It’s such a surreal experience to transition from someone who doesn’t consider God anything more than a concept, to worshipping Him as Lord and Saviour. It’s a strange move to go from someone whose whole goal for living was serving self to someone whose whole motive for living is to love and obey Jesus. To say that we are a new Creation is more than an understatement. This transformation that Jesus brings about in us is total, covering every aspect of life.
Lest some atheist think that I’m saying we Christians are better human beings than any given atheist, I’m not. Lest any atheist think that I’m saying we’re perfect - Far from it! However, I am saying that if we allow Him the freedom to work in our lives, God will make us far, far better individuals than we were before He came into our lives.
Since becoming a child of God, a follower of Jesus, I no longer need to strive for security, value, worth or belonging. All those things are simply mine to enjoy. Because of that, dwelling on the goodness of my Lord and Saviour comes as easily as breathing. As the lover of my soul, Jesus is simply part of my waking life. There is not one area of my life where His influence isn’t important to me. I am drawn to what is good and repulsed by what is evil; the exact opposite of my pre Christian days.
Since becoming a child of God, a follower of Jesus, I can actually love. Not the romantic, "I've fallen in love" crap of Hollywood, but the willed, volitional desire to do good to others regardless of how I'm treated back. That in and of itself is totally different. Prior to Jesus coming into my life I loved myself - Period! Any good that I did, and it was precious little, was never absent the thought of how this good deed would make others think more highly of me.
Since becoming a child of God, a follower of Jesus, I now love to be around good people. Before, I saw them as fools and weak-minded, losers to be sure. I now love my life and am deeply grateful for all that God has given me, especially the areas where I’ve been forced to grow by leaning into and absorbing His strength. Even in the most difficult of times, peace and joy are never absent. That is totally unlike my pre Christian days.
The decision to do the right thing is now part of who I am. Before Jesus, doing the wrong, the crooked, the illegal, the shady deal, the shortcut, all these and more were second nature to me. No longer. Jesus has made me habitually attuned to obeying the law, to helping those who struggle, to give of myself, my time, my money. Since Jesus came into my life I can actually see and respond to the needs of people. Prior to Jesus I would purposely walk past the needs that were directly in front of me. Since Jesus came into my life I don’t need to be “loved back.” I don’t care if I’m rejected or not respected. This is so not the way I used to be.
My body now belongs to God. O my how I used to abuse my body. I really didn’t have any power to do otherwise. Today it’s not just that my spirit is willing, but my flesh is now also powerful and eager to do what’s right and good. As a counsellor, there are many, many opportunities to become involved with “needy” women. In my pre Christian days this was truly a danger area for me. No longer. Today, when the offer comes I genuinely ask, “Why would you want to be with a man who is so selfish, so self-centred, so self-obsessed that he would do that to his wife?” That is usually enough to put an end to it. However, some people are so wounded that they find the idea of being with a married man exciting. If the first question isn’t enough, “Why would I want to be with someone who is so selfish, so self-centred, so self-obsessed that she would do that to my wife?” is always enough to end it. Today, avoiding paths that lead to temptation come naturally and with ease. That was not the case at all in my pre Christian days.
Today, because of Jesus, I can see that I’m not missing out on anything of importance by rejecting the things that this world has to offer. The sin in the world has less and less in me to which it can make its appeal. If evil people get rich - let em. If pagans are popular - well you go girl. If all the credit goes to those who use and misuse their wealth - so be it. Sin and a pattern of sinful living is a load of crap to which I’ll never ever return. I’m no longer attracted to anything this world has to offer. I’m a stranger here. I’m just passing through. My attention is drawn to making this a better place but I have no intention of being anything more than a visitor. I am not, as the book of Revelation so aptly puts it, one of “those who lives upon the earth.”
I no longer have to hide the real me. I don’t have to pretend that I’m better than I am. I have the ability to know and hang with those who are also transparent and able to have deep and honest friendships. We no longer have to hide our thoughts or pretend that we don’t fail. Because I now leave the outcomes of daily events in the hands of my Creator I no longer have to manipulate others for my own ends. I can be with those who do evil without being drawn or tempted to mimic their behaviours. Loving the sinner while hating the sin has now become more than a trite phrase. That is so very different than before.
I am now whole. Who I am at home is who I am in any other setting. My inside matches my outside. What you see is what you get. I am at peace with my God. My life has meaning and context and purpose. This is nothing like it was in the days before Jesus came into my life.
I don’t need to defend myself when it’s been pointed out to me where I’m wrong. Boy oh boy, is THAT ever different! In fact, I’m thankful to find out where I’ve been off track. Anger has been and still is my weak spot. I’m not who I should be in this area, and I’m not who I’m going to be in this area, but thanks to God alone, I’m not who I used to be in this area.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that I’m even close to perfect. I have a long, long way to go. I have more needed changes to be made in my life than God will have time to make this side of heaven. But this I know, He will not stop working on me nor will He turn His back on me as I falter and stumble in my walk with Him. I know whom I believe and I know that He will bring me safely home in far better condition than I was ever in when I thought that I was the captain of my fate and the master of my soul.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
God Owes Me!
"Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with His own presence, His Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does He do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust Him to do them in you? Don't these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God."
Galatians 3:5-6
Galatians 3:5-6
Monday, November 29, 2010
Doing It Right
I meet so many people who are genuinely surprised to find themselves doing harm to those they love. I was sitting with a couple the other day. They weren’t totally hostile to Christianity yet, they were surprised at how badly they treated each other (he’d just started an online affair - she'd been super critical of him since day one). They didn’t want their souls to change, but neither did they want to live with the consequences of their behaviours.
Do you see the problem here?
When we are wrong on the inside we can’t even WANT to do what’s right. Oh sure, we can love those who love us. Who can't? But when my love for you is based on you loving me first, well, that's a recipe for destruction. This doesn’t mean that non Christians must always be Charles Mansons or Stalins. It does mean that non redeemed souls will most often put themselves first, even in their most important relationships. What these people really want is to continue being “wrong on the inside” but not experience the consequences of being wrong. Even when their conscience tells them they’re treating each other wrong, their whole inner being is tilted away from the right things. The "right things" aren't even recognised as options. This is why Christopher Hitchens and others like him hate so terribly the very thought of God watching over them. What God wants for them is the very opposite of what their unregenerate heart wants for themselves.
In my own life:
Only Jesus could reverse the trending downward to self-destruction.
Only Jesus could make His law attractive to me.
Only Jesus could make His way of life seem important.
Only a character that’s was changed by Jesus could come to see sin for the horror that it truly is.
On CNN the question was asked, “Should parents in a struggling marriage stay together for the children?” The majority of the people thought not eg., “I left my husband because I didn’t want my children to believe that they had to “just settle.” I want them to go after happiness.”
It didn’t occur to anyone to ask, “Should parents in a struggling marriage change the way they treat each other for the sake of the children; should they change so that their children can learn how to love?” Had that question been asked, the answer would have still been - “No - We’re not willing to change.”
And why aren't they willing to change?
Because we CAN’T treat each other good - we can’t even WANT to treat each other good - when we ourselves are not good.
Jesus allowed divorce for one reason only - “Because of your hard and evil hearts.”
If you knew that you possessed a hard and evil heart, wouldn’t you want to change that aspect of your nature?
Wouldn’t you?
And if not, why not?
Hard and evil hearts cannot show the love and mercy and forgiveness that all marriages need. Healing a marriage requires that the people themselves change, and that is precisely what people are not willing to do. Many people won’t even admit that inner change is necessary. “I’m a good person” is the mantra of atheists. So convinced are people that it’s not their fault, that after a divorce they quickly marry someone new fully expecting that this time things will be better. Statistics say otherwise.
I address this in a multi part series, http://makarios-makarios.blogspot.com/2006/12/will-i-ever-find-partner-whos-good-for.html
Until Jesus changes who we are, we simply don’t have loving those who are difficult to love as an option. So our children are left with the pattern of walking away from difficult relationships.
Without Jesus in our hearts, without Jesus as Lord and Master of our lives, our children will not even have the option of doing it right.
Do you see the problem here?
When we are wrong on the inside we can’t even WANT to do what’s right. Oh sure, we can love those who love us. Who can't? But when my love for you is based on you loving me first, well, that's a recipe for destruction. This doesn’t mean that non Christians must always be Charles Mansons or Stalins. It does mean that non redeemed souls will most often put themselves first, even in their most important relationships. What these people really want is to continue being “wrong on the inside” but not experience the consequences of being wrong. Even when their conscience tells them they’re treating each other wrong, their whole inner being is tilted away from the right things. The "right things" aren't even recognised as options. This is why Christopher Hitchens and others like him hate so terribly the very thought of God watching over them. What God wants for them is the very opposite of what their unregenerate heart wants for themselves.
In my own life:
Only Jesus could reverse the trending downward to self-destruction.
Only Jesus could make His law attractive to me.
Only Jesus could make His way of life seem important.
Only a character that’s was changed by Jesus could come to see sin for the horror that it truly is.
On CNN the question was asked, “Should parents in a struggling marriage stay together for the children?” The majority of the people thought not eg., “I left my husband because I didn’t want my children to believe that they had to “just settle.” I want them to go after happiness.”
It didn’t occur to anyone to ask, “Should parents in a struggling marriage change the way they treat each other for the sake of the children; should they change so that their children can learn how to love?” Had that question been asked, the answer would have still been - “No - We’re not willing to change.”
And why aren't they willing to change?
Because we CAN’T treat each other good - we can’t even WANT to treat each other good - when we ourselves are not good.
Jesus allowed divorce for one reason only - “Because of your hard and evil hearts.”
If you knew that you possessed a hard and evil heart, wouldn’t you want to change that aspect of your nature?
Wouldn’t you?
And if not, why not?
Hard and evil hearts cannot show the love and mercy and forgiveness that all marriages need. Healing a marriage requires that the people themselves change, and that is precisely what people are not willing to do. Many people won’t even admit that inner change is necessary. “I’m a good person” is the mantra of atheists. So convinced are people that it’s not their fault, that after a divorce they quickly marry someone new fully expecting that this time things will be better. Statistics say otherwise.
I address this in a multi part series, http://makarios-makarios.blogspot.com/2006/12/will-i-ever-find-partner-whos-good-for.html
Until Jesus changes who we are, we simply don’t have loving those who are difficult to love as an option. So our children are left with the pattern of walking away from difficult relationships.
Without Jesus in our hearts, without Jesus as Lord and Master of our lives, our children will not even have the option of doing it right.
What About Those Who Haven’t Heard?
When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences.
Romans 2:14-16
Romans 2:14-16
Saturday, November 27, 2010
“Why Israel Doesn’t Care About Peace”
That’s the cover page of a recent Time Magazine.
“Attacked by suicide bombers on an almost daily basis a decade ago, they didn’t flee. They didn’t panic. And they didn’t teach their children to hate, or to martyr themselves. Instead they took security precautions and went about their business as best they could under horrific circumstances. For this, and for carving out productive lives in the only democracy in the area, in the face of so many who would destroy them, they are portrayed as uncaring. TIME’s story does not address the attitudes of Palestinians toward Israel, or Jews, though Palestinian clerics, educators and politicians demonize Zionists and Jews everywhere so regularly that it is no longer considered newsworthy.”
Gary Rosenblatt in “The Jewish Week.
To say that Israel doesn’t care about peace while at the same time ignoring the reality of Palestinian authority’s repeatedly rejecting every peace deal that Israel has offered shows the bigotry that Israel is up against. Not only do the Muslims reject the peace offers, they respond with terror and the incitement of hatred.
“I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us.”
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas describing what would happen if a Palestinian State was created. Yet it is Israel who is accused of being an “apartheid” state even though Israel allows Arabs to enjoy full citizenship, including representation in its parliament.
As Benjamin Netanyahu said, “If Arabs put down their weapons tomorrow there would be no more war. If Israelis put down their weapons tomorrow, there would be no more Israel.”
“Attacked by suicide bombers on an almost daily basis a decade ago, they didn’t flee. They didn’t panic. And they didn’t teach their children to hate, or to martyr themselves. Instead they took security precautions and went about their business as best they could under horrific circumstances. For this, and for carving out productive lives in the only democracy in the area, in the face of so many who would destroy them, they are portrayed as uncaring. TIME’s story does not address the attitudes of Palestinians toward Israel, or Jews, though Palestinian clerics, educators and politicians demonize Zionists and Jews everywhere so regularly that it is no longer considered newsworthy.”
Gary Rosenblatt in “The Jewish Week.
To say that Israel doesn’t care about peace while at the same time ignoring the reality of Palestinian authority’s repeatedly rejecting every peace deal that Israel has offered shows the bigotry that Israel is up against. Not only do the Muslims reject the peace offers, they respond with terror and the incitement of hatred.
“I will never allow a single Israeli to live among us.”
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas describing what would happen if a Palestinian State was created. Yet it is Israel who is accused of being an “apartheid” state even though Israel allows Arabs to enjoy full citizenship, including representation in its parliament.
As Benjamin Netanyahu said, “If Arabs put down their weapons tomorrow there would be no more war. If Israelis put down their weapons tomorrow, there would be no more Israel.”
“Hitchens Apparent Winner”
That’s a CBC headline as Chris Hitchens debated former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Toronto.
So, Hitchens spends eternity in hell and is declared a winner. Just whose measuring stick are we using here?
So, Hitchens spends eternity in hell and is declared a winner. Just whose measuring stick are we using here?
There’s No Going Home
“Once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit, once they've personally experienced the sheer goodness of God's Word and the powers breaking in on us - if then they turn their backs on it, washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can't start over as if nothing happened. That's impossible. Why, they've re-crucified Jesus! They've repudiated Him in public! Parched ground that soaks up the rain and then produces an abundance of carrots and corn for its gardener gets God's "Well done!" But if it produces weeds and thistles, it's more likely to get cussed out. Fields like that are burned, not harvested.
If we give up and turn our backs on all we've learned, all we've been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ's sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment - and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God's Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he'll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: "Vengeance is mine, and I won't overlook a thing" and "God will judge His people." Nobody's getting by with anything, believe me.
Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31
If we give up and turn our backs on all we've learned, all we've been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ's sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment - and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God's Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he'll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: "Vengeance is mine, and I won't overlook a thing" and "God will judge His people." Nobody's getting by with anything, believe me.
Hebrews 6:4-8; 10:26-31
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