Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Sin and restoration...
Christians sin. And it is sometimes ugly. Jobs are lost, families are torn apart, people are hurt, and the church is damaged. Many times these people quit the faith, but some don't. They are restored. Forgiveness occurs. Families are reunited and the church is blessed again by their lives and witness. Why do some make it back while others never seem to be able to change?
We generally wonder how a committed Christian can get so deeply into sin. We seem surprised, shocked, offended. But looking at my own life, and after working with lots of faithful Christians who find themselves caught up in sin -- I am increasingly convinced that there are things that pull a Christian back from the edge of hell. People that have these things in a real way in their life are restored. People that don't, have a hard time changing.
So here are those resources you have in your life. You either have, are, or will be, in a deep sin struggle. Use these resources to help you be healed.
Holy Spirit. Romans 8 tells us to put to death the misdeeds of the body by the power of the Spirit. You can't be strong enough, love enough, or work hard enough to do this by yourself. We have the Holy Spirit. We don't often ask for the Spirit's power to kill the evil in us.
Community. We need real fellowship. People who love us. People who will do anything to heal us. People who model forgiveness. People we can share the ugliness with. Yes, there are some "church people" who are judgmental, harsh, and unloving. I pray they have community to help them overcome their sin. but there are many more of us out there who are committed to pick up the fallen and journey with them.
God's Word. God's Word does work in your life like a powerful sword. It's truths can become a part of you. It will convict you, guide you, restore you.
There are other things important to restoration: repentance, confession, accountability. But the three above are resources you have in your life. They will help you be what you want to be. And when you are not what you want to be, they will help bring you back.
So cultivate them, use them, make them part of your life. In good times and bad. They will help you do what you could not do on your own.
We generally wonder how a committed Christian can get so deeply into sin. We seem surprised, shocked, offended. But looking at my own life, and after working with lots of faithful Christians who find themselves caught up in sin -- I am increasingly convinced that there are things that pull a Christian back from the edge of hell. People that have these things in a real way in their life are restored. People that don't, have a hard time changing.
So here are those resources you have in your life. You either have, are, or will be, in a deep sin struggle. Use these resources to help you be healed.
Holy Spirit. Romans 8 tells us to put to death the misdeeds of the body by the power of the Spirit. You can't be strong enough, love enough, or work hard enough to do this by yourself. We have the Holy Spirit. We don't often ask for the Spirit's power to kill the evil in us.
Community. We need real fellowship. People who love us. People who will do anything to heal us. People who model forgiveness. People we can share the ugliness with. Yes, there are some "church people" who are judgmental, harsh, and unloving. I pray they have community to help them overcome their sin. but there are many more of us out there who are committed to pick up the fallen and journey with them.
God's Word. God's Word does work in your life like a powerful sword. It's truths can become a part of you. It will convict you, guide you, restore you.
There are other things important to restoration: repentance, confession, accountability. But the three above are resources you have in your life. They will help you be what you want to be. And when you are not what you want to be, they will help bring you back.
So cultivate them, use them, make them part of your life. In good times and bad. They will help you do what you could not do on your own.
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The first retreat I went to as a SoHills member, Beverly Ross spoke at, and she has become a dear friend and mentor. Besides that, she said a phrase at that retreat that I have quoted OFTEN due to its boundless wisdom:
Prepare in the light for when the darkness comes.
'Cause if you aren't in the middle of a struggle, you will be, or you'll be so close to someone who is you'll be mopping up their blood, sweat, and tears through the struggle.
Prepare in the light for when the darkness comes.
Find community, be sure they are in place for you, know how to hear the Spirit's nudging, and wallpaper your heart and your mind with His word. Whether in the midst of the struggle or preparing for the darkness, all grand plan.
Prepare in the light for when the darkness comes.
'Cause if you aren't in the middle of a struggle, you will be, or you'll be so close to someone who is you'll be mopping up their blood, sweat, and tears through the struggle.
Prepare in the light for when the darkness comes.
Find community, be sure they are in place for you, know how to hear the Spirit's nudging, and wallpaper your heart and your mind with His word. Whether in the midst of the struggle or preparing for the darkness, all grand plan.
Good stuff. And well said -- or quoted. You should be sharing this too. Blessings on your writing and speaking ministry.
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