Category Archives: Religious Calling

When Forgiveness Stinks

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Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”Matthew 18

Forgiveness sometime stinks. Upon forgiveness we lose our perceived position of power and right of retaliation upon the offending party. We must lay our club down. We become disarmed. Peace treaties are signed and enacted and if we violate these treaties, we exchange positions and are in need of forgiveness. Risk is inherent in these gnarly relational intrigues. Power over the offender by withholding forgiveness was illusionary anyway… what were we thinking? That we somehow were different or better?

Forgiveness of serial offenders is obligatory when the “forgivor” is faced with legitimate repentance of the “forgivee”. We commonly forgive that chap closest to us multiple times daily… we forgive ourselves and go on and forget our transgression, and life is restored until our next sin and repentance. (#CSLewis)

To not forgive is inexcusable and off the table. Am I in the place of God? This does not nullify a potential change, even a relational change. (“I’ve got my eye on you…”) Serial forgiveness of a serial repenter does not imply my assumption or obligation of a lowly victim status. It is not grace nor graceful to enable an abuser by my becoming a serially abused person. The victor or innocent one in these repetitious fracases can easily morph into the victim status; there is but an ill-defined, short distance and few steps from the doorway to doormat. Doesn’t God in Christ offer options of expectations? If you repent then you are saying “God did something in me and to me. It is no longer I, but now the new me!”

Consequential loss of privilege may be required. A pastor who betrays his congregants in a gross or public way, or by serial blunders, is not worthy of his calling even when forgiven. He needs go get a real job in a real secular world as Moses in Midian, show faithfulness, (practice humility and repentance with the sheep as another dumb sheep and not as a shepherd), then wait upon the Lord with an eye out for a burning bush. Then only with a reluctant dragging should one draw near the pulpit again. 

“Forgiveness is one of the easiest things we might do once we have finally done it. It is much like riding a bike, once accomplished we never forget how to ride and we wonder why it was ever so difficult.” Lewis paraphrase

“Forgive and you shall be forgiven.”
Jesus

“To err is human, to forgive is divine.” (Someone) 

“Yada Yada” we all said…

Dancing from Sin to Joy

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“O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, 
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.”
Psalms 90:14-15 (NASB)

    
The Psalmist indicates there exists an increased capacity for the children of God to know joy and gladness proportional to the degree of depravity which they have experienced. We need to understand that evil originates not only from our own personal cultivation, but also from the afflictions dumped upon us by the boneheads of the world, and unfortunately the church. Once the process is recognized we also experience God engage us with the law of the harvest principle. (Sowing & Reaping) Therein He releases the Kracken of sorts and unleashes the consequential results of doing stupid and coloring outside the lines. Oh glorious day! Did you so naively think God was going to “free-pass” you on that deal from the other day, or year? Grace abounds, yes and SUPER ABOUNDS in the presence of great perverted persistent blasphemy. (Paul always viewed himself as unworthy of being an apostle for his blasphemy, but God drowned his humility with glory and sovereign purpose). This principle is aptly illustrated in the New Testament to Simon the Pharisee by Jesus as the “woman who was a sinner” tended the Lord’s needs by washing His feet. The Lord’s praise of her was bestowed freely for her devotion to the King who was her friend as she demonstrated a penitent life.

Your rank rebellion and persistent failure are observable with devastating clarity by a purposeful glance in the rear view mirror of life. Therein lies the fertilizer that can actually become the rich soil of repentant tribulation whereby one springs heavenward and toward real life hidden with Christ in God. Never disqualify yourself as one who perpetually struggles with sin. Our badge of honor is that we are the walking wounded who have discovered a safer path of submissive obedience by way of Calvary. The call is to the death. One is more likely closer to ἀδόκιμοϛ (disqualification or rejection) for ignorance of sin or indifference to secret sin that remains unchecked rather than staying fitfully engaged in the conflict against nagging weights that we daily strive with. Did you really entertain the notion that sin’s aggravation would cease this side of glory? Sinless perfection in the flesh is blind presumption in the heart.

Joy in Jesus, quite frankly, is expanded to potentially greater horizons by the more profound pedigree of sinfulness we display. Pedigree implies past to me. History. From whence did we arise by grace? Grace multiplied by great sin is no excuse to continue frolicking with our innate pagan desires. They must perish! He calls us to glory not earthy or fleshy depravity. Glory embraces joy in pleasure rightly embraced, openly and in His presence alone. Now He is the glorious Savior of sinners and He is called Jesus, for such He came “to save His people from their sin.” Salvation from sin is not simply a satisfaction of guilt but a lifeline of rescue to each of us without exception from the power and pollution of sin. The old nonsense of, “Yeah, but I am different, I can’t escape my love of sin” is BravoSierra. It is a logical fallacy to think we can live for self if we call upon Christ as Lord. This is a twisted form of cross-less Christianity. 

If you have years of evil that are legitimately accredited to your transcript of sin, HOPE in GOD, for greater grace abounds toward you and upon you in Him. “Those who are forgiven much love much.” The morning of joy and sunlight celebration only come as the darkness of night flees His presence and glory. We celebrate the Son’s coming, not the persistence of darkness. None of us arrive at the wicket gate nor the gates of the Cellestial City unscathed. If He bore in His body the marks of His passion how can we differ?

Dance for Jesus today, this day! We have cause to hope, for grace is greater than all our sin! Don’t be blindly ignorant as the context of this Psalm speaks of a stiff-hearted, rebellious and unrepentant generation of sinners content to reject the call of God. God is not opposed to bumping off the rebellious as He did that generation in the wilderness wanderings. I guess He is patient toward me and you, though. We are still here… Let’s not presume upon His grace. If His kindness leads to repentance, where might our rejection of His kindness lead? He call us. He calls you. He calls me to a better more stable ground of no condemnation in the Son. Walk that way this day… by faith that sees the One who loves us so. 

The Divine Designer’s Treasure Trove Entrusted to Flawed, Dusty Earthen-Ware Vessels

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2 Corinthians 4:7

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves…”

I am ever so aware of my earthiness. Ten thousands of witnesses who know me can testify the same. Earthiness is merely a sophisticated human way to say “we are but dust and to dust we return.” And if this is so I see an argument for eternal God: That He is. Dust lacks creative capacity apart from a visitation, an intervention of the Outside into the inside. Otherwise dust doesn’t do much but cause sneezes and sniffles, and dry irritated eyes. It hangs out in inconvenient places and gets stirred up at the least breeze. Apart from divine glory acting it remains innately of no estimable value.

Though we know we are dust and it is to dust we return, natural man glories in his dustiness. Most are therein content. In contrast the shameful reality of our earthiness is to be embraced via repentance as cause to glorify God, and not man who drifts lower… the dust that he is. God made us and crowned us with life and glory as image-bearers of God. Our distinctive earthiness argues this in honest comparison to other creatures of dust created but none suitable as replicas of the Almighty. It is rumored that He has made us but just lower than God.

God is the One who delights in bestowal of transforming power upon and through the ordinary microbes of assimilated dust. Common dust becomes extraordinary stuff by calling and association with greater purpose. Our union with God is extraordinary. This redemptive union is remarkable. The gospel is His particular word and power unto the remolding of the common into treasure vessels to hold the catch of the ages, the Glory itself.

Earthy wares are always flawed. They are common. They lack luster and are rather dull when viewed in their natural habitat. They must be raised up. Brought near Light. Imperfections appear. Restoration requisitioned. Repairs must begin. Purpose bestowed. All those who meticulously peruse their surface still see cracks and fault lines, and those who look more intently may notice rough imperfect areas even within the inward regions that touch the treasure catch itself.

God is never hindered with preexisting flawed earth-wares. He embraces ordinary as the skilled Potter renown to refashion a story. He reveals glory. He bestows glory. Dust and flesh never share intrinsic glory, nor can they steal Creator’s glory; but they by design receive and reflect what is rightfully His alone.

If God gives no pause and declares He shall never cease His labor upon the earthy, why should the earthy cease their labor on behalf of the Heavenly irrespective to faults? Even so this offers no comforting excuse to remain a cracked cistern leaking refuse from revealed imperfections. The revelation of the reality of the earthy is grace-calculated to produce gospel drive to be cleansed as a vessel, fit for honor in the Master’s hand for glory… containers refashioned into the Master’s Treasure store.

Our greatness is correlated only to His power demonstrated upon our earthiness… our inherent, persistent weaknesses that bring Him glory as in His rescue as He entrusts the extraordinary Treasure for safekeeping and distribution by living dust who finally begin to see and touch glory and know life eternal.