Month: October 2020

Are You Broken?

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

How to get away with murder. The show. I’ve been binge watching it. Don’t ask me why. And please don’t judge. I know. I know. It’s full of scenes I don’t want to see. I started to watch the show a few years ago and stopped. Spoiler alert. They really were trying to get away with murder. I just couldn’t watch it then. But, for some reason, now I am.

A couple of the characters were abused as children. A couple others had distant fathers. One had a rocky childhood. One lost his mother by suicide. One had been in prison. Another had a criminal record. They all admitted that they were broken people.

In one of the episodes, one of the characters said they all deserved hell because of all the bad things they had done. Oh. I think he just spoke for all mankind. We all deserve hell. Because of all the things we have done. Not one of us born on this earth is good enough to escape hell on our own. We need help. We need someone to rescue us from our sins. We need a Savior.

And there is a remedy. There is a Savior. He gave his life for my sins and your sins. For my brokenness and your brokenness. For victims and victimizers. We can be forgiven and healed.

So when you think of yourself, do you consider yourself to be broken or sinful? Do you step outside yourself and look at who you really are and at what you’ve done? Do you try to soften the blow by saying you’re broken instead of sinful? Because, hey. Perhaps someone else’s sin is what broke us. And some sin has broken the one who broke you. And, in spite of all the brokenness around us, we are all sinners. We don’t have to be broken to be sinners.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:8-9

Maybe it wasn’t my fault at all that I’m the way I am. But I do have a choice. I do have the ability to name my brokenness. And I can name my sin. Whether it’s your sin or my sin that caused my brokenness. It doesn’t change the fact that we are all sinners.

There is the mess that life gives you and there’s the mess that you make.

Annalise Keating (How to Get Away with Murder)

If we call our lives messy or broken, it doesn’t really describe the gravity of our sins. It somehow softens the blow of sin. Oh. Our lives may be messy and broken as a result of someone else’s sin or our own, but sin is a result of disobeying God. How messed up is that? When do we take responsibility for our sins?

Just imagine standing at the foot of the Cross looking up to the One who died for those sins. We must compare our sins not to other people’s sins, but to God’s holiness. Since sin is rebellion against a holy God, it means that God can’t have any part of sin.

We cannot redefine what God calls sins and presume to identify that ethic as Christian.

Alisa Childers (Another Gospel)

Oh sure. Our brokenness may be on different levels. One person may have suffered massive loss or abuse. Another may have experienced deep depression or anxiety. Rejection by someone who has suffered at the hands of others can lead them to hurt still others. Sometimes our brokenness is due to someone else’s sin. Their sin is not my sin. But sin shouldn’t go by any other name.

Sin isn’t pretty and it isn’t helpful to soften it up with gentle words. Oh. It may make me feel better for a while, but the root of the problem is that I have sinned. Sin will separate me from God. Is that what I want?

WWJD

~ mercyfortheday ~ Leave a comment

She says she’s a Christian. But she hasn’t darkened a church door in years.  She hasn’t read her Bible since God disappointed her 18 years ago. Her prayers are only said in desperate times. She doesn’t spend time with believers unless it’s required. 

Is she a Christian? When she is someday standing in front of God awaiting her final judgment, what will God say to her? Well done, my good and faithful servant?  Or will he say. Depart from me. I never knew you.

I’m not her judge, so I’ll leave the judging to God.  He gets it right every time. I’m afraid I don’t. He shows mercy when I might not. He intercedes when I might not.

She knows enough about the Bible to calm her nerves by reading that God loves her. Or scare herself senseless by reading about Jesus’ second coming. But is that enough?

She knows to ask believers to pray for her when she’s frightened or hurting.  Does she pray herself?

Oh. She’s a good person. She helps those in need. She’s kind. She’s a good parent and wife.

But is she living as Jesus did?  There’s that age old saying.  WWJD. What would Jesus do? Does she ever ask herself that question? Does she pattern her behavior with that question in mind? I don’t know.

What does she mean when she says she’s a Christian? Is she saying that she’s living her life as Jesus did?

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
1 John 2:6

I wonder. Does she ever stop to ask herself what Jesus would do if he was in her situation. I wonder. Do I ever stop to ask myself what Jesus would do if he was in my situation. How would I live? What would I do differently?

Just like her, I say I’m a Christian. I attend church regularly. I read my Bible daily. I pray throughout the day. I spend time with other believers. But does that make me a Christian? Do I have to do those things in order to be a Christian?

I don’t know if she has ever repented of her sins and asked God to forgive her. I don’t know if she has ever claimed to have a relationship with God. But she says she’s a Christian. I wonder what she means when she says that.

I know that I have repented of my sins and God has forgiven me. I have a personal relationship with God. I try to be like him every day. Some days I’m successful. Other days, I fail. I know what I mean when I say I’m a Christian.

But do I always do as Jesus would have done if he was walking on this earth beside me? Do I make the same decisions he would make? Do I say the words that he would say? Do I treat others in a manner that shows Jesus is the ruler of my life?

I say I believe in Jesus, so do I live as he lived? Is there evidence in my life that points others to Jesus? Do my actions say that I’m becoming more like him with everything I do and say and think? Can others easily believe that I am a follower of Christ? Or is it hard to see that what I say I am is really who I am? Who am I fooling?

Do the Word

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The Bible is pretty clear about some things we should and shouldn’t do. But sometimes, it’s easy to overlook the instructions. It’s easy to disregard the commands when they aren’t what we want to do. But if we say we’re believers, then wouldn’t we want to obey what we read in the Bible? Wouldn’t we?

If I’m called to be a doer of the Word, then what does the Word say that I should do?

I’ve read through some of the commands that we should obey if we say we’re followers of God. I read them through the lens of the happenings of my week. Here’s what I discovered about myself.

Be kind. When the unexpected call came that my appointment was canceled at the last minute, I was two minutes away from my destination. I had to turn around and go home. I wanted to be frustrated, but I knew the situation was not her fault. There was nothing to do but reschedule. I told her that I would pray for her, because she was now facing some unexpected decisions. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

Honor those in authority over you. Those at work who are in authority made an unpopular decision last week. Some people are reeling from the news. Trying to figure out how to move on. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I was invited to voice my opinion. My words need to reflect a heart of respect for those in authority over me. So when the time came for me to speak, what did I do? I was prepared to share my thoughts on the decision, but I felt led to keep my opinion quiet. So my conversation went another direction. I was able to end the discussion on a high note instead of dragging down the leadership. Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way. Titus 2:9-10

Do good to those in need. I was stopped at a red light, and I saw the person standing at the street corner. She was holding a sign that said she was homeless. I know times have been tough for a lot of people this year, but I’ve seen her there for at least four years. What am I supposed to think? Is this a scam or are times that tough for some people? I was torn trying to decide whether her need was legitimate or not. Call me a skeptic or distrustful. I honestly wasn’t sure whether to look her straight in the eye or look the other way. But it isn’t my job to decide if her need is real. I need to obey God when and if he instructs me to help people holding a homeless sign. I ended up driving away. Was it because I didn’t feel led to give or because I didn’t even stop to pray about what I should do? Father, forgive me if I have sinned. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. Matthew 5:42

Don’t be anxious. He went to an emergency dental appointment. I heard rumblings in my head of annoyance and felt anxiety in my heart. I wondered about the cost. What is covered by insurance? What will have to be paid out of pocket and up front? I made stew with my thoughts. But I did actually pray as he walked out the door to the appointment. Then the call came. Nothing to worry about at this point. We’ll just monitor it. All the x-rays and tests showed no change from previous years. The cost was minimal. Ahh. Relief flooded through me. The stew of worry was turned to a prayer of thankfulness. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. James 1:22

I can’t say I was perfect this past week. But as events happened and words were spoken, I stopped to reflect on my words and actions. Did I respond as a follower of Christ or as one who lives for myself? As long as I have breath in me, I know there will always be room for improvement.

I find that a lot of what I do is respond to events and words I’ve heard. Do I respond from the viewpoint of a doer of the word? Are my motives pure? Do I treat others unjustly? How do I respond to negative news? How do I deal with the happenings of current events? When all the information I hear about the upcoming election is negative, how do I respond? When the pandemic shut down the world, did I shut down? Am I doing the Word in my daily life?

Because what is in my heart is what comes out of my mouth. Was the word in my heart at the right moment?

As believers, we can’t just hear the word and then do nothing. We must act on the Word of God. We must live the Word of God. Because we are deceiving ourselves, if we think we can get by with just hearing the Word. We must allow the Word of God to infiltrate our thoughts and words and actions. Oh. It isn’t easy. But if we consistently and actually open the Bible and read it, God will speak truth and correction to us. Then we are responsible to put His Word into action.

But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Matthew 7:26

Don’t Lose Heart

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Do you remember the day that your world fell apart? Was it a diagnosis? Or a job loss? The ending of your marriage? Or the loss of a child? Or parent? Or someone very close? Was it the last straw in a bad situation gone worse than expected? Was it the last door closing on a much awaited second chance?

Did you get a call in the middle of the night with unexpected news? Was a false accusation thrown in your face? Was your credibility questioned? Were evil people trying to ruin your reputation? Were your enemies attacking you?

What was that thing that made you wonder how life could ever be good again? Did you wonder how you could go on? Did you wonder if life was worth living? Was all hope gone?

Even the best of us are faint of heart when our world bottoms out. Being in dire straits is not an everyday event in most of our lives. We don’t live by the seat of our pants for day to day survival. Oh. Once that may have been the case for some of another generation. But today. Today, we have most everything we want. And more. Life is pretty good for most of us. But on occasion, the bottom drops unexpectedly. It’s in those moments that we can question everything or cling to the Giver of Life.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Psalms 27:13

Our faith is the stronghold of life. Our faith is the lifeline we reach for when we’ve reached the end of our rope. Our faith in God can and will support us through our darkest days and nights.

I’ve felt overwhelmed when it seems my world was falling apart. I’ve worried about the future. I’ve had moments where I’ve wondered if I’ve lived my best life, and that the remaining life I have would be less than what I wanted.

Our momentary troubles today are sometimes of our own making. We drop our phone and the screen cracks. The brakes of the car are squealing and in need of new pads. The door of our three car garage isn’t working correctly. We dig ourselves into debt that we can’t climb out of. We start a new job hoping it’s the one, but instead turns out to be worse than the one we left. When we’ve worked through our self help list and finally give God a chance, God will help us. Why not go to him first?

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33

If you’ve read Psalm 27, you know that David was in trouble. His enemies were in hot pursuit. They were closing in on him. No. He didn’t say a word against them. He turned to God, the only One who could rescue him. Instead of asking for enemies to be ruined, he asked for God’s grace and mercy to shine upon him.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

The goodness of the Lord is nothing to laugh at. Imagine how desperate we would be if we didn’t have the promises of God to rely on. Imagine the emptiness that must set into an unbeliever’s heart. What do they hope for when what they were hoping for falls through?

God’s goodness is so extreme, yet so simple. God is still good even when life isn’t. God never changes. He is consistent. His love endures everything and lasts forever.

God’s goodness, grace and mercy continually flow, surrounding us with his presence in the midst of turmoil. Life may not always be good. But God is good. Always and forever.

We must hold firm to our belief that we will see the goodness of the Lord. God’s goodness will be evident when we step through heaven’s gates and enter his presence.