I’m Not Able.

Kristy and I are in the process of moving into a new apartment.  It’s in the same complex we’ve lived in over the past two years, but we’re moving from a one bedroom to a larger two bedroom.  Both of us are very excited.  One of the reasons we picked this particular apartment is that the landlord allowed us to paint it any color we want.  The previous tenant painted a lot and most of the colors we are keeping, but there was this teal, aqua-marine, greenish-blue colored wall that we both knew had to go.

Kristy loves to paint…which is good because I’d rather jump out of a burning building than do it.  Anyway, so I was over taping the trim and getting everything set up for us to paint, and then I realized something.  It would be impossible for me to paint this. First off, I’m horrible at painting—I’m twenty-six and still can’t color in the lines of a coloring book, let alone paint a wall with precision.  That’s where my gorgeous wife comes in!  She has a real knack for this kind of stuff.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to get to is this:  we were both very stressed about making the move.  It’s a lot to pack up your life, not matter how little you have, and move and clean and relocate.  We realized that we were going to have to enlist the help of our friends, because we simply weren’t able to move the bigger things on our own.  We don’t have a truck, so we had to find that.  The point is, to make the move, we just were not able to do it on our own.

As I was thinking about it I had one of those “God” moments where you can see a Scripture truth actually illustrated in life.  We were not able to move ourselves just like I am unable to save myself.  We go through life with all kinds of hurts, baggage, and we are always packing, repacking, and relocating, but we try and do it all on our own.  Why?  We want to get rid of it.  Anxiety infects us, hopelessness creeps in, and discouragement drains our joy.  Pretty soon, we’re helpless and lost in our own insecurities wondering if we’re ever going to get out of this spiritual “funk” we’re in. So what do we do?  We start to try harder.  We try to be more “Christian” or a better moral person.  We scramble to any event we can do that involves the church—and that, by the way isn’t a bad thing.  However, after a season of this we begin to realize that we’re in the same boat we were in, but we’re just distracting ourselves.

So what’s the solution? Remember the inspire words of Paul:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8-9, ESV).

We can’t do enough “good things.”  We can’t go to church enough, we can’t pray enough, we can’t be “moral” enough.  We simply cannot earn our salvation—it is the gift of God Himself to you and I.  We are not Pelagians (a movement in the early church who though that they could earn their way to heaven). who are trying to be busy enough and look good enough to give us extra brownie points with God.  We are a people set free from sin and death!

The most liberating thing you can learn as a Christian is that you are saved by the blood of Jesus—the work of God on the Cross, but more importantly, Jesus rose from the dead triumphing over the icy grip of death, and breaking your chains of sin. He throws open your jail cell and sets the captives (us) free! We don’t have to pack, re-pack, move, and try to look busy.  “It is finished” (John 19:30). You don’t need to do anymore—just trust Jesus.  His blood has never failed us yet!

I want to challenge you this week to admit to yourself, “I’m not able.”  Pray that God will show you you’re not able to save yourself. Serve in the church, but out of love, not duty.  Grow in the Word, walk by the Spirit, and be confident because you are a child of the Living God!   Just something to think about.  – Scott

What would if be like…?

As people, it’s easy to daydream, right?  I can daydream just about any time or any place.  Usually it happens at very inconvenient times, but it does happen. I’m sure you can relate!  One of the biggest things that I kind of fancy about daydreaming is the “what would it be like?” idea. I get into some really weird thinking when this happens.  What if the world would just suddenly stop spinning?  Talk about slamming on the brakes!  We’d all go flying through the air, probably get injured, whatever kinds of crazy things would go along with that.

However, daydreaming, while wasting a lot of time, can also be very valuable.  As I was sitting here staring at the blinking cursor, I begin to ask a “What would it be like?” question.  I asked, “I wonder what life would be like if we truly let Jesus live through us?”  What would the church look like?  What would my day consist of?  How would I relate to others?  What would be my priorities?  How would I respond to a bad day or a critical spirit?

I snapped out of the daydream and really thought about this—I was searching the Scriptures to see if I could find that kind of “ideal” versus the “real” mentality, and this is what I found:

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing “ (1 Pet. 3:8-9, NIV).

Talk about a wake-up call!

I read this passage and think of all the harm I’ve caused people; all the pain.  I think about how my bad attitudes probably ruined somebody’s otherwise good day.  I see this passage and realize that maybe I didn’t take the time to be this kind of person the Apostle Peter is describing.  I hate/love these moments.  These are the moments you realize that God’s word is powerful, able to pierce the darkest parts of our life and change them (Heb 4:12).

Imagine what your day would look like if you were sympathetic to everyone?  If you truly loved one another. What about being compassionate and humble even when that doesn’t fit into our busy schedule of meetings, deadlines, and priorities?  What about truly taking the time to not repay evil with evil or insult with insult?  How would you family life or your work environment changed if you really lived that way? It’s easy to throw a grenade back at the person taking shots at you, but its not easy to throw a blessing back—now that’s where it gets tough.

Now to the hardest part.  What would the church look like if we all did these things?  Well—there wouldn’t be division. Gossip?  That’d be gone!  Disagreements would rarely occur.  How much more of an influence we could have on the world for Christ if we truly lived this way!  How many more people would stop viewing the church as critical, negative, and hypocritical!

Daydreaming has brought me here, but daydreaming has to end here.  Let’s stop dreaming about the “what if’s” and make them “now exists.”  What I mean is lets stop talking about it and reading about it and then moving on as if nothing happened.  Those pangs in your soul you get when you read verses like the one above—those are there for a reason—why?  That is the Holy Spirit opening your eyes to what could be versus what is. It’s God urging you to live this way not out of obligation or “duty” but because you are redeemed, changed forever, and walking in the Spirit. We have to start listening to those, church.

My challenge this week?  Live the above passage.  You will mess it up, you will fail.  Don’t stop trying though! Keep striving and let God’s love overflow from you to others.  Repay insult and evil with love and kindness.  Listen instead of doing all the talking!  Bless someone!  Make the “ideal” life the “real” life you live.  Think about it! – Scott