Identifying with Christ

Jesus came to save sinners.  Once we are freed from the power and penalty of sin, the Holy Spirit provides all we need to know and do God's will.  Living in these bodies of flesh makes it a real challenge to walk uprightly.  I am a sinner and need a Saviour, and if I have truly repented I ought not consciously sin any more.  Paul asked rhetorical questions which have obvious answers in Romans 6:1-2:  "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?"

When we are born again through faith in Jesus Christ, we are made new.  Our bodies stay the same, but our eternal souls have been raised to new life.  We ought to make a clean break between who we were and who we are by God's grace because we now know God and find our identity in Him.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

God is able to take a thief and transform him into a man whose honesty is a reflection of His own.  He takes a fornicator burning with lust and gives him power and discipline to walk in purity.  God takes sexually immoral people and cleanses them, causing their hearts to desire to please God over self.  Drunks and extortioners and liars need not be resigned to the chains which bound them to sin and ruled their lives, for now Jesus has become their LORD and Saviour.  Having been washed of the stains of sin, our previous way of living is to be relegated to a previous life which was drowning in perdition and sinking towards eternal destruction.

Praise the LORD He is able to change us completely so we can be as God intended us to be.  The world tries many means to squish us into its mould, but no worldly mould is suitable for a child of God.  Let us reckon the old man dead and sin also dead to us.  We will not entertain or make room for it any more because now we know it leads to death.  We will not justify sin in denial of God's Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  Sin slyly dolls itself up like Jezebel with her tiered head and painted face to look attractive, but let's not be fooled.  To sleep with her is to court death.  Since we love our Saviour Jesus, we will obey Him at any cost.  Jesus has paid the price for our atonement and salvation, and He also empowers us to pay the price He is worthy of daily.

God Supplies Needs

I like the occasion in scripture when Elisha provided for a widow in a miraculous (and memorable!) way.  She was unable to pay off a loan and the creditor demanded her two sons as bondslaves.  In desperation she contacted Elisha the prophet.  He said, "What do you have in the house?"  The poor woman said, "Nothing, except a pot of oil."

2 Kings 4:3-4 says, "Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbours--empty vessels; do not gather just a few. ⁴ And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones."  This is a strange directive, isn't it?  How could one pot of oil fill so many?  The woman wisely did not question the man of God but obeyed.  It says in verse 5, "So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out."  And pour it out she did.  As long as there was another pot to pour into, the oil continued to flow.  According to her obedience she received oil she sold and paid off the debt, delivering her sons from slavery.

One lesson we can glean from this passage is God will supply all the needs of His people, and He will do it however and whenever He wants.  We feel comfortable with money in the bank, with "liquid assets" we can utilise at our convenience so we don't have to trust God.  Having a surplus provides a sense of security the flesh craves, but often God provides strength as we need it.  We are called to trust God whether we have millions in our account or live paycheck to paycheck - even when there is no paycheck!  We make a mistake to limit God by our perceived lack because God has promised to supply our needs.  Paul affirmed in Philippians 4:19, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

When we have God, we have all we need.  We are able to experience the fullness of His grace when we trust and obey Him.  Praise the LORD how He can take these empty vessels and fill us with His Spirit!

Bookmarks and Commitment

Diligence is a good virtue to cultivate.  It is easy with the busyness of life to procrastinate or neglect important duties.  We start tasks with good intentions but for some reason completing them can elude us for weeks, months, and years.  We are exhorted in whatever we do in Colossians 3:23 to do it heartily as unto the LORD.  God requires stewards to be faithful, and in His strength we can do all He asks of us.

Jesus said in Luke 16:10, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much."  Because we are limited by time, ability, and resources, we prioritise tasks.  The completion of tasks large or small requires commitment with focused labour to that end.  It helps when we prioritise unfinished tasks (in most cases) before we embark on new ones.  Progressing and completing even a small task moves us in a positive direction.

Whenever I have a new book to read (I have a bit of a pile at the moment!), for me placing a bookmark within the pages is a commitment to finish that book.  Not all books which we begin reading are worthy of being completed, but for me the bookmark is a helpful - even a necessary reminder to finish what I have started.  Finishing a book is a little thing in the scope of life, but the words of Jesus remind me how important faithfulness and diligence are.  What we say we should do, and even a little scrap of paper sends a message I have made a commitment and should follow through.

Are there any commitments or tasks you have begun but for whatever reason have remained undone?  At the culmination of a life lived for the LORD He will commend His faithful servants.  Life is comprised of countless little jobs, and at the end of every little task done unto the LORD we can take to heart His words:  "Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of the LORD."  My commitment can be weak and faulty, but our God is faithful to supply our every need.  Praise the LORD He is fully committed to us and will never leave or forsake us!

Cull Those Complaints!

All people naturally have sinful tendencies and habits.  Even after we are spiritually born again life goes on in the confines of our body of flesh.  There are plenty of things we realise are sinful and displeasing to God, but there are other things which fly under our moral radar.  We are not even aware of how often we sin until God opens our eyes to see!

One thing I want to cull from my life is the tendency to complain.  Complaints may be exceedingly common and seemingly innocent, but the basis of complaining is a focus on self, a lack of acknowledgement of God's power and sovereignty, and vocal displeasure for all to hear.  It is one thing to pour out our complaints before God, but it is another thing to complain to others about our circumstances God has allowed.  Complaining is often a parade of selfishness.

Just last night I read of an occasion after God delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt in Numbers 11:1-3: "Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. ² Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched. ³ So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them."  If there was ever a passage in scripture which vividly portrays God's displeasure and swift judgment for complaining, this is it.  God's people complained about all sorts of things:  lack of water, the food God supplied, that Moses took too much responsibility upon himself, that God led them through the wilderness, the threat of enemies, and on.

This passage does not tell us exactly what the people complained about, but it does say God was displeased when He heard their complaints.  Did you know complaining displeases God?  His anger burned against them and fire consumed some in the outskirts of the camp.  Moses interceded on behalf of the people when they cried out to him, and the fire was quenched.  The place was named "Taberah" or burning because God's fire had burned among them.  The lesson for me?  When I murmur against God or complain to others, God hears and it is displeasing to Him.  To this day by the grace of God I have not been consumed in flames because I am certainly guilty!  It is hard to complain without saying something, and therefore how wise it is for us to guard our hearts, minds, and mouths.  I imagine complaining is a habit in varying degrees for everyone, but it is one we ought to spare no effort to break.  Complaining is evidence something is very wrong in the heart.

David wrote in Psalm 142:1-2 how he directed his complaints not to men but to God:  "I cry out to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. ² I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble."  It is a good question to ask:  am I complaining to someone who can do anything about my problem?  Because God cares for us He invites us to cast our cares upon Him.  Pouring our complaints or venting our frustrations upon other people suggests we have not taken the matter sufficiently before God.  Once we have cast our cares upon Him, complaints will be replaced with praise for the One who loves and cares for us.