Have you ever seen this commercial? I
love it not only because it has destruction but seems to display a
philosophical truth-“Humans…we are perfectly fallible creatures…”
Many times people think that being a
Christian means that you must be perfect or are perfect. This is a false.
If you consider yourself a “Christian”
and are reading this, let me get you off the hook: you don’t need to be perfect
nor are you called to be perfect.
If you don’t consider yourself a
“Christian” and are reading this, let me be frank with you: as Christ-Followers
we are human being just like you. And just like you we fail, fall, make
mistakes, make people angry, and more often than not get angry at ourselves. We
may get a big head, we may embarrass our church, do things that contradict what
we preach. We are not perfect. We know this. But we also know that we are saved
through grace by faith in Jesus. It is He who has made us new creations and
who’s Spirit we consistently must allow to mold us.
Ok Christ-Followers, let us dive into our
Father’s Word.
First thing is first. I want you to
repeat with me: SATAN, YOU WILL NOT WIN.
Go ahead, say it. Say it out-loud. Again.
Good. I want you to repeat this simple phrase each morning for the next week.
Now grab you Bible or go on
Biblegateway.com and read with me Ezekiel 22.
I want you to realize, just like I had
to, that we can not have God’s grace and forgiveness without first a need for
such. The message of redemption comes after the message of our failure. I fear
that as the Christian dogma has matured over the centuries we’ve moved from
God’s righteous angry/wrath toward our sins into being too charismatic about
God’s great love for us. Where is the middle ground? Where is the balance?
Now turn to Ephesians 3: 14-21 but read it slowly and
carefully. I want you to fully grasp each word.
“How
wide…how deep…is the Father’s love for us…”
Funny how we can comprehend such words,
but never in all eternity can we ever fathom such love and pardon.
I want you to know that Jesus knows you.
He sees you. He created you. He knows your every thought, your every action,
even every word before it ever rolls off your tongue! And He still very very
very much loves you. Do not wallow in your sin and shame. DO NOT LET SATAN WIN!
Do not run from God’s open arms after you have done something you regret! DO NOT
LET SATAN WIN! Don’t turn away this hand that’s reaching out to pick you back
up! DO NOT LET SATAN WIN!
If it one thing we remember from church
as children it is the do’s and do not’s of Christianity.
Being the type of person I am I like to
follow the rule, abide by the list, and please the person in charge. I am a
perfectionist. But as much as God loves me, He desires to restore me. He can’t fix
something that’s not broken. And if
something not broken, how can it be made new? He says, “Samantha, you are not
here to be perfect. You’re here to do my will.”
…”whatever
you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks to God the Father through Him.” –Colossians 3:17
Now like the apostle Paul reminds us, we
do not/cannot go on sinning so that grace may increase. No, those who do such
are just crucifying their Lord again. JESUS DEFEATED DEATH! And you can/will
too.
Satan did not win. Satan will not win. Do
not let Satan win.
Recently I read Deuteronomy 7 and I was
intrigued by verse 6.
“For
you are a holy people belonging to the Lord you God. The LORD you God has
chosen you to be His own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the
earth.”
Has it ever stuck you that you were
chosen? Have you even pondered why you were chosen?
Well, I have asked those questions a lot
of times, even as I read this scripture. But as I continued to read this
chapter a few more things stuck out to me that seemed to answer my questions.
Verse 7=we were the fewest
Verse 8=we were enslaved
Verse 15=we were hated
In other words, we are the outcast, the
troubled, the poor, the crippled, the “un-cool” kids, the straight D’s through
high school person, the one last picked for the team, the one beat up for lunch
money, the widowed, the hungry, the child beaten, the laid-off, the cheater,
the liar, the thief, the murder, the adulterer…and ect.
But one thing set us apart from all the
rest who may or may not have done what we have done…that is we loved God. Most of all we acknowledged our debt and we surrendered to Jesus.
Check out 1 John 1: 5-10
Can you find the promise?
We are holy. We are set apart, although
we are perfectly fallible creatures. We are a new creation and we too (along
with all the apostles) are being built into a glorious dwelling place for God’s great Spirit.-Ephesians 2
