The Sunburnt Legs Lesson

Yesterday I rose early and took a two hour drive to Thompsons Creek Dam.  It was a learning experience in more ways than one.  Since the weather has been so hot of late, I was largely unprepared for the blasting, freezing wind that blew continuously all day.  The water was choppy, the fish weren't biting, and I would have paid big money for a beanie!  It felt like my ears were going to fall off and my lips were numb.  As the clouds dissipated overhead, the sun shone bright and clear.  But the wind persisted and we continued to freeze.

After a day of fishing we drove back and parted ways, and I could faintly see the sun and wind had affected the faces of my fellow fisherman.  I had come prepared with polarised sunglasses, large hat, windbreakers, and sunscreen.  Unfortunately, my sunscreen remained in the bag I carried around!  I had been so cold from the wind all day that I never even thought to put on the sunscreen.  After removing my boots, I came to the immediate conclusion that I did not only get a little sun - but had received a lot of sun on my legs and face!  I had been wearing shorts, and from knee to sockline I had been sunburned.  The Australian sun spares no skin, and sunscreen does no good in the bag.  Leaving sunscreen in the bag is like going to a lake with a fishing rod but never casting out a lure.  And as God has been showing me, this principle applies to our spiritual life as well.

While I fished alone for a while, I spent some time in prayer with God.  At the time I didn't have a clear impression of what He was saying so I sang praises to Him.  Before bed last night I read in Hosea 10:12:  "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."  In the middle of the night I woke up because my legs were burning.  When I rose to put some aloe vera gel on them, this verse came back to me in a rush.  That was the lesson of the sunburnt legs!  God spoke in that moment clearly.  The suncream was of no value to me because it remained in my bag, and the same can be said of God's righteousness.  Justification and the imputing of Christ's righteousness is not simply a "trump card" to give a man access to heaven, but the righteousness of God is to be sown intentionally by us.

In the world today, many people still rely upon seasonal rain for the success of their crops.  God will bring the rain, but we have a role to play.  He has provided righteousness through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He has given the Holy Spirit to quicken, convict, instruct, guide, and comfort.  We must act in faith, purpose, and intent, breaking up the fallow ground of our hearts and sowing for ourselves righteousness.  It is time to seek the LORD.  Treasure hunters must expend money to buy costly equipment to locate and retrieve valuable treasure, even as a fisherman buys tackle to snare trophy trout.  Treasure seeking and fishing often require early mornings, traveling long distances, and a sacrifice of time.  We must expend our lives to seek God, living righteously, reaping mercy, and breaking up our fallow ground.  What good is righteousness if we choose our own way?  What good is a plot of land unless it is cleared, plowed, and planted before the rains come?  What good is justification if we will not labour in our sanctification?  People will go to great lengths to find hidden gold or catch a fish:  how far are you willing to go to know God and live righteously as He reveals Himself to you?

If the sunscreen remains unopened in the bag, it will be of no use to protect our skin from the burning rays of the sun.  There are far graver consequences spiritually than temporary skin discomfort if we sow wickedness instead of righteousness.  Trusting in our own way rather than God will lead us to certain destruction.  We know the means of protecting our skin, but we must individually agree to and put forth the effort to cover all exposed skin.  We even need to humble ourselves to ask for help to get those spots we can't reach.  In the same way, we must be willing to apply the scriptures to our lives:  to our minds and the way we think; to our words and actions; even to our motives and the inmost desires of our hearts.  We need the Holy Spirit to aid us, applying God's word effectively to our minds and hearts, in those recesses only He can see and reach.  Let us be intentional in the way we live, choosing to heed this exhortation found in Hosea 10:12.  It is time to seek the LORD, and He is coming quickly.