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10 Exercises to Stay Spiritually Fit
20 Scriptures That Bring Hope to Any Situation
5 Ways to Revive Your Dream!
7 Ways to Plant Seeds of Greatness in Your Life
20 Powerful Declarations to Fight Discouragement
5 Ways to Stay Healthy This Summer
5 Tips for Better Sleep
7 Top Health Issues Facing Today’s Women
Celebrities Who Won't Back Down
Words of Wisdom from Dr Joyce Brothers
A Conversation with Minnesota Wild Center Matt Cullen
Yes, Gratitude Works!
10 Ways to To Handle Life Changes With Courage
The Fruits of Desire
Nurturing a Healthy Marriage
10 Ways to Get Over a Hurtful Past
Ten Things Every Dad Should Tell His Son
A Disturbance in the Force
There are a lot of reasons to stay clear of sin. Author and speaker, Gary Thomas gives one of the most compelling.
"Sin creates massive disturbance in our lives; holiness brings peace."
Sin creates a disturbance in the force. The natural flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives is disrupted. Usually not by God but by us. God in his mercy is willing to work in and through sinful vessels, the problem is that sinful vessels rarely allow him to do so. When we are focused on sin or sinning we are in a place that makes it difficult to receive God’s grace. It’s because we can’t believe that God would desire to use us.
This weekend at CCC we will partake of the Lord’s Table together. It is a time of confession, repentance and willingness to face our sin. It is a time of facing the disturbances we have allowed in our lives that are limiting our ability to walk in grace. However, it must be more than that. I once heard it said that there is no difference between the person focused on sinning and the person focused on not sinning: Neither is focused on Christ!
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame; and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12.2
Pax vobiscum ("Peace be with you")
robert
posted July 5, 2007 at 1:09 am
Indeed. To focus on Christ is life in the midst of death. Romans 6 affirms that our orientation is no longer to sin and death, but to God and life. Problem is we don’t focus enough on that which Christ has accomplished for us.
posted July 6, 2007 at 9:34 am
True. It’s like the one focused on sinning and the one freaked out over not sinning, as I so often do, are like two sides to the same coin. They both have a relationship with God that is hurting. The one who is obsessed with not sinning is living in fear–of God’s wrath, of shame, of guilt. This is often the case with the one who is focused on sinning as well.
I wonder if sometimes the reason we end up focusing on ourselves is that, in trying to focus on Jesus, we somehow give ourselves a false picture of who He is–a vengeful maniac, a passive power.
The cool thing about the cross is that it doesn’t deny His holiness–it’s the perfect demonstration of that holiness–but it’s the perfect, amazing representation of His love as well.
posted July 15, 2007 at 3:21 pm
This is a good post. I caught wind of this blog from elsewhere. I enjoy jazz, I like your handle. BTW I’m the soul theologian! Although I haven’t related my posts to the music, but it’s a refreshing thought. Keep up the good post man!