One amazing thing about God is the fact that he meets all people where they are. He knows what each person needs individually and he knows how to meet their needs. He has different names and attributes that can comfort any person in any situation.
William Bridge, in his book “A Lifting Up for the Downcast”, says it like this: “Are you accused by Satan, the world, or your own conscience? Christ is called your Advocate. Are you ignorant? He is called the Prophet. Are you guilty of sin? He is called a Priest, a High Priest. Are you afflicted with many enemies, inward and outward? He is called a King, and King of kings. Are you in straits? He is called your way. Are you hungry or thirsty? He is called Bread and Water of Life. Are you afraid you shall fall away, and be condemned at the last? He is our second Adam, a public person, in whose death we died, and in whose satisfaction we satisfied justice. As there is no temptation or affliction, but some promise or other especially suits it: so there is no condition, but some name, some title, some attribute of Christ especially suits it.”
So often, when we are discouraged or downcast, it is because we focus on our conditions and circumstances instead of that which does not change, namely Christ and his promises. We never want to pretend that hard times don’t exist, that simply isn’t true; but we do want to cling to what does not sway with our ever-changing conditions. If Christ is unmovable, if he is unchangeable, if he is the same yesterday, today and forever (as Scripture says in Hebrews 13:8), then he is the rock we must build our lives upon. We must not build upon the sand, which shifts with the tides.
When you find yourself discouraged, remind yourself that you have no need to be, for Jesus is our all in all, our everything in every situation.
As the Puritan said, there is a name, an attribute of God for any condition you find yourself in that will give you comfort and peace. Do not be content in your discouragement, but seek out the encouragement God has for you in that time.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Killing Sin with Christ
God’s grace is truly an amazing thing. Right when one thinks they understand it, a new aspect of grace is revealed; like a cavern with an endless amount of connected caves and rooms is God’s grace.
Grace goes beyond the past: it covers the present and future as well. Grace doesn’t only cover our past sins, but also the ones we commit in the present as well as those committed in the future. Throughout all of eternity. God will be lavishing his grace on all those who have faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:7).
But how often do we act like we have only been forgiven for what we have done in the past? We act like we have to live perfectly, from the day we got saved forward, in order to maintain God’s favor.
William Bridge, in his book “A Lifting Up for the Downcast”, talks about how we so often have a mentality of needing to be clean before coming to Christ. We think that we need to deal with our sin in order to come to Jesus. “When you go to mourn for sin, begin aloft with Christ: and do not always think to begin below with sin, and so to come up to Christ; but begin aloft with Christ, and so by your humiliation, fall down upon sin.” In other words, the way to deal with sin is by coming to Christ first. There is no real way to mortify our sin but by the power of Christ through his Holy Spirit. We do not earn grace; we receive grace for no merit of our own, and from there we deal with sin.
If we try to deal with our sin first, we will ultimately fail. Even if we have temporary victories, all that will do is puff us up and cause great pride to develop in our hearts. Later, when we fail at killing sin, we will become discouraged and depressed. Bridge says, “There is many a poor soul that hath said, I will be first humbled for my sin, and then I will go to Christ; but he has stuck so long in the legal work, that he has never come at Christ.”
What a sad person, he who tries to attain peace with God by dealing with sin apart from Christ! He gets so stuck on the killing of sin, which won’t actually happen, that he never even gets to Christ. No ultimate good can come from trying to kill our sin apart from receiving grace first. How can we try to come to Jesus unless we have first received his grace? It cannot happen. Grace comes and grace stays. Grace justifies and grace kills our sin. Grace will have the last word for all those who have faith in Jesus and his work of salvation.
Be encouraged, that though you give into sin, it’s not something Jesus has not already forgiven. Walk in the grace God has given and will give you, and from there kill your sin.
Grace goes beyond the past: it covers the present and future as well. Grace doesn’t only cover our past sins, but also the ones we commit in the present as well as those committed in the future. Throughout all of eternity. God will be lavishing his grace on all those who have faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:7).
But how often do we act like we have only been forgiven for what we have done in the past? We act like we have to live perfectly, from the day we got saved forward, in order to maintain God’s favor.
William Bridge, in his book “A Lifting Up for the Downcast”, talks about how we so often have a mentality of needing to be clean before coming to Christ. We think that we need to deal with our sin in order to come to Jesus. “When you go to mourn for sin, begin aloft with Christ: and do not always think to begin below with sin, and so to come up to Christ; but begin aloft with Christ, and so by your humiliation, fall down upon sin.” In other words, the way to deal with sin is by coming to Christ first. There is no real way to mortify our sin but by the power of Christ through his Holy Spirit. We do not earn grace; we receive grace for no merit of our own, and from there we deal with sin.
If we try to deal with our sin first, we will ultimately fail. Even if we have temporary victories, all that will do is puff us up and cause great pride to develop in our hearts. Later, when we fail at killing sin, we will become discouraged and depressed. Bridge says, “There is many a poor soul that hath said, I will be first humbled for my sin, and then I will go to Christ; but he has stuck so long in the legal work, that he has never come at Christ.”
What a sad person, he who tries to attain peace with God by dealing with sin apart from Christ! He gets so stuck on the killing of sin, which won’t actually happen, that he never even gets to Christ. No ultimate good can come from trying to kill our sin apart from receiving grace first. How can we try to come to Jesus unless we have first received his grace? It cannot happen. Grace comes and grace stays. Grace justifies and grace kills our sin. Grace will have the last word for all those who have faith in Jesus and his work of salvation.
Be encouraged, that though you give into sin, it’s not something Jesus has not already forgiven. Walk in the grace God has given and will give you, and from there kill your sin.
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