When I am out of synch (part 4)

God made me to acknowledge Him. God made me as a potter makes a pot from clay. And when I during worship look to God and say “Look at me, aren’t I talented?” or “See what I can do?” yet I have nothing really to show for it, no surrender to God, no real admitting to God that He is really the author of everything I have and can do, it’s for naught. If I show no love for others, no love for the down-trodden, no kindness to strangers…if all I have to show is external works and lip service and no internally felt love for God then I am only giving God my dross and not my repentance and honesty. And God then tells me, “Woe to you!” (Isa 29:13-16).

When I am out of Synch (part 3)

My idols really can expand into my worship. I can give up much of my time being involved in various mission work or visiting the sick or teaching classes or filling the pantry for the poor. But if I decide or give into temptation to being mean or hurling curses at drivers while I drive God looks at that as hypocrisy and sin as much as if I had robbed or murdered or committed adultery. (Isaiah 1:11-15)

When I am out of Synch (part 2)

And then again, nowhere in scripture can I see how mistreatment of people is as mistreatment of Christ than in John 8:1-11, the story of the woman caught in adultery.

The woman was obviously set up, the Pharisees knew where to find her, and where was the man. Scripture says nothing of the man that was with the woman, only that the Pharisees dragged her out and presented her to Christ. The words Christ then said are so familiar to all, “Those without sin, cast the first stone”. The Pharisees were using that woman to get to Christ, and so their sin was doubled. They wanted to hurt Christ’s reputation and popularity and they cared nothing for what happened to the woman and so they hurt her both physically and emotionally. And that happens every time I lie, cheat, or use other deceitful means for personal gain. And when I am as deceitful as Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:30-37, how Jesus and God weep! How I truly hurt them because I hurt others.

When I am out of Synch

Nothing is more evident about how I can get out of synch than the story of the Adam, Eve and the serpent. In Genesis 3:1-18, are several things in which the deceiver does to Eve and in fact that he also does to me and all other humans. First he deceives me with pleasure, of the taste of the apple, and with power, that the apple from the Tree gave the Knowledge of Good and Evil and, so Adam and Eve thought, knowledge of everything. That is in fact how he deceives me that I will be and know everything to the entire universe. But what this should show me is that while I may know, I cannot always act on that knowledge and do as I want. The knowledge has to be tempered with wisdom. Which is the second thing I am deceived in. Satan convinces me that because I know things I am wise in all things. And this simply is not so. Not if I truly compare myself to God’s wisdom and power. I don’t realize God’s strength, until I am in the midst of storms and turmoils and cannot get myself out. I don’t realize His wisdom until I admit I am a fool, as it says in I Corinthians 4:10, and become one for His sake. God has the power to through me out of paradise, give satan the boot, and lock the gate at the same time teaching me how I can get the key to open the gate at some later date. He renders me the ultimate tough love, and shows me how to grow in Him that I not do what I have done repetitively. He also brings me to a point where I have to make a decision to follow Him or know I am doing what displeases Him and do it anyway. God demonstrates what it is to be a good parent. And He puts me back in synch.  

Before the Altar

 God has always loved me and blessed me even though I was not brought up in the church because of His love for me, maybe not more than others He loves but certainly as much. He showed me tremendous love before I became a Christian, molding and making me believe that He and He alone was my guide, and after becoming and accepting Jesus, as Esther 2:17 says He calls me His princess as Esther was called queen because of tremendous favor that had come upon her with the King. I like to think of that as in the hymn, “...and exchange it some day for a crown” because I cherish Him so much. How much do I love God? Do I love Him enough to give up all my idols? (Mark 10:21) He is willing to take that chance.