Category: Christian Living

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Christian Living

Needing a Redo. Does God allow us to start over?

There are times we all mess up and wish we could get a redo. A word we’ve spoken that we wish we could unsay. A decision we’ve made where we wish we could yell “Mulligan” and take a second shot. We wish an undo button existed.a photo of an undo button from a computer reminding us of our desire of a redo

That’s one of the reasons that I like reading about the Nazarite Vow and how God allowed for starting over – getting a redo!

The Old Testament book of Numbers gives information about the Nazarite Vow. Typically, the Nazarite Vow was a voluntary vow that a person took for a limited amount of time. During the vow, the person could not drink wine and could not be in the presence of anything dead. After the vow was completed, the person was again able to drink wine and take part in funerals.

But what if you had made a Nazarite vow, and you ended up accidentally encountering something dead before you completed the vow? What if you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that caused your important vow to be broken unintentionally. What a waste! But maybe God gave a chance for a redo?

Numbers 6:9 indicates that if a person in your presence suddenly died, which would unintentionally break your Nazarite vow, that you were then to shave off your hair and start over. This new beginning allowed you another opportunity to fulfill the vow you had made to the Lord.

While we don’t still take Nazarite vows, the reason I point this out is that I am so glad God gives us the chance to start over – to get that redo! (In fact, with God we get multiple redos!)

Warren Wiersbe says it this way

“Believers today need to realize that no failure need be permanent!”

And Pastor Alexander Whyte from the 1800s said:

“The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”

photo of newly sprouted plantI’m so glad that our failures are not permanent and that God gives us new beginnings. Here’s a prayer for all of us who are grateful for redos today:

“Thank you Jesus for the chance to start over, for the truth that no failure needs to be permanent, and that each day with You is a new beginning!”

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Unconfessed Sin. Unintentional Sin. Unknown Sin. Is this a big deal?

Is it possible we could sin and not know it? Possible to have unconfessed sin in our lives? And if so, what would that mean? As we read God’s Word, we find that He is serious about sin. And because He is, we sometimes get worried about our own possibility of some sin we may be unaware of.

a photo of a person with a cartoon sad face - pointing to our fear about unconfessed sinLet’s start by thinking about unintentional sin. Sins that I committed that I didn’t mean to, and maybe didn’t even know about. Does God care? Well in that somewhat difficult third book of the Bible – Leviticus – we discover that God gives instructions on this issue. In Leviticus 4:2, God says, “When anyone sins unintentionally…”

The passage points out that it is possible to sin unintentionally and that we can even sin without knowing we have done so. That is because God’s will does not change, even when we are unaware of it. But this is also true in our own families. Parents have wishes that their kids might not know about, and kids could violate those wishes unintentionally. We can do the same with God’s commands.

But to help the people not be overly concerned about it, God tells them that if they sin unintentionally, but later realize it, that they were simply to make amends through the proper offering at the moment they realized their error. That’s good news. God isn’t looking for ways to punish us. He’s looking for ways to forgive us!

I’m glad He pointed out to them that if they discovered unintentional or unconfessed sin, there was a way to deal with it. In the same way, if I didn’t know I had hurt your feelings, but later discover the truth that you were upset with me about something I’d done, the right thing for me to do is to apologize to you the moment I realize my error. We should do the same with God.

This section of Leviticus also reminds us that ignorance is no excuse. For capable, intelligent adults, if we violate the Word of God even in ignorance, our guilt remains. But before we say “that’s not fair,” we can look at how things work the same way in our world.

Just because I’m unaware of a rule doesn’t mean I can’t be punished for it. If you fail to pay attention to the Speed Limit sign, you can still get pulled over and get a ticket when you exceed that number. Your ignorance of the speed limit does not change the fact that you are guilty of breaking the speed limit.speed limit 25mph sign - reminding us that ignorance of the limit will not keep you from getting a ticket

God expects us to know how to live in a way that pleases and honors Him. He has given us the Bible to help us. God the Holy Spirit resides within us to guide us. And we are responsible to repent of our specific sins once we become aware of them.

So don’t let this frighten you as if you might be condemned for unconfessed sin. Don’t let this lead you into thinking that God is looking for any opportunity to pounce on you with condemnation. Providing a way to deal with these sins through an offering points out that God desires to forgive more than to punish!

These commands point out that God gave His people ways to reconnect with Him anytime they realized they had sinned, even if the sin was in the past. God doesn’t want us living in fear of Him. God loves you and wants you to have a deep relationship with Him, and He does all He can to keep our relationship with Him strong and healthy.

Remember – Jesus died on the cross for all your sin – past, present, and future! God has taken care of the ultimate penalty for our sins through the death of Jesus. So if you have made Jesus Lord and Savior, then your unconfessed sin does not condemn you in any way.

Take a moment to thank God that Jesus’ death on the cross took care of atoning for all of your sins – past, present, and future. And thank Him that by confessing Jesus as Lord of your life, that He has become your Rescuer, Redeemer, and Savior.

And if, when you read God’s Word and listen to the Holy Spirit, He points out any attitudes, thoughts, or behaviors that you previously didn’t realize were sins, commit to repairing any damage done by those sins, and work toward refraining from those sins in the future. Remember that all of God’s commands are for your good – to bring blessing into your life. He isn’t a divine ogre looking to squash us, He is a loving Father looking to forgive us and bless us!the word forgiveness spelled out in the sand

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Waiting on the Lord can be Scary. You need the Faith of Moses.

Yes, waiting on the Lord to come through can be a time of anxiety and fear. But do not worry – He always answers. (Though His answer and timing will not always be just what we were expecting.)a photo of an old clock reminding us of waiting

In Exodus, we find that Moses led the people out of Egypt. But Pharaoh determined that He would not allow his slave labor to slip out of his hands so easily. So he gathered up his army and pursued the people.

It is not clear whether God had shared with Moses how He would rescue the people, but even before it occurred, Moses trusted that God would keep His word.

Here is part of the story from Exodus 14:

The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his horsemen, and his army—chased after them and caught up with them as they camped by the sea.

The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Even though the people had recently seen ten amazing miracles of God’s remarkable power, they are now unwilling to trust that God could keep His promise of rescue. They had hoped that God would come through, but they are now doubting that He will.photo of lifesaving float that is used for rescuing those in trouble

Moses spoke up showing his faith, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you….”

And in the next moments, God parts the Red Sea, lets the Israelites escape, and destroys Pharaoh and his army.

But that’s how God took care of the Israelites more than 3000 years ago. What about my waiting on God today? Can I trust Him to come through for me with my problems and worries?

God has promised that He is with me. And therefore He tells me that I do not have to fear. So why is it that I still doubt? Why am I so similar to the fearful Israelites, when God has been faithful to take care of me through so many difficult situations in the past?

A Prayer for us today: “God, forgive me when I worry. Give me the faith of Moses, so that even before You show Your might and power, that I trust in You and in Your amazing ability to take care of my every need. Help me to be faithful, even while I am waiting on Your answer. Amen.”

What has helped you maintain faith (and eliminate worry) while you were waiting on God’s answer to come?

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Being a Light-Bearer for Jesus – Creating Holes in the Darkness

In preparing for a message on God’s light, I ran across this illustration of what it means to be a light-bearer for Christ:

Years ago, a traveler arrived at a village in France on Sunday evening, and found people hurrying through the streets, each carrying a similar looking lamp. As they walked through the streets with these lamps, little pockets of light were poking holes in the darkness.

The traveler stopped someone to ask where they were all going with these lamps and was told, “We have no other way of lighting our church. When the church was built, it was decided that each member should bring his own lamp. Everyone goes there to make it brighter, for he knows that if he stays away, the church will be darker and the service sadder.”

So the traveler followed the people and entered the church, and he saw that on every pew there was a place to hang a lamp; and as the church began filling, what began as individual little pockets of light, slightly piercing the darkness, became a building filled with light by the many lamps brought together to overcome the darkness.

a lantern - reminding you to be a light-bearer for ChristWe are called to do the same today. Jesus calls us the “light of the world,” and as a light-bearer, you carry the light of Christ within you. As a light-bearer, you poke a hole in the darkness individually when you are out in the world. But each of us are also called to bring our individual lights together as the church to make an even larger impact on the world around us as we bring glory to God and overcome the darkness with His Light.

God tells us that people love darkness rather than light. Without Jesus, our hearts are black, bound to sin, with no light within us. But Jesus wants you to receive His light and be transformed. What have you done with His light?

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Jesus’s light helps us navigate through this dark world – His light helps you find a way through the treacherous paths that Satan and this sin-filled world have placed in front of you.a photo of lampposts in fog reminding us to be a light-bearer for Christ

Have you allowed God’s light to help you on your life journey? Are you sharing His light with others to help light their way? Or have you walked into danger and difficulty, because you were unwilling to accept His light?

Jesus – the Light of men – want to share His light with you today – the light that pierces the darkness, the light that will show you the path to His righteousness and allow you to be a light-bearer for Him. Let His Word and the Holy Spirit be your light, and then bring your light together with other light-bearers – to be even more effective at poking holes in the darkness and pointing people back to Jesus.photo of many lamps together - reminding us to come together as light-bearers for Christ

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Hypocrisy is dangerous. Instead let’s help each other with compassion.

Hypocrisy is a common theme in the Bible. Jesus makes several statements about hypocrisy against the Pharisees. But one of the most well-known statements He gives is from the Sermon on the Mount. And it is for all of us:

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

photo of finger pointing at you, symbolizing hypocrisy

We are operating out of hypocritical judgment when we condemn others who make the same mistake that we struggle with. And this is what Jesus is calling us to avoid. It is not a new struggle. We find hypocrisy readily available in the first book of the Bible.

I’m always amazed at the hypocrisy in the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38. In that passage we are clearly shown how easily we can become unrighteously angry over another person’s sin even though we are in the midst of our own similar sin. Judah is incredulous over the sin of Tamar when he finds out that she has slept with someone to whom she is not married. He is infuriated at her unfaithfulness.

But just like Judah, we can become so good at judging others for their sin, while finding plenty of reasons to justify our own. Instead of having compassion for another person who has fallen into the trap of sin, we cover up our own sin and bluster on about how bad theirs is.

 

statue of lady justice - reminding us to not judge with hypocrisy

We also see king David do this when the prophet Nathan confronted him with the story of the man whose precious lamb was killed unfairly. David was outraged that a person in his kingdom would treat another person so terribly to gain something that wasn’t his. And yet David had just done the very thing by taking the life of Uriah to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. Hypocrisy.

Now back to Judah. Judah was infuriated to hear that his widowed daughter-in-law Tamar had become pregnant. Little did he know that he was the one that had gotten her pregnant. While on a business trip, he had met and slept with a woman he thought was a prostitute. But it was actually Tamar in disguise. When he got ready to have her killed for her unfaithfulness, she showed him the articles that he had left with her, thus pointing out to him his own unfaithfulness. His outrage turned to shame. Due to his own hypocrisy.

Before we get too incredulous at these extreme examples, let’s realize that we also struggle with engaging in hypocrisy. We do this when we struggle with our own impure thoughts, but condemn others for their sexual sin when their sin is made public. We do this when we struggle with our own covetousness and greed, but condemn others when their sin of greed is made public. We so often complain loudly about the splinter in others’ eyes when we have a log in ours.

Certainly we who follow Christ have the right and a responsibility to hold each other accountable for sin, but let’s be sure that we are also examining ourselves and that we are avoiding harsh judgment toward others. We are called to be compassionate in our accountability, realizing that we are all sinners saved by grace.image of one person helping another up a mountain - no hypocrisy, only help

Do you need to remove any judgmental thoughts or any unrighteous condemnation from your life? We all still struggle with sin. Instead of condemning each other for it, let’s work to lovingly help each other out of it.

I’ll help you. I hope you will also help me.

Father God,

Thank you for Christian brothers and sisters who love one another so much that instead of condemning each other for sin, we are trying to find ways to help each other out. When the battle gets too strong for each of us on our own, give us hearts of compassion to run to the aid of each other without judgment and condemnation.

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