Month: November 2009

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Wrong Time for a Blessing?

Granite-mountain-south-of-Machtesh-Ramon-tb-q010403Proverbs 27:14 reminds us that there can be a wrong time even for a blessing.  When it is time for something else, and someone comes in and loudly shouts even the right sounding thing, we can find out blessing turning into a curse.  This scripture gives the example of someone yelling the blessing to wake up the sleeper.  It is time for sleeping.  Sleeping has benefits and is a need for the human body.  However, someone might feel the need to wake up the sleeper to give her a blessing.

Yes this is a common occurrence.  Maybe not while literally sleeping, but often we find people giving us “blessings” when they are either not needed or not helpful.  In fact, even when the sentiment is true, we might be giving the “blessing” at the wrong time.  How many have been told to keep their chin up because God will be a “doctor in the sick room” right when the person has not even dealt with the reality of the diagnoses?  How many have been told to “stop crying” for God will bless you right when their spouse has died?

Certainly these sentiments may be true, but just as the blessing that wakes the sleeper is the wrong time and becomes a curse, so does our promises of God’s aid at the wrong time.  Certainly we should and must bless folks, but what this text tells me is to make sure that the blessing is at the right time, or it will become a curse to the one receiving it.

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Do You Want Victory?

victoryWe often lose in our battle because we don’t really want to win.  We talk about desiring victory over sin, but we keep the emblems of sin around, “just in case.”  Sure we want victory, just not the victory that requires sacrifice.  We want the victory that doesn’t require giving up anything.  We want an easy victory

Romans 6:11 gives us the key to victory.  It is a key that is not easy.  It is not what we want to hear.  But it is simply to “reckon” or “consider” yourself dead to sin.  This is a very interesting image.  Reckon yourself dead to sin.  How does one do that?  You do that by simply treating yourself as if you already have the victory.  This is not to say that you will not fall again.  You probably will.  But what it does say is that you are not aiding the enemy in your defeat.

You are acting as if you are victorious.  You are living as if you have already won.  You are standing firm in the victory that God has already given to you.  If you want victory, go ahead and stand in it.  Go ahead and live in it.  Victory is already yours.  For we are simply living in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. (Romans 6:8-Romans 6:9)

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The Complete Savior

crosschristAs we near the close of this earth’s history, we find ourselves in need of a complete savior. Too often we fall into the trap of only wanting a partial savior. You know the savior who drapes us with a superficial sappy “love”, but never disciplines us.

However, the Jesus who came to this earth is both a savior and a from the penalty of sin and from the power of sin in our lives. We need to stop being happy with the “Jesus-lite” that forever promises us money and fame and success, but never changes us. We need to stop being happy with a Gospel that forgives but never empowers. We need to stop being happy with an incomplete savior.

Yes, Jesus is able to keep us from falling (Jude 1:24). Yes Jesus will forgive us, but also cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). Yes! Let us stop being happy with the “beginning things” and move on to the other things that God wants us to understand and live (Hebrews 6:1-3).