Heart Tracks - Caressing Sin

"But He was pierced for out transgressions, He was crushed for our inequities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5......."Savior, am I caressing anything You were crucified for?" Alicia Britt Chole

Not too long ago one of the presidential candidates made the statement that he didn't believe there was anything he needed to ask forgiveness for. Much was made of that, particularly in the professing Church, but really, why would we be surprised at the answer? Isn't that really the spirit of the age? Worse, hasn't that same spirit seduced a large part of that church? Even a number of those outraged at the candidate?

I read an outstanding article recently that talked of why the candidate is enjoying great appeal from a strong segment of the Church. In a nutshell, the writer said that he was merely appealing to what our "loves" really are; power, money, material things, and above all, pride. Now, I neither condemn or endorse this man. But we cannot be so deluded as to not see how, on both sides of the so called "aisle," candidates are appealing to the base desires of people. And the people are responding...in large numbers. On both the right and the left, our loves, our idols, are being catered to, and we're giving the caterer our "business." There is nothing new about this. Israel and Judah sought to have kings and priests like themselves and the Father allowed them to have them. I think He's allowing us to have them as well. Not only in government, but in the Church too. We are not lacking for rock star politicians or preachers.

With all that said, and in the very real truth of it all, do we truly have a sense of need as the Church, to both repent, and to be forgiven? Or, have we made an idol even of His grace and forgiveness, and now use them as a means to give us license to be spiritually irresponsible people? We are forgiven in Christ, but have we become so desensitized to Him that we no longer have any concept of what that forgiveness cost....both He and the Father? Chole writes, "This is not a simplistic call to stop sinning. No, this is a sincere call for us to start loving Jesus to a degree that compels us to walk away from sin where we can and get help where we cannot." The old hymn goes, "Such love, such wondrous love....that God should love a sinner such as I." We preach, talk, write and sing a lot about His love for us. Where, really, does our love for Him show forth? How much sin do we caress, accept into our lives, and have no real problem with because, after all, we're saved by grace? He was wounded for our transgressions. How can we go on wounding Him by willfully continuing in them?

May we enter into a love for Him so deep that we cannot bear the thought of wounding Him in any way. We're imperfect people, and we will fail Him, but for those whose hearts are set on Him, these failures will grieve us as they grieve Him. They will also cause us to run into His arms and heart for the healing and wholeness we must have. Such love He has for us. Such love we must give to Him.

Blessings,
Pastor O