Mourning Over Sin

The fear of the LORD keeps people from sin as it is written in Exodus 20:20:  "And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin."  One mark of those who genuinely value the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to atone for and redeem lost sinners do not remain in sin but confess and forsake it.  Forgiveness is not license to sin, for those drawn to Jesus by His lovingkindness ought not trample His blood underfoot.

While avoidance of sin and intentional doing what pleases God are marks of followers of Jesus Christ, there are other things God takes notice of as well:  He notices people loyal to Him who grieve and mourn over sins committed against Him.  A vision seen by Ezekiel demonstrates this in Ezekiel 9:4-6:  "...the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it." ⁵ To the others He said in my hearing, "Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. ⁶ Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were before the temple."  God's eyes go to and fro the whole earth, seeking to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him, for He is faithful to protect and save.  And when the time comes for judgment, He will not spare.

God directed a man with an inkhorn to place a mark on all those who sighed and cried over the abominations of the city of Jerusalem.  Whilst those would be spared, all others would face the judgment of God--and they began with the respected elders at God's sanctuary.  1 Peter 4:17-18 shows this is a principle consistent in the New Testament as well as it is written:  "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?"  It is a good thing to take to heart:  do we sigh and cry over the abominations committed before God, whether it be our sin or that of others?  Are we convicted and repentant of our sin whilst being careless of others who are in sin?  Man looks on outward appearances, but God looks upon the heart.  How searching is His gaze; how merciful He is to make a way righteousness can be imputed to us.

It is remarkable that in a world steeped with sin there is much that could depress us and cause us to sink into despair, but when we look to Jesus we find a living hope, comfort, joy and consolation.  Those who weep over sin have the assurance of everlasting forgiveness and healing.  Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief yet remains our only source of perfect peace and joy forevermore.  This is the triumph of faith in Christ!  Those who are never far from tears due to the offence of sin may be numbered among those close to the LORD Jesus, upheld in His love because they walk in the fear of God.  Jesus wept over the consequences of sin and the painful separation death brings, and praise the LORD He has overcome.  To souls dead in sins He gives new life, and in Him we can rejoice always.

In the Love of God

God's word is rich with instruction that open our understanding to truth we read but never saw before.  Like the Jewish people who had eyes but could not see or ears that could hear because they lacked faith in Jesus Christ, this can also describe genuine believers at countless times in our earthly pilgrimage.  We have read many passages of scripture yet gleaned little, and by God's grace He enables us to receive more as we consider that same passages later on.

This happened for me when I read Romans 8:37-39 recently:  "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Paul urged the Romans to recognise all the greatest trials and difficulties of life can be triumphantly navigated because Jesus has overcome.  Because Jesus has conquered sin, Satan, abolished death and made a new and living way through the Gospel, nothing can separate us from the love of God.  We have been justified, free of condemnation, Jesus intercedes on our behalf and even death is powerless to prevent us from receiving and walking in God's love.

Paul was persuaded that neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God in Christ.  I am greatly encouraged that "life" is included here.  Some people express concern about the "busyness of life" as if it is an insurmountable force that is nigh impossible to reckon with, feeling helpless necessary work or activities can distract and deter us from our God-given purposes and spiritual fruitfulness.  While this is entirely possible if we depart from active reliance upon God, life on earth and the demands it places upon us need not deter us at all from a fulfilling, satisfying, abundant life with Jesus.  In mundane chores, labours, careers, sport and service, we can experience and share the love of Jesus.  Life nor present thing are able to separate us from the love of God, and thus we are more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us.

Having been conquered by the love of Jesus, our fears and cares can be confessed and forsaken as faithless; since Jesus demonstrated His love for us on Calvary we are more than conquerors.  When we have trials and troubles we would be quite pleased to settle for being a conqueror, to walk victorious without defeats.  Because we are more than conquerors, the redeemed children of the almighty God, we are given the privilege to learn to walk in the victory Jesus provides ourselves.  Our failures continue to affirm our need for Jesus is greater than we ever imagined, and the resurrection of Jesus persuades us of the victory guaranteed by Jesus from every foe--even death.  How gracious and good God is to us, for nothing shall be able to separate us from His love.

Estranged No More

Being estranged from family and loved ones can be most troubling.  It suggests some obstacle lies between the intimate friendship and fellowship God intended we have with one another by His love.  While this separation may be the result of many factors, to cut others off or to be cut off can be a most painful trial.  But praise the LORD, love suffers long.  There is comfort, hope and healing found in Christ even when relationships are damaged beyond repair.

It seems the people you are closest to have the potential to inflict the greatest wounds by estrangement.  This is evident in marriages gone sour or when children are estranged from their parents.  The impact of this is more keenly felt when the paternal, maternal or marital bonds are broken--sometimes from one side.  I think of when Ishmael was sent away by Abraham or the parable Jesus told of the Prodigal Son when the son decided to take his share of the inheritance and depart from his father's house.  Human relationships are very complex as they involve hidden matters of the heart, blind spots on both sides and the struggle to process all that has happened along the way.

I witnessed a scene recently that impacted me when a parent called out to their teenager who was walking with their friends.  At first I didn't know if the teen heard their parent, but it was obvious she heard when she stopped walking and turned around.  Then slowly, very slowly, she turned back to walk away with friends as if she had not heard a thing.  How deep a wound this could potentially strike into a heart that longs for closeness and companionship!  It made me consider:  have I done this with God?  He has come to us in the person of Jesus and called people to follow Him.  Would I turn my back on Him and walk away as if He had not said anything, ignoring Him and His loving concern as worthless?

It is good to consider if we are estranged from God right now because we have allowed something to stand between us.  God is our good, heavenly Father who calls out to us; He is never estranged from us, but we can choose to be estranged from Him.  Glory to God He pursues and speaks to those who stray, seeking their restoration to fellowship with Him.  Let us draw near at the voice of the Good Shepherd who speaks, our Redeemer who revives our souls.

Without Vision

 As context is critical to understand what is meant in a conversation, it is of utmost importance in the study of the Bible.  Many times we have walked in at the “wrong time” of a conversation and the sentence we heard did not make sense.  This can ironically occur when we take a verse out of context:  phrases from scripture can become catchphrases that miss the original intended meaning.  It is one thing to assume we know what someone means when we haven’t heard half of what they were saying, but it is another when we do this with God Who speaks plainly in His word.

I recently saw a plaque that stated, “Without a vision the people perish” and Proverbs 29:18 was quoted.  I looked up the passage which reads in the KJV (thus I assume this is the translation used as the NKJV puts it differently):  “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”  When we speak about “vision,” often we refer to something which is not plainly seen by all but is visualised by someone who leads who effectively guides us to that end.  The implication of the first part of the verse (when it stands alone) suggests the dire consequences of people who lack visionary leadership or the faculties of sight themselves.  When we read this verse in its entirety, however, a clear directive of keeping God’s law comes into view.

I strongly suspect those who quote the first part of this verse as a cliché might not even know what else that same verse says.  The idea presented dovetails beautifully with what Jesus said about those who hear his voice and do not obey it.  He compared such a one with a man who built a house on sand and it was swept away in the storm—and great was its fall.  News stations all over the world are broadcasting pictures of the widespread destruction caused by hurricane Ivan.  The shocking and tragic pictures of devastation are an object lesson that demonstrates the spiritual reality Jesus spoke of.

The vision Solomon referred to was not one afar off in the future, a personal goal or unknown reality seen by only a few, but the Law of Moses written on tablets of stone hundreds of years before.  This vision was one of God’s righteousness, and those who kept the law would be richly blessed by their God.  Happy are the people whose God is the LORD, and when we keep Jesus in our sight we are always led to walk in righteousness.