Repentance & Confession

Cactus Garden, Carefree, Arizona

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 

  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—

truly righteous and holy.

 Eph 4:23-24 (NLT)

Our lives are never free from conflict with our old nature.  Whenever we become stressed, annoyed, tired, etc. we are faced with the temptation to become short or sarcastic and may say unloving things.  We become self-centered, more concerned with our own feelings than the other person.  In those times, it's hard to yield and allow the Holy Spirit to control our attitudes, thoughts, words and actions. 

Our goal is to be like Christ – even-tempered, understanding and gentle. But, because of our human weaknesses we fall short.  Whenever we are not acting in accord with the love of Christ, the spirit within us makes us feel uncomfortable.  When this happens, the only remedy is to turn our hearts toward him (repentance), acknowledge our failure (confession), and ask for his assistance.  He is the only one who can keep us from falling.  

Oh Lord, when I am out of sorts, come through with your sweet spirit to help me control my tongue.  Help me to allow your spirit to live in and through me. When I fall short, may I quickly acknowledge my failure and turn to you.  Help me to learn the art of self-care so that I do not become too hungry, too angry, too tired or too stressed out which leaves me vulnerable to temptation. 

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 (NLT)

Christian Hedonism

Some wildlife at Dove Valley Ranch.

What a pleasure it has been walking early each morning on the golf course, the sun low in the east, the grass fresh, the birds singing and the bunnies scurrying around.  I feel such joy and pleasure in all God has made.  The walk from tee to green has become for me a place of worship and prayer.

The experience of such joy and pleasure in all that God has given is sometimes attended by a small amount of guilt.  Shouldn’t the Christian life be more about struggle, more about suffering for our faults?  I am reminded of that old Christian classic, The Practice of the Presence of God, a conversation with Brother Lawrence a 17^th century lay brother in a Carmelite monastery.  He entered the monastery thinking that there he would suffer pain for his faults and sacrifice his life with all its pleasures to God. But, he said that God had disappointed him.  He found nothing but joy and satisfaction in his life there.  To him “whether he lead us by suffering or by consolation”, it was all equal to a soul truly resigned to God.

I was startled, recently, when I heard a new phrase – Christian hedonism.  It made me chuckle.  How could the word “Christian” be combined with a word like hedonism which is a reference to self-indulgence and living for worldly pleasure?  It sounds like such a contradiction.  The term, coined on the website Desiring God (www.desiringgod.org), is a reference to the idea that the more we enjoy God and find pleasure in him, the more we will want to please him and the more our lives will be a reflection of his life.  What an awesome idea.  Makes sense to me.  What a contrast to the try harder mentality, which usually puts us in a state of guilt, eventually hindering our progress. We do not live the Christian life by gritting our teeth but by enjoying God’s spirit flowing through us.  

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalms 16:11 (NIV)

Read more about Christian hedonism:
http://www.desiringgod.org/about/our-distinctives/our-beliefs/what-is-christian-hedonism

Incremental Improvement

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Phil 1:6 (NLT)

One day as I walked by a Cholla close to the walkway at the clubhouse, I noticed two baby birds hunkered down in a nest.  Each day as I walked by, I'd check on the little creatures. 

 

Soon fuzz began to appear and they were always ready with their mouths wide waiting for a morsel from mama.

 

One day, I checked the nest and the babies weren't there.  I looked and there I saw one sitting on a branch in the cactus.  The next day, there it was again just sitting there. The day after, it was gone.  The little bird had grown its feathers and flown.







Those little birds were nurtured along until they were able to be on their own just as God nurtures us so that we will grow into maturity.  Often, the growth is imperceptible.  We grow by small increments each day until one day we realize we have made a little progress. We find that something we were not able to do before becomes easier for us.  Or, instead of having our usual negative reaction we actually respond in a positive way.

Its a little like my golf game.  It seems I'm not making any progress, yet each day I make a few more good shots.  Other days, things continue to go wrong but I know if I keep my eyes on the prize and continue to work at it I will improve and change will come - incremental, imperceptible change.  We can't expect to be changed overnight, but if we continue in faith, praying and believing change will come in God's time.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Phil 2:13 (NLT)

Enough

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,

 for tomorrow will worry about itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matt 6:34 (NIV)

As we look to the future, many fears may arise.  We may be afraid of getting sick, of getting cancer, that a loved one will die or leave us, that we may lose our job or become financially insecure.  We may be afraid that our children will get into trouble.  All of these fears grow in our minds and torment us.

When the Apostle Paul was tormented, facing great difficulty in his life, the Lord told him, “My grace is enough.”  God's grace is enough for whatever we face. Jesus taught us to take a day at a time and not to worry about the future.  Each day’s troubles are enough for that day.  Today’s grace is enough to cover today's troubles. 

The thing about grace is that it is only available for the immediate situation.  Just like manna, we can't store it up for tomorrow (Exodus 16:17-19). When tomorrow becomes today, his grace will be there.  Whatever situation arises, his grace will be enough - the greater the trial, the greater the grace.  Grace is always sufficient.

He said to me, "My grace is enough for you,

 for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Cor 12:9 (NET)

Snare

The Lord is my light and my salvation-- 

whom shall I fear? 

The Lord is the stronghold of my life--

 of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalms 27:1 (NIV)

Another source of fear in our lives comes in our relationships.  We may feel intimidated by others or afraid to confront.  We may become passive, not standing up for ourselves or what we believe in.

God is a God of justice.  It is his desire that each person be treated fairly and with respect.  He works in us to correct any situation that is not according to this standard. If someone treats us disrespectfully or with injustice, God is our advocate.  If we treat someone else unfairly, God will correct us. 

Understanding our position in Christ keeps us from falling into the trap of fearing others or giving them too much power over us.  God wants us to be submissive one to another, but it is a voluntary submission not something forced by fear, manipulation or threat. 

Putting hope and trust in other human beings can leave us disappointed.  Humans always fall short.  Perhaps you have been caught in the snare of putting too much trust in someone only to find that they have let you down. 

What others say and do doesn't really matter.  Well, of course, it does matter very much because we are so dependent on each other.  The difference is that if we have made God our refuge and strength what other people do will not have a devastating effect upon us.  If the unchangeable God is our source then from him we will gain the strength to do the right thing even when the words and actions of others disappoint or hurt us.  We may need to wisely confront, or to overlook but always with the strength of God's love dictating our responses and actions.

This is freedom from fear.  We know that no matter what others do we will be safe and secure in God's care and he will give us the wisdom to respond to each situation with love and peace.  This is the freedom of God's spirit.  Lord, grant us more of your spirit for each moment and each day.

 Fearing people is a dangerous trap,

 but trusting the Lord means safety. 

 Prov 29:25 (NLT)

The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.

 What can mere people do to me?  

 Psalms 118:6 (NLT)