The Sin within Me…

¹⁹For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. (Rom. 7:19-20)

The battle of the flesh is a struggle that I cannot escape. Within this war lie temptations, judgment, and the origin of selfish ventures. It is the sin that resides within me that is lured to the deceitful enticement of these godless attractions.

To flee from these unwelcome invitations is not enough to derail their intention. To do so simply strengthens their focus and they attack from a different angle. The enemy feeds on this resistance as a challenge, that I myself do not have the strength to combat. This go-it-alone misstep is the weakness this culprit needs to derail the virtue of my faith and lead me astray. There is a vicious cycle that occurs when I wrestle with this ongoing conflict, and the constant conclusion is that I am unable to conquer these quests on my own.

As a believer, I must acknowledge that sin resides within me, but I must also acknowledge that the Spirit of Christ resides within me as well. It is in the Spirit of Christ that I must find strength to face the collusion of sin and its allure to the godless attractions that are ever present around me. Rather than flee from these distractions, I must align with the Spirit and face them head on and diminish their destruction and purpose.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2)

As this constant battle rages on, it is where my attention rests that prevails. I choose to face these ongoing enticements with the power and grace of Christ to strengthen my communion with His Spirit. This and this alone will begin to extinguish the damage brought on by the sin of my flesh.

God Bless You and Give You Grace

Crucified with Grace

⁴¹We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” ⁴²Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” ⁴³And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:41-43)

Many young Christians struggle with the gift of grace. I know this as I reflect on my own early resistance to a relationship with Christ.  My battle in those dawning days stemmed from a false need to buy salvation in some way. This transaction included the so-called works of faith or the good deeds performed to prove I was worthy of such a Divine gift.

This passage concludes the account of the two criminals that were with Jesus in His final hours, one full of pride and self, and the other penitent and humble. The humble man acknowledges his sins and realizes his punishment is just. He then accepts Jesus as the Son of God by asking for his memory to remain alive in the Kingdom of heaven. By this acceptance, Jesus assures him “…today you will be with me in paradise.”

We do not know the history or even name of this first Christian, but we know his salvation unfolded in an instant. There was no time for good deeds to be performed or perfect prayers to be recited. He confessed his sins and accepted Jesus as his savior. He was then awarded the Divine grace of the Lord and a passage into the paradise kingdom of heaven.

We must come to know that Grace is a gift through our acceptance of Jesus Christ. As this acceptance takes hold of us, our heart will yearn to perform the works of faith in and around this temporary home out of willingness not of obligation. It is through this same acceptance that we are awarded the door into our eternal home in heaven.

God Bless You and Give You Grace

My Thankful Everything

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess. 5:18)

In the wake of tragedy, this passage can easily appear blurred and unapproachable. As for the obvious blessings in life, a grateful heart rises up and becomes somewhat effortless, although at times, the act of being thankful is overlooked. So to shrink the distance between these two extremes becomes a challenge.

The loss of my daughter Angel has taken my encounter with tragedy to the extreme edge of my senses. How can such an experience prompt me to give thanks? After all, this event falls within the everything the apostle Paul was speaking of. In all honesty, I cannot be grateful and give thanks for this tragedy. I must draw in deeper and focus beyond to expose the blessings birthed from this heartache.

One of these blessings is that I see Angel’s reflection in all that I do. This is a gift God has given me through the ashes that remain. My perception has purpose and simple things take the lead as to how I navigate the course ahead of me. The sadness in my heart will remain for my dear Angel. But, it is through this sorrow I am reminded of the blessings born from them, and it is through these means I can be thankful.

As I go forward, the everything in my life is all-inclusive, whether that of a simple meal, an obvious gift, or the blessings given birth on the other side of tragedy. I must be attentive to the efforts I put forth in my offering of gratitude and discover the affirmation in all that I offer. The Lord has taught me these truths through the loss of my Angel, and for that, I am thankful.

May God Bless You and Give You Grace.

The Choice of Free Will

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! (Duet 30:19)

The choices we make in life define our direction. This is a true statement. We have been given that freedom when it comes to our relationship with the Lord, our Father in heaven. He wants nothing more than us to find our way to life and choose a relationship with Him and through Him.

I have been guilty in times of want that I have forced or manipulated the means by which I acquire the false need I may be seeking. Whatever godless maneuver I use in this scenario comes from selfish motives and in the end leads to an unfulfilled result.

I use this illustration in contrast to the means by which God relates to us. He wants us to choose a relationship with Him. He will not force or manipulate that course of action. He is already drawn in with us and waits patiently for us to draw into Him. His fulfillment comes by us choosing life through Him by means of our own discovery of His truth.

My journey took me through a battleground of scrambled choices before I found my way and accepted this truth. I had to fight through my own deceptions and come to my on conclusions along the way. They were not thrust upon me as a “no way out” scenario.

God wants us to find our way to Him through a genuine desire to seek Him. There is no value to Him in a no-choice decision on our part. When we do find our way to life in Him, He calls on heaven and earth to witness this choice and rejoice. We become fulfilled by this earthly choice and as we choose life we live in eternity.

May God Bless You and Give You Grace.

The Compassion of Community

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:2)

There is a vital responsibility that is ignited in a believer of Christ. This mission is born and nourished through community and the coming together of believers. This task spurs compassion towards others through trial, misfortune or heartache without hesitation.

This was the case for my family when we were the recipients of such love and kindness through the loss of our daughter Angel. There is a certain humility we experienced when others sustained us through this tragedy. It is through Christ and that experience that we have grown and strive to embody the gracious support that we received.

This video illustrates our experience with the importance of community and becoming involved in small groups through your home church.

Without our relationship with Christ and the compassion of His community, we would be unable to be endure the tragedy of our loss. As the great commandment instructs; Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Luke 10:27).

May God Bless You and Give You Grace.

The Timing of Patience

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. (2 Pet 3:8)

It may be one of those strange coincidences, or my way of steering a series of thoughts to make a point…I am truly not sure. The fact is, I started this post on “time” and “patience” over three weeks ago and it has just now begun to take shape. I now realize rushing these thoughts into the written word did not work. My hope that having patience with them has birthed the substance they deserve. With that being said, I will attempt to make sense of these thoughts as they find a resting place in this journal.

To rush to an outcome in anything I do can cause unwelcome circumstances to follow. When I find myself in this train of thought, it is a clear sign that I have placed my own selfish ambitions above God’s will for me. Prayer for instance is a prime example of a “fill in the blank” mentality that, at times has me trying to answer my own prayers rather than giving way to patience. The Divine time of God has a different pulse than our seemingly simple pace of life. I must remember the timing of His fulfillment is perfected to my needs, as He knows them and not what I suspect them to be.

The other side of this “rush to an outcome” scenario is complacency…the comfort of doing nothing so to speak. This lack of action mentality places all the responsibility on God and gives way to blame when nothing works out. It is a dangerous place to be. The thought is that I am giving it to God so everything will work out…but then fail to step in faith.

As we look to the Lord to fulfill our needs, answer our prayers, and give us guidance, we must be patient as we step in faith, but we must step in faith. We cannot rush the will of God for us and we cannot be bystanders expecting our life to be lived for us. God does not want us to be passive in our pursuit of Him or the life around us.

This passage speaks to the patience of the Lord. He is unwary in His delivery because His timing is based on an end result, which encompasses His wisdom and not that of our own. So look to the Lord with patience and step in faith as He leads you and witness the timing of His patience.

May God Bless You and Give You Grace.

The Inner Doors of Faith

⁸Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. ⁹Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. (2 John 8-9)

I have walked through many doors throughout my journey. These passageways have brought a vast array of life experiences that would last only as long as my commitment permitted. There have been too many times I lacked the stamina to continue onward for what ever my cause may have been. Grasping this in my spirit has me taking inventory into the current doorway I am passing through.

My assessment of this current pathway has me reaching for inner doors and hallways rather than my usual quest for a quick exit. There is an inner spark that beckons for a deeper understanding and relationship with the Lord, which gives me purpose to continue.

I know this—the labyrinth of life has the ability to lock us up and throw away the key. It attempts this through varying degrees of heartache, dependency, tragedy and an endless array of distractions. I also know this—Christ is the key to topple this house of cards and expose the illusions this maze presents.

I have come to know there is a level of devotion that is required to truly travel through the doors of ones faith. The relationship I now have with God was born from the teaching of Jesus and His truth as it is written. I must be diligent in my awareness to live within these teachings to experience the keys of His reward. He continues to open the inner doors of my faith.

I pray as I go forward I continue to look to the Lord to lead me through the doors of life, as He is the key that leads me through the right passage.

May God Bless You and Give You Grace.