means placing yourself back in a toxic, hurtful relationship. Forgiveness to some means condoning the infraction. But forgiveness is also an act of faith and freeing oneself to move on.
Philip Yancey says, in his book ‘The Scandal of Forgiveness’, “By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy. “
We are commanded to forgive, not trust. Forgiveness frees us, but does not require us to continue in a toxic relationship.
Who do you need to free yourself from through forgiveness? It’s a matter of heart. It’s a choice. It doesn’t require anything from the other person, not even their presence or knowledge of your decision.
Grace frees us. Grace opens our lives to power. Grace empowers us to forgive.
Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Psalms 68:19
I was at the store the other day and observed a young mom trying to do some grocery shopping for the family with two small children in tow. One was seated in the cart, the other was walking beside mom. She was tired, I could see it on her face. The older of the two was whining, no doubt he had a rough day at daycare. At one point he stopped, pulled on mom’s shirt and held his hands up. “Momma, carry me.” With a look of tired hopelessness, she responded, “I can’t carry you honey. You have to walk.” He cried, she got upset, I imagine you get the picture.
Have you ever felt that way? You love your kids. You’d do anything for them, but sometimes carrying our kids can be burdensome. We get tired, they get heavy. We get overwhelmed, they get demanding. At times, when we are honest with ourselves, we don’t carry them because we think they need to bear their own load. They are getting to old, to dependent, to spoiled.
On the human level, that’s understandable, but on the spiritual plain, here is a promise we need to remember. Your burden is never too heavy for the Father. As his dearly loved child, He never tires of carrying your pain, whether that pain is physical or relational. He never gets angry when you need to be carried through your fear. He’s not judgmental and refuses to carry you through your addiction. He is never so preoccupied with other things that He’s unwilling to scoop you up in His arms and remind you of his love.
Have you ever seen the picture of the shepherd carrying the little lamb? That’s your Father. He gladly carries you every single day. Every day. Every struggle. Every pain. You are in his arms, and you can rest securely there.
Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.Luke 22:31-32
I’d failed. My actions completely went against everything that I stood for and believed. The worst part about it is, it wasn’t just me that I hurt but those around me as well.
Have you ever failed so badly that you didn’t think you could continue on in life? Maybe it was a destroyed relationship. Maybe it was making a decision that cost you your job or career. Maybe it was living a double life and the hidden part was revealed.
One of my favorite Bible characters is Peter. A close friend of Jesus, he was given every opportunity to be a strong leader. Yet with everything that he had going for him, Peter failed Jesus miserably.
But that’s not the end of the story. Jesus warned Peter that he would fail him. Jesus is never surprised by our failures.
Even though Jesus knew Peter would fail, he made Peter a promise. He promised Peter that when (not if) he returned, Jesus had a place for him in the kingdom. By doing so, Jesus made a statement concerning Peters value.
You see, our value is never placed on our ability to live for Jesus. Our value comes because of what Jesus does for us.
Being sifted like wheat hurts. It can leave lasting scars. But being sifted, like wheat also means the stuff we don’t need, the chaff is removed, and the most important part of us is preserved.
Don’t allow your defeats to determine your destination. Your value is not in your failures, but in your Savoir. He’s praying for you, and he has the power to restore you, so you can be the best that you can be.
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. Romans 6:7
I used to work at a local convenience store. One of the things this store prided itself on was hot, fresh coffee. In order to assure customers this was true, a timer would go off every 30 minutes. This was our cue as employees to head back to the coffee area, check the product and turn off the timer.
I no longer work there, but frequent the store often and, on occasion, will be there when the timer goes off. Whenever that timer goes off (at this store or any of the others in the chain) my mind tells me to check the coffee and turn off the timer! Then, I remind myself that I’m no longer answerable to that call. It has no authority over me. I’m free!
This is a simple example of sin in our lives. Before we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior we acted a certain way, used certain words and involved ourselves in certain activities.
Once we accepted Christ, and began growing in His word through personal study, and corporate worship/teaching, we began to realize that some of the words, actions and activities we involved ourselves in didn’t please God and weren’t a good example to the world around us.
Because we love Jesus, and because our love should drive us to following His word, our desire is to change. But, if you haven’t noticed, there’s a problem.
We are still tempted to use language that doesn’t build others up. We gossip, curse, lie and stretch the truth (which is really a lie by the way).
Our minds take us to places and thoughts we know displease our Savior, and often our bodies follow!
We doubt and worry even though we know God’s promised to see us through every adversity.
We still enjoy certain activities even though we realize this isn’t a place we should be hanging out at because we bear the name of Jesus.
It’s like that crazy timer at the convenience store. We hear the call and have a choice to make. Do we respond or remove ourselves from the situation.
The bad news is, as long as we are alive we will be attacked by the cursed timer, calling us to the old life.
The good news is that through the Holy Spirit we have the power to resist the call. It may not come all at once. It may be a struggle that hounds you for a long time. But through Jesus, victory is yours. Keep trying.
Don’t let failure discourage you, even the best of Jesus followers struggle. He’s willing and ready to forgive. He’s more than able to give you the power to change those habits, those words and the desire to take part in those activities.
Through Jesus you are free!
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 