March 7, 2011 … Holding True Sorrow for Sin

Passage of the Day: James 4: 9a – Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

My Journal for Today: MacArthur begins his devotional for this date in Strength for Today by looking further into the essence of humility needed for the believer to plum the depths of God’s grace; and he writes, “… spiritual humility will be marked by a true sorrow over sin.” And that is what James intends as he writes, “Grieve, mourn, and wail …” in today’s verse. The truly humble and mature believer hates his/her own sin and grieves over the sin exercised or perceived in the world. As James points out, this can be agony to the point of profound grief, even mourning and wailing under certain circumstances, especially those where a Christian has been convicted by his/her own sinful behavior.

I lead a ministry, Battle Plan Ministry [see www.battleplanministries.org] where men have come to recognize and take responsibility for their own sexual sin, sometimes repeated patterns of such things as pursuing internet p0rnography or serial infidelity; and these men become deeply convicted and broken over their sin; and I could imagine them weeping and mourning over ill-begotten choices, which may, for those married brothers, caused serious damage to their marriage relationships and/or parenting [for those with children]. Sin recognized and repented of can – and should – cause great remorse and mourning if the Christian is truly repentant and desires cleansing and radical transformation to a life marked by Christlikeness.

The Apostle Paul also wrote about Godly sorrow when he wrote to the church in Corinth where he noted being glad to see of their genuine sorrow over their sin. See 2nd Cor. 7: 10 – 11 below.

SCRIPTURE: 2ndCor. 7: 10 - 11… Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

Here Paul is correctly pointing out that the humble unsaved person must come to a place, as did I in 1983, where there is genuine sorrow in humiliation and repentance for that one’s sinfulness – and earnestness and eagerness in grief over this sin, recognizing to some degree the death [i.e., separation from God] caused by self-directed and sinful thoughts, choices, and behaviors. It is only in the HUMILITY, … actually, humiliation …, of such a moment can a lost person be broken by the prevenient grace that is calling him toward a relationship or closeness to God. Only then can he receive God’s saving grace to be born from above. Only then, can a converted Christian become truly convicted and repentant and turn from his/her wicked ways, capturing God’s enabling grace to be shaped into Christ’s image.

Both Paul and James knew that HUMBLY surrendering to God’s conviction (from His prevenient grace) would involve a certain degree of misery, leading to true repentance, … which, ultimately leads to a walk of directed obedience and to the joy and peace produced by such a humble transformation from selfish non-believer … to convicted believer … to obedient Christian.

Yes, true humility can and will involve some degree of pain; … but, as the saying goes, “No pain, … no gain!”

My Prayer Today: Lord, I remember you saying, as you did to a sin-ridden church, “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me.” Lord, help me to see my sin, grieve, and then to open the door to let You come in and be with me. Amen

2010 – October 5 – Sniffing at the Lord’s Table

Study from God’s Word… Malachi, Chapters 1 – 4 … Passage for Reflection: Malachi 1: 12 – 13 … NIV 12 "But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.' 13 And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty.

My Journal for Today: May I intervene here by telling you a brief personal remembrance. When I was in Kindergarten, my teacher, Mrs. Rex, used a technique to help us remember “the rules,” … i.e., those things which we were taught to protect our well being and help us grow in character. When we transgressed “the rules,” Mrs. Rex would march us into the clothes closet; and as we passed her, she would plant one brief, humiliating swat on our butts with a ping-pong paddle. So, at various times when she picked up her paddle, we knew what was about to happen; and someone was about to march to the clothes closet and be “reminded” of what righteousness was all about. Oh, how we hated that ping-pong paddle and that clothes closet. But invariably, though we knew “the rules,” we would forget and someone would be humiliated; … and I’m afraid I had my share of trips to the closet and pops with the paddle on my rear end, helping me to learn the right way to act in class.

I bring this up because I personally view some of the mornings I come to this, my quiet “closet,” for morning devotionals in the light of that little story I’ve just related. Interesting that the name of my Kindergarten Teacher was "REX," the Latin word for “King;” because some mornings here in my quiet time, my Lord, The King of kings, takes me to task, sending me to my own “clothes closet” with a rap on my emotional derriere with some of the devotionals I’m led to study and upon which I’m led to meditate from God’s word. And this morning is one of those.

And here we are, in this study of the Book by Malachi’s name; and I’m reminded of my own laxity and unwillingness to honor God and His Covenant with His children. Like the ancient and recalcitrant Jews, I profane my worship of my Lord with overt disobedience and ill treatment of God’s recognized ways. I act in many ways in contempt of my God by the way I eat. Well, maybe not at the Lord’s Table, but certainly at any table where I eat in ways that are sinful and gluttonous in my desire to satisfy self, rather than honor my Savior. And God, through the conviction of His Holy Spirit, takes me to the “clothes closet” of humiliation and gives me a swat of direction with His paddle of truth.

This morning, I stand convicted and duly “paddled” by the recognition and realization that my attitude – at times – is no different from these ancient Hebrews who were so reticent to follow the known ways of their God, Whom is the same God I love and serve. So, this morning God is giving me, in this remembrance of my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Rex, a recognition that I need to be in a mode of humiliation and surrender; and prayerfully this will lead me to a time when I remember God’s righteous ways and honor Him with my righteous choices.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to walk in Your ways and live in Your truth. Amen

2010 – July 20 – Beauty for Ashes

Blogger's Note: Today's journal item posted a bit late due to early morning Bible teaching @ Church followed by physical therapy for my hip.

===================

Study from God’s Word… Isaiah, Chapters 61 - 64 … Passage for Reflection: Isaiah 61: 1 – 3 … NIV He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted … to comfort all who mourn … to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes … and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

My Journal for Today: Do you recognize the passage from which several phrases were taken from Isaiah 61: 1 – 3? This was a prophesy spoken about the Messiah by Isaiah some 700 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem; and you Jesus scholars, reading here, may recognize that it also is found in that famous declaration Jesus made in the Temple right before His ministry on earth began [see Luke 4: 1 – 13]. Jesus was asked to read The Law in the Temple that day, and it was opened for Him to read from Isaiah’s prophesy, which Jesus did. Then as The Lord sat down that day, he spoke words of terror and hope to those there in the Temple, and to all of us forever, when He said (see Luke 4: 21), "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Those words must’ve exploded in the ears/minds of those in the Temple that day who knew what Isaiah was prophesying in that Scripture. The Word of God which Jesus read that day was declaring that the hope of mankind would be found in the Person and ministry of the Messiah; and here, some 700 years later was a Rabbi declaring that He was that Messiah. Wow! That must’ve been a bombshell.

And the words of this prophesy by Isaiah, and the repeated declaration of truth by Jesus, are really quite hope-filled, yet exceedingly challenging. As it says in today’s abbreviated version of Isaiah 61: 1-3, we read of a Messiah speaking of “good news for the poor, … healing for the brokenhearted, … freedom for the captives, …light for those in the darkness of prison, … and sight for the blind.” And so, how cool is that? And Jesus was restating this [in Luke 4: 18-19] as His mission in life, which gives us direction to find our mission as well since it should be the goal of every Christian to live like Jesus, make choices like Jesus, and to become like Jesus.

As I told a group of men this morning, it ought to be very helpful for disciples of Christ to find their purpose in life in the purpose which was prophesied for Jesus and to which He declared as His mission for His earthly ministry. So, my dear one, if you cannot find what you do or how you live within the directions of Luke 4: 18-19, I seriously think you should rethink where you are and what you’re doing in this life. For all who desire to follow after Christ (as He ordered of His disciples in Luke 9:23), we can do so by fitting our life choices and worship into Christ’s Messianic mission statement (again, Luke 4: 18-19).

Check it out, my friend; and if you don’t find your self [and your life] in that passage, start afresh TODAY to find a place to work your life into the pattern Christ painted for Himself.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I want to walk where You walk, live as You do, and make choices which shine Your light. I want to be a Luke 4: 18-19 kingdom warrior. Amen

2010 – Mar. 1 – Dignifying the Poor

Study from God’s Word… Num. 5: 5-10; Exod. 22: 7-17; Ex. 21: 33-34, 28; Ex. 21: 28-36; Lev. 24: 18, 21a; Deut. 22: 8; Lev. 19: 13; Deut. 24: 14-15; Lev. 25: 44-46; Deut. 23: 12-18; Ex. 21: 1-11, 26-27; Deut. 23: 19-20; Ex. 22: 25-27; Deut. 24: 12-13; Deut. 24: 6; Deut. 24: 10-11; Deut. 15: 1-11; Lev. 19: 12; Num 20: 1-16; Lev. 19: 11, 35-37; Deut 25: 15-16; Deut. 21: 15-17; Deut 25: 5-10; Num. 27: 1-11; Num. 36: 1-13; … Passage for Reflection: Deuteronomy 24: 10 – 11 … NIV 10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. 11 Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you.

My Journal for Today: Today, in my study, Dr. Smith, in a rather long reading session, had me wading through many of the civil laws dispensed by God through Moses to help the people in those times of Theocracy, which had singled out the Hebrews to be unlike any culture or society on earth to that point in history. God was setting them apart, i.e., anointed them, for His purposes; and the laws the Lord had for them were at times complex and specific, … at times very general and common sense oriented. But they were dealing with how mankind must interact in ways that glorified their God above the selfish nature of mankind.

One of the aspects of all these laws shows the mercy of God in sparing the dignity of His children when they are stripped of that dignity by poverty; and this was highlighted by today’s study passage concerning how the poor, who could not pay their debt, would be handled by those who were the lenders or land-lords. And herein we see a dilemma which plays out even today. As Jesus said, thousands of years later than Moses was living, we will always have the poor [see Matt. 26: 11]; but how we treat them in their poverty is what God’s Law was focused on in this highlighted study for today; and it’s what Jesus was dealing with in the context of the poor woman who lavished expensive perfume on Jesus to honor Him.

So, how do we personally, and as a society, handle the poor? Do you recoil, as I do, when pan-handlers are pushing you for donations with a sign on a corner in traffic which reads, “Homeless, please help!” Or another which reads, “Will work for food.” Do you immediately, as I have in the past, refuse to give, assuming that this is some drunk trying to ply a few bucks from you so that he can turn it into a bottle of cheap wine to satisfy his addiction? What do we, as Christians, do to help the poor when we live so securely and satisfied in our warm, well-fed homes and there are so many out there who will be sleeping in their cars in the cold tonight? And how do we reach out to help the poor in a way, as today’s study suggests, that we help them to retain their dignity, which has to suffer when any person is to the point of being evicted or cast into a state of homelessness?

Wow. This is a tough one. Because we’re all confronted with individual cases, like the ones I mentioned above on the street corners; but there are many others, that are bigger in social scope, that these street-corner beggars. So, we must ask ourselves what the Church and what our government is doing to give those some sense of dignity and to help them find a hand up and not so much a hand out. Easier said than done, isn’t it?

I must admit I will continue to be convicted and confronted with this dilemma beyond this morning’s devotional; and I can only pray that when I’m at least confronted, on an individual basis, that I will look to God’s Spirit to guide me in doing what I feel is right and what my Lord is leading me to do in that moment.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me to do what You taught in reaching out to serve You when I see the least of those who really need my help. Amen