“’But we are descendants of Abraham,’ they said. ‘We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, “You will set us free”?’ Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.’” (John 8:33-34 NLT)
When I first began to walk with the Lord I didn’t know how not to sin. I hadn’t yet learned how grievous my sin was to my heavenly Father, how offensive my thoughts, words, attitudes, as well as my behavior, were to God. Today, I have no excuse.
We had company from out of town a few weeks ago and we were sitting in our family room talking when someone rang the doorbell. Instinctively I jumped up to see who it was, and when I opened the door there were two young women with clipboards standing there. I assumed they were wanting to sell me something and I wanted to get back to my company, so I brushed them off in a not so kind way.
Before I even got back in the house the Lord said: “What was THAT about? Don’t you realize I sent them to your door so you could be kind to them and treat them in a manner that is worthy of a child of God? Do you not realize they bear My image and when you’re offensive to them you’re offensive to Me?”
BUSTED! Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: “The nearer a man gets to God, the greater he sees his sin.” The longer I serve Jesus the less tolerable I am of my own sin. My sin grieves my heart and damages my effectiveness for the Lord. Later I went looking for those young women but couldn’t find them. What if they were having a bad day and someone who was kind to them could have changed everything for them?
Fellow Jesus followers, we mustn’t let ourselves off the proverbial hook, especially when we mistreat another human being. A friend of mine who was in law enforcement much of his adult life told me about a time he went into a biker bar looking for a suspect in a crime. He was counting on his partner to come in the front as he entered from the rear, but his partner didn’t come in.
As a result, my friend took a severe beating. I asked him why he didn’t pull his gun to defend himself, and he told me he would rather take a beating than risk having to take another person’s life. Some would say he did the wrong thing, but to me he’s a hero.
In my mind we’re much too prone to “defend ourselves” rather than risk, not only bodily harm, but criticism, especially on social media. We’re so much more “self-focused” than Jesus-focused, and it shows in more ways than we realize. The grace of God becomes our excuse for misbehaving rather than the catalyst that turns our heart and mind from sin.
Sometimes I view the Cross of Christ and I loathe the fact my sin put Jesus there. In this season of my life, I cannot be casual with sin. It’s my lethal enemy and to take my sin lightly is to slap my Savior in His face. It’s to ignore the price my sin cost Him and to forget the price it would have cost me had He not been willing to die in my place.
Child of God, please saturate your heart, mind, and spirit in the truths of Scripture, so much so, that as every word flows from our mouth, Jesus is honored and not dishonored by our offensive lack of respect for His glorious Name. Remember Jesus’ instruction as we pray: “Father, may Your name be kept holy.” These are not words to pray in a hurried way, then forgotten, but an attitude of our heart that seeks to magnify Jesus with our every breath.
Would you allow your young child to speak to you disrespectfully? Why do we think it’s okay to live disrespectfully before the King of kings and Lord of lords? It’s absolutely not!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 