It ain't supposed to be like this

Driving down River Road, off to the side was a deer that had apparently been hit by a car. I was saddened to see only a shell of broken bones and bloody remains. After a short time I found myself in heavy traffic on US-1 guessing it was due to an accident. That assumption proved correct as a vehicle was on the side of the road showing evidence the occupants were evacuated by the “jaws of life”. Only the empty shell of the battered, topless vehicle remained which also saddened me.

“It ain’t supposed to be like this” was a line from the movie “Grand Canyon” but it fits appropriately to the way things are in our world. It was never meant to be like this. But it is, only because of sin. People today don’t want to acknowledge sin; even the church glosses over it.

God created all things, the earth, animals, humans, everything. And He saw that it was very good. That’s the way it was suppose to be. But then here’s the serpent and his deception. Everything changes. Everything wrong in this world points back to that one moment in history when Adam and Eve believe the lies of Satan. So instead of being caretakers of the earth and animals; because of sin we hunt the animals for food or pleasure and ravish the lands, sky and sea. Animals once co-existed peacefully with each other but because of sin they are prey to one another. Man was to live together in peace; but because of sin we hurt each other whether it is intentional or by accident. It wasn’t meant to be like this. Sin changed everything. We changed everything.

The thing is we can’t do anything to fix it but God can and He did. He made a way for us; a way of reconciliation.

 

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. Romans 5:18 NIV

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shalt not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the Light for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. John 3:16-21 NASB

Why are you trying so hard to fit in?

A movie came out a while back about an American teenage girl who traveled to London to find her father whom she had never met.  At the time he was running in an election for a seat in the House of Commons. When her presence and behavior threatened his chance for the position, she sought a friend’s help in learning how to fit in with her father’s social circle. At one point her friend questions her “Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?”

Today it’s hard to tell the difference from the church and the un-church because those who profess to be Christians look and behave the same as those who are not.   As believers we are born to stand out and too often we just fit in with the rest of the world. It’s hard to tell us a part.

We use words like sanctify and consecrate, yet they are meaningless for we do not set ourselves apart to be holy for the Lord our God as we are called to do[i].  How can the Lord call us His special treasure when we are no different from the world[ii]? Are we fooling God when we say we obey His commands and walk in His ways or are we fooling ourselves[iii]? Are we not copying the behaviors and customs of this world instead of letting God transform us into a new person[iv]? We need to lead a life that is worthy of our calling instead of living as the world does, hopelessly confused[v].

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time – to show us His grace through Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 1:9 NLT)

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, and God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 NLT)

Why are you trying so hard to fit in with the world when you were born-again to stand out?

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[i] Lev 20:7

[ii] Deu 7:6

[iii] Deu 28:9

[iv] Rom 12:2

[v] Eph 4:1, 17

What's in a name

As a young child I was envious of the meanings of my brothers and sisters names. My name means “grace” whereas their names have royal descriptions, the king, princess and peaceful ruler. I thought my name had to do with being clumsy; after all that’s what our neighbor referred to her daughter whenever she appeared to have two left feet. Then I discovered God’s grace, unmerited favor; a gift that God has given us that we don’t deserve and at Christ’s expense. So now when I hear my name it reminds me of His gift and I am most thankful.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.  Eph 2:8 NASB

The Bridge

The bridge of grace will bear your weight, brother. Thousands of big sinners have gone across that bridge, yea, tens of thousands have gone over it. Some have been the chief of sinners and some have come at the very last of their days but the arch has never yielded beneath their weight. I will go with them trusting to the same support. It will bear me over as it has for them. ~ Charles Spurgeon