V GENUINE MOTIV TION DEC
2010
YOUNG CHRISTIAN MAN
GOD IS LOVE, NOT VICE VERSA SPIRITUAL
DIMENSIONS OF SEX
PUTTING pride IN A HALF-NELSON
P. 4
BE CHRISTMAS TO THE WORLD!
YOUNG CHRISTIAN MAN 04
Feature Article: How to Be Christmas to the World
08
On The Couch: God is Love, not Vice Versa
10
Can You Relate: Spiritual Dimensions of Sex
12
May God Bless the Hell Out of You: Home
14
Press On: Wrestling with Pride
16
Pest Control for your Sins: It’s Not You
16
The Toolbox: Coming Attractions
STEVE BROWN
Randy kosloski
thom mollohan
The Merry Monk will dole
ROBERT BEAMES
Jeffrey Bridgman
a publication of On My Own now Ministries
www.onmyownnow.com
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DECEMBER2010 Editor In Chief / Rob Beames Art + Creative Director / MIKE MURO & DANIELA BERMĂšDEZ
HOW TO BE CHRISTMAS TO THE WORLD
9
GM : 04
BY STEVE BROWN
As you may know, most of my life I’ve been a Scrooge about Christmas. While I still sometimes struggle with that, I am a lot better. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m growing in Christ, maybe my wife’s Christmas spirit is transforming me or it could be that I’m no longer a pastor with all the work a pastor has to do at Christmas.
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
However, I think the real reason I’m a bit more into Christmas is that God has been teaching me that I don’t have to be so much in control. Actually, it’s a deeper lesson than that. He’s teaching me that my efforts to control things are silly because I never was and never will be in control of anything.
Talk about going to a dangerous place without any weapons or any control...That’s what the incarnation was all about. Paul said that Jesus “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” and that “he humbled himself.” The world has always been a dangerous place for babies...and God became a baby.
Let me give you a nontraditional Christmas text, a powerful statement about the incarnation of God in Christ. Paul said in Philippians 2:5-11: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by
Good heavens, what was he thinking? He was thinking about you and me. GM : 05
The reason Christmas is such a wonderful time is because it is the time we set apart to remember how much God loved His people. It was the time when God came to us because we couldn’t come to Him. It was the time when God told us He wasn’t angry and that He would love us without reservation and without condition. It was the time when God took the armor off and became vulnerable to the worst we could do to him. A long while back, our grandchildren were with us in Florida. Jennifer, their mother, tried her best to get the girls to eat quickly because they needed to get out the door and were running late. She tried begging, she tried telling them how good the food was and she told them that, if they didn’t eat, they wouldn’t get to go out. Everything she tried didn’t work. So I decided to fix it. In my deepest and most authoritative voice I said, “Girls! Eat the food or I’m going to break your face!” It got very quiet around the dinner table. Then Christy, who was 5-years-old at the time, started laughing. She said, “Pops, I know you. You would never break my face!” Christmas is the time when God let us know what He was really like. He went to a lot of trouble to tell us that He wouldn’t “break our faces.” When we understand that and say, “Father, I know you now. You would never break my face,” I suspect He is as delighted as I was with Christy’s understanding that her “Pops” loved her and would never hurt her. Of course, you already knew that. Christmas is God’s gift to us. But let me tell you something perhaps you didn’t know: We are called to be God’s gift to one another and to the world. Note that Paul said, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” In other words, Christmas is not only the gift of God to us; it is our call to be a gift to one another and to the world. It is the model of what we are supposed to be. How do we become “Christmas” to others? The same way Jesus became Christmas for us.
JESUS WAS DEFENSELESS. Jesus didn’t try to protect Himself. He “made himself nothing.” I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of my time trying to defend myself and God. I know. That’s silly and a bit neurotic. I don’t have anything to defend and God doesn’t need any defending – He was doing fine long before I came along. I spent a lot of time recently talking to a dear friend who was feeling horribly guilty about something he did almost 19 years ago. He said that there was no excuse for what he had done. I told him, “Of course there was no excuse. You’re a sinner and, as Paul said to the Romans, you have no excuse. But God loves you and has forgiven you. Just don’t pretend to be anything other than what you are...a man without an excuse.” That is what it means to be defenseless. In Jesus’ case, it was because He chose to be defenseless. In our case, it is because we really are. We don’t have to pretend to be better than we are to our brothers and sisters in Christ or to the world to which we have been sent. It is our gift to them. If we pretend to be better than we are, if we defend ourselves, if we put on our “emotional and spiritual armor,” they will think that Christmas is only for good people who are very religious. Until we become defenseless – without excuse, without armor – we will be only a curse to one another and to the world.
JESUS WAS DEMOTED. Paul said that Jesus “took the form of a servant.” Have you ever thought that we are here for “them” in the same way that Jesus was here for us? It’s true. We think that we are special because we are Christians. Being special in the army at boot camp and as a Christian mean pretty much the same thing...We clean the latrines.
9 GM : 06
In His teaching the parable of the Good Samaritan, I heard a preacher make the following observation: The thieves said, “What you have is mine, I will take it.” The religious leaders who passed by said, “What is mine is mine and you can’t have it.” The Good Samaritan said, “What is mine is yours and, if you need it, you can have it.” We are called to be Christmas to one another and to the world...and the way we do that is by being a servant the way Jesus was a servant.
JESUS WAS DETERMINED. He knew the “end of the story.” Paul said, “Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name...” It’s the same with us. We will be exalted – not because of who we are, but because of whose we are. At Christmas, God said to us that this world isn’t all there is and that someday we will have the mother of all parties...a Christmas party that will last all year long. So, Merry Christmas! Enjoy the tree, the parties, the family, the celebration and the gifts. I know, I know. The really religious people will tell you that you’re supposed to be very serious at Christmas. They are wrong and, because they are wrong, they will never be able to be vulnerable and free enough to be a Christmas for anybody else. Enjoying Christmas and “being” Christmas are sort of like dancing. You can’t think about it. You just have to let go and do it. Yeah, it’s really crazy to be defenseless in a dangerous world. You can get killed. It’s really crazy to be a servant and to not care about power. We really do have to look out for ourselves by lording it over one another. Being Christmas to one another and to the world is really crazy...crazy like a fox.
Steve Brown is a radio broadcaster, seminary professor and author. He previously served as a pastor for more than 25 years and now devotes much of his time to radio broadcast, Key Life and Key Life Magazine. Steve Brown is a radio broadcaster, seminary professor and author. With such varied experience and unique perspective on life, Steve is an original. He refuses to be a “guru,” doesn’t want to be anyone’s mother and stresses, in his teaching, the freedom to think. Overall, Steve has become known for his refreshing and practical Biblical applications. Steve serves as professor of Preaching at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He sits on the board of the National Religious Broadcasters and Harvest USA. Traveling extensively, Steve is a much-in-demand speaker. He has authored numerous books including Born Free, When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough and When Your Rope Breaks. His articles appear in such magazines and journals as Leadership, Decision, Plain Truth and Today’s Christian Woman.
9 Reprinted with permission. Scripture quotations are from the English Standar Version of the Bible.
GM : 07
on the couch
GOD IS LOVE, NOT VICE VERSA by Randy Kosloski
“IT IS NOT GOOD FOR THE MAN TO BE ALONE.” GENESIS 2:18 Therapeutically speaking, counselors spend a lot of time to try to defy this fact. Much therapy tries to help people stand up on their own, and to create sound individuals who can then contribute to a larger social community without the help of relationships. After further reflection and several bouts between my head and a brick wall, I have come to the conclusion that relationships are implicit to every individual. To attempt to help someone mentally, or emotionally, without paying the appropriate attention to their relationships is like trying to build a fire in a rainstorm without acknowledging the downpour. Relationships are a God-intended part of life, which everyone should accept, even therapists. Darlene helped me to accept this fact. Darlene made some of the poor choices that turned a key relationship sour. Although, women are more prone to making the kind of poor choice that Darlene made, the outcome holds a lesson for all of us. Darlene was quickly approaching her 38th birthday, which was significant for her since her father died at that age. She had had immeasurable respect and love for her father, and she felt an internal pressure to be married with kids before reaching this age. Now, it’s doubtful that Darlene’s struggle originated from a belief that she might die at the same age as her father did, or the subsequent need to accomplish certain goals by that time. It was more likely that she feared she would be letting her father down if she failed to nurture a thriving family. In my opinion, Darlene’s issues grew from her plan. She thought she had a timely plan for the formation of her family. She felt her plan was one which would perfectly accomplish her goals, and one which everyone, including God, would follow. Whenever there was disagreement with her plan, Darlene would react by forcing everyone into line. But one day it all fell apart. Her stress caused her to pressure her partner into compliance with her plan. According to Darlene, her partner greatly resented being obligated in this way. Just like a scene in a cheesy, romantic comedy, he eventually ran for the hills under the intense pressure to make a commitment. This further frustrated the plans Darlene had to be a loving mother and wife before age 38. In his book The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis often refers to a general category of love he calls “need-love.” Darlene exhibited need-love for her partner. She needed certain things from him, and that was enough for her—she never considered whether she actually loved him. Lewis explores whether need-love is love at all, and concludes that it is. Yet, he explains that it can become perverted if we elevate it into something that it’s not. Giving love a supreme priority in our lives has potentially disastrous consequences.
We turn love into a god. Quoting Denis de Rougemont, Lewis says, “Love begins to be a demon the moment (it) begins to be a god.” Darlene made this mistake. Love became her god, and it cost her, dearly. Deifying love is nothing new, nor is it rare. Our culture places a high priority on love with movies, music and advertising exploiting it as a central theme. They increase the danger that we will do the same. Women can be more at risk, since they are often evaluated on their ability to cultivate and maintain relationships. Yet, we are all susceptible to making the idea of love our god. Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time seeking love and trying to create the perception of love. In Darlene’s case, this meant starting a family. The answers to our issues sometimes seem simple, but the causes of our mistakes can be complex. Love is complicated, and so are humans. Christ had a way of simplifying it all for us, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). God has already said that “it is not good for (us) to be alone,” so we should let God guide us, even in love and relationships.
“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). God has already said that “it is not good for (us) to be alone,” so we should let God guide us, even in love and relationships. One of the most important things Darlene could have learned was the importance of “stepping back,” or giving up her illusion of control. If she would have taken a hard look at the message that God was communicating to her through her circumstances, the Bible and prayer, she might have discovered that her plan was distant from the perfect plan God had for her life. And this is good advice for all of us. Who could blame Darlene’s partner for bolting? Yet, what if, instead, he had loved her unconditionally? His reassuring love might have given her the confidence to step back and question her priorities. Often, the best thing we as men can do for our significant others as they struggle with various issues is just faithfully love them—just like God faithfully loves us.
GM : 09
SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS OF SEX
CAN YOU RELATE BY THOM MOLLOHAN GM : 10
Controversy pervades attitudes toward sex within and without the church today. It’s natural but risky; a gift from God but prohibited by God outside of marriage; it’s a sin to have sex before marriage, but foolish to marry young. Such conflicting commentary has sadly created nothing but confusion about a matter on which the Bible actually is very clear and has much to say. Indeed, the Bible paints sexuality with brilliant colors—a very strong and persuasive power at work in the human psyche—and as a beautiful expression of love when observed within the boundaries laid out by the One who created our bodies, minds and souls. The Bible declares sex to be a beautiful, sacred consummation of a unique covenant between one man and one woman who have joined their lives together becoming one flesh (see Matthew 9:5-6, Mark 10:7-8, Genesis 2:22-25). The author of Hebrews adds, “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure” (Hebrews 13:4).
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh’” 1 CORINTHIANS 6:15-16 The nature of sex makes it somewhat unique among human interactions. No matter how hard we may try, we cannot isolate or compartmentalize our sexuality. When we connect sexually with another, we involve our whole selves—more so than in any other activity. The Apostle Paul asks the question, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh’” (1 Corinthians 6:15-16). Sexual union isn’t just a matter of gratifying natural urges. It is much more than this. It is an investment of a certain amount of our essence as spiritual and emotional beings. Tragically—really tragically—our culture simply fails to see the spiritual dimensions of human sexuality. Muddying
the water even further is the fact that participation in sexual activity outside of marriage causes two undesirable things to happen. Such a person becomes a “taker” by degrading his sexual partner—no matter how consensual the act. So then, sexual intimacy amounts to no more than a means of temporarily satisfying one’s lust. Additionally, when one submits himself to another outside of God’s acceptable parameters, he fails to realize the esteemed purpose that God has planned for him. In a sense, he damages himself. As Paul goes on to say, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:18). A man who takes sex lightly misses out on what God intended him to be. This is the case in adultery, casual sex or cohabitation. Adultery waters down the holy union that a man has with his spouse. Casual sex renders his partners mere things, rather than sacred beings created with divine purpose and value. Cohabitation is an attempt to obtain the privileges of marriage without taking on its responsibilities. Further, trying to justify homosexuality, pornography or other sexual immoralities is like saying, “Here, God, is an area in which You have no say.” When we run from under the lovingly protective limits given to us by God, we run headlong into self-destruction— emotionally, physically and spiritually. As individuals and a society, we suffer various degrees of family disintegration, fathers and mothers become confused about their roles; and children get caught up in the moral tempests that rage across the societal landscape. Sexual sin is a sin among many, but it is still sin. To play it down as anything less does the world no service, and does nothing to remedy an area of human life that is deplorably ill and corrupted. Our post-modern world has made a travesty of sex, leaving countless millions with spiritual millstones tied around their necks, unaware that it hampers a fruitful and joyful relationship with God. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). If we find ourselves ensnared by sexual “improprieties,” we can take great comfort in knowing that God can bring healing and cleansing to our hearts. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). As we are willing to admit that we have left God’s ideal for our lives, and place our confidence in the power of His grace, which led Jesus to the cross of Calvary, we can experience a fresh start and a new beginning.
GM : 11
HOME MAY GOD BLESS THE HELL OUT OF YOU BY THE MERRY MONK “When I’m alone, when I’ve thrown off the weight of this crazy stone, when I’ve lost all care for the things I own…that’s when I miss you. That’s when I miss you, you who are my home.” Alexi Murdoch
GM : 12
“Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home.” Proverbs 27:8 (NASB)
I’m a wanderer at heart. It’s in my blood. I’m not childlike enough to delight in monotony. Give me new experiences, new environments or new relationships! I come alive when I’m on the road. I’m prone to wander from God too, but He keeps following me wherever I go. Most of the time I’m happy for the company. Most men can relate to such nomadic tendencies, but that doesn’t mean we should always act on them. For example, I’ve been married for 16 years and I haven’t wandered away from my wife. I’ve lived in Central Florida for 25 years—talk about monotony. I’ve worked in broadcasting since I was a junior in high school, which makes 21 years now, and I’ve been with Key Life Network for 13 years. There’s some serious stability going on in my life. So where do I get off claiming I’m a wanderer? It must be something inside me: a restlessness, a longing, an itch that only gets scratched when I’m “on the move.” It probably has a lot to do with the fact that when I was young, my family often bounced from town to town. Whatever the source may be, it completely drives me. Perhaps you’ve felt it at times, too. This ache drives me to find my conceptual home—a place to rest. It can also be maddening, too. For as I am looking for this place, I begin to feel at home; and that keeps me moving. However, I can’t continue forever, so I stop to rest. But then the ache returns. I’m at home when I’m wandering and I’m restlessly wandering when I’m at home. When I stop to think about it, that’s a lot of wandering. I have been doing this for a very long time…and I’m tired. I constantly yearn for home, and this yearning makes me tick. I want to feel at home, but I don’t know where “home” is. Sometimes I feel like the road leading home is so long that it goes on forever. The journey can be exhausting.
In the midst of my despair, I hear my Father’s voice calling me, “Son?” “Here I am.” “You’re wandering again.” “Well, what do You expect? I’m trying to find rest.” “Come away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a proper rest. Walk with Me and watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep in My company and you’ll learn to live free and lightly.” In tears I reply, “I can’t. I know my home is out here somewhere. I have to find it.” “Alright, but when you get tired, you should know that home isn’t a place and it’s not a road. Home is a person. I am Home. Come to Me and find rest.” With more tears, I respond, “But I’m so prone to wander.” “If you insist...I am the road, too. I am the Way Home. Come walk along Me.” “But I’m tired.” Then I hear laughter, “Either way, I will never leave you or forsake you!” This brings a smile through my tears, “Is there any hope for me?” “Sure there is, but you’re wandering again. Weren’t you writing an article?” “Oh yeah, I was.” God keeps following us around. As David put it, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:7, 8). Most of the time we are happy for the company, but in our selfishness, He can be distracting at times. We should learn to be more appreciative of the distractions. He loves us so much that He distracts us with His truth. We are all wanderers at heart to some degree, but we all just really want to be home. And that’s what drives us. Not a bad thing at all, in fact, it’s a God thing. He promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him. (Matthew 7:7) God calls us to find our home in Him. He’s committed to making sure we get there, no matter how much we wander.
GM : 13
A A A A A PRESS ON BY WILL DOLE A A A A A
WRESTLING
AWITHA
PRIDE
There is an old fable about two roosters who fight over who would be king of the barnyard. Eventually one of the roosters gains the upper hand in the contest, as the other one withdraws and slinks away to a corner. The winner goes straight to the highest point of the yard and defiantly crows about his newly found barnyard dominance. However, his taunting is cut short when suddenly an eagle swoops down and carries off the winner, clutched in his talons. The “loser� is left to rule the roost in the end.
GM : 14
The obvious moral of this story is that pride comes before a fall. This is a principle we find in several places in Scripture, such as Proverbs 11:2, 13:10 and 16:18. Proverbs has much to say about the perils of a prideful attitude. Yet in our culture, pride can be perceived as good, desirable and even sought after. Far from the three R’s, schools are now teaching such things as self-worth, self-love and self-confidence. Though not bad ideas, often the method of conveying these concepts results instead in self-pride. On the other hand, God’s word says this of pride: “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble’” 1 Peter 5:5, which quotes Proverbs 3:34. Combine that with the many other passages regarding humility in the Bible, and it’s difficult to misunderstand God’s position on pride. Why then does our culture promote in a positive light something God so clearly opposes? According to Dictionary.com pride is
A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
“a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A This seems like a pretty reasonable definition. Now for an example—there are so many to choose from, but for the sake of familiarity, let’s take a look at the first sin in Genesis 3. In the previous two chapters, God makes a perfect, beautiful world, man and woman; He sets them in a garden to care for it; and essentially gives them free reign of the place, adding only one rule: They are not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Enter Satan. In form of a serpent, he makes statements that lead Eve to question God. He convinces her that God is not looking out for her best interests. At that point she places her desires above God’s commands, eats the fruit, and gives some to her husband, who does likewise. With these acts, they set their own desires in the place of God’s plans. They become not only disobedient idolaters, but prideful, disobedient idolaters.
and superiority, putting themselves—conscious of it, or not—in the place of God. This leads to their expulsion from the garden, spiritual death, physical decay and to their sin nature, which has passed on to every one of us. These are some very real repercussions. If God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, why wouldn’t we want to be humble? In fact, Jesus Himself says in Luke 14:11, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” It sounds simple, but it’s easier said than done. It’s not too difficult to acknowledge that we need to be more humble, but putting it into practice can quite honestly be something akin to peeling skin from our bodies. In fact, we cannot do it ourselves. We need to rely on His Spirit of humility in order to overcome our pride. If we stop at this point, it can be discouraging. So, how can we handle this beast of pride? In my own life, pride seems to constantly overwhelm my desire to be humble—unless my focus shifts from my humility to Christ’s glorification. We are by nature prideful and sinful people. Our desire will always be to glorify ourselves, and to make much of ourselves. But Jesus calls us to humbly follow Him. He can ask this, first of all, because He is Almighty God and Creator of the universe. He is deserving of our praise, worship and obedience. But He also earned this right as a loving and merciful Savior who exemplified humility by following the Father’s rescue plan for us. As it says in Philippians 2:5-8, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” Jesus, who is God, humbles Himself not just in becoming a man, but then to die; and not just to die, but to die on a cross! That is love beyond comparison— love which we would not have experienced had Christ not humbly given of Himself. Our actions ought to be an expression of gratitude, love and worship to Him. Our goal is not to merely be humble, but further, to glorify our Savior. This means our attitudes, lives and actions must all demonstrate humility. Is this a quick fix? Are we rid of pride in four easy steps? No. But it can be an effective and God-glorifying way of dealing with our pride.
It’s a vivid illustration of Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Adam and Eve form an inordinate opinion of their importance
GM : 15
IT’S NOT YOU Q No man wants to hear his girlfriend say, “It’s not you; it’s me,” —usually the red flag signaling the beginning of a break-up. Yet, these same words, when found in the Bible, are welcome, and in fact, hold the opposite meaning for us. They indicate that our relationship with God remains strong. Rather than signaling a break-up, they indicate a relationship that even our own sin cannot shatter. That’s not to say that we should continue in sin. Let me summarize our previous discussion on this topic, which you can review in the Pest Control category of the Genuine Motivation archives. (The first four points were discussed in the May ‘10 issue and the last two were covered in the July and August ’10 issues, respectively.) It is intended that through God’s Spirit these collective truths will help free us from the powerful control of sin.
GM : 16
PEST CONTROL FOR YOUR SINS BY ROBERT BEAMES
SIN IS FUN: Some sins represent more of a threat to us than others, because we enjoy them. SIN SEEMS SAFE: It can feel safe to sin, especially when our acts do not appear to harm anyone. GUILT CAN DRIVE US TO SIN MORE: When we dwell on our failures, it may cause us to return to our sin.
GIVE UP, NOT IN: When we’re aware of our inability to conquer sin, we’re right where we should be. GIVE MORE, GET LESS: We begin to realize that the next time we sin, we’ll risk more and enjoy it less.
BEWARE THE VICTORIES: Success over sin-pests may cause us to underestimate their alluring power. This brings us to the present point: It’s not us.
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When Paul says, “It’s not you” in the seventh chapter of Romans, we understand that when we sin, it’s really a monster within us committing the evil deed. This may sound a bit like the excuse “the devil made me do it,” but, no, this is not a cop-out. Instead, it’s an attempt to understand the never-ending, internal struggle we now have as Christians. Paul explains: “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do; but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” Romans 7:18-20. This entire chapter is paramount to understanding our relationship to sin as believers, but it’s also important that we focus on the statement “it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me.” This certainly does not give us a “Get out of Jail Free” card. We know from other passages, we are still responsible for our actions. So how do we reconcile our accountability with the fact that it is sin living within us that actually does our sinning? This priceless nugget of truth becomes some of the best news we may ever mine from the Bible. Precisely, it means we can hate the selfish, nasty, faithless things we do without disproportionately hating ourselves. Of course, in relative terms, we are to hate ourselves in such a way as to “value others above” ourselves, (Philippians 2:3). But, God hates our sin, while forgiving and accepting us, because of the sacrifice of Jesus. We should have a similar consideration for ourselves. This doesn’t mean we ever accept our sin, but we should always accept ourselves as invaluable to God. It means we continue to view our sin as detestable, disgusting and something we want out of our lives. It means we continue to fight against our sin as if our lives depended on it; but win or lose at the end of the day, we know that they actually don’t. As we struggle with our sin, we can still have respect for ourselves as valuable co-heirs with Christ. Our status, our identity, never changes, because it is Christ who gives us these. Paul reminds us of this in Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” When we sin, that isn’t who we are, who we are meant to be or who we will become. Although it’s serious, it’s just sin, not us. Sin has devastating implications for us and for those around us, but our identity is not wrapped up in it. We should despise it, and we should never become comfortable with it, but until Christ comes again, sin will
always be right there with us. As Paul continues in verse 21 of the above chapter, “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” We continue to subdue our sinful nature, but we won’t completely be rid of it until we are fully made like Jesus— our future hope. In the meantime, we can agree with those who point out that our sin is ugly. We can say along with them, “Yes, I did that. I hate it. It was detestable. I wish I hadn’t done it.” At the same time, we remind ourselves, “It was the sin within me that did it and it’s not who I am!”
SIN HAS
DEVASTATING IMPLICATIONS FOR US AND FOR THOSE AROUND US,
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but our identity is not wrapped up in it.
Through His grace, we can choke the life out of certain sins, never to see them raise their unsightly heads again. But when we do sin, we can humbly ask for forgiveness without having to crawl under a rock in shame. It sounds crazy, but when we sin, we remain clothed in His brilliant righteousness, and our relationship with Him remains unbroken. His discipline can feel like the relationship is severed, but it’s not. It’s why Paul could announce later in Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” It has been said that in medieval times if a person was found to be responsible for the accidental death of another, the guilty party was forced to strap the body of his victim on his back, carrying the decomposing remains around with him wherever he went for a set period of time. So it is with our sin. In Christ, sin is dead. It is powerless. It is separate from us. However, we still carry the disgusting carcass along with us. Sometimes it stinks up the place with its foul stench, but we can point to its loathsome existence in our lives without pointing to ourselves in guilt. We don’t have to like it. Indeed, we dare not. But, its presence is also a promise that it will someday be removed when we are transformed into the perfection of Christ. Someday.
GM : 17
THE TOOL BOX COMING ATTRACTIONS
“So what’s next for you?” If you’re nearing graduation or recently graduated, you probably get this question a lot. It’s disconcerting to not know how to answer it. Resist the pressure to plan out your life, but don’t completely wing it either. Being prepared for the next step can help us accomplish life goals and save money. The early bird gets the worm, so be ready to jump right into the coming attraction in your life, which may be one of these.
College Bound
Sitting out a semester can be depressing if your aim was set on college. Though online applications processes and on-demand testing centers have made college deadlines easier to meet, you still stand to save money and get better financial aid the earlier you apply. So keep these musts in mind. Tests: Most colleges in the U.S. require standardized test scores from either the SAT or ACT for admission. The tests are offered every few months with registration dates occurring about a month before the test dates— otherwise there could be late fees. Start with seeing when college applications are due, then pick a test date about six months in advance. The test can be taken multiple times so getting an early start means you can try again if you don’t do well on the first test. FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a U.S. government form required for most financial aid and loans. The online deadline for the 2010-11 school year was June 30, 2010, so after your parents (or you, if you’re independent) file taxes is a good time to visit the FASFA web site and complete the app while you’ve got the tax info handy. Scholarships: Many competitive scholarships have very early deadlines—with many coming up quickly in January or February, if they haven’t already passed! They often require essays, letters of recommendation or transcripts. Getting a head start will surely make for a better essay and if you don’t pressure people for recommendations, they might write something nicer! Admissions: My college’s deadline for enrolling is just before classes start. But there are several reasons you might want to apply before the early-registration deadline, such as getting preferential housing, or the classes you want or need. Popular classes and general requirement classes fill up fast. Finally, are there any other requirements, things you should be doing now, or classes you should take which will better prepare you for college?
BY JEFFREY BRIDGMAN
Continuing College
Registration for classes next semester has already started at my school. Reviewing graduation requirements, major requirements and what prerequisites they may have each semester before you sign up for classes, will not only prepare you for registration, it could save you from having to take an extra semester at what you hoped would be the end of your college career, or having to take killer semesters to graduate on time. Also, sometimes scheduling conflicts are inevitable and classes can fill up quickly. The earlier we start, the easier those problems will be to resolve. Money too tight? Not all financial aid and scholarships are for freshmen. There may be several options available for upperclassmen as well. Ask around well in advance of the following year!
Graduates
Graduate school: Many of the same things apply to graduate school as well as college, including taking standardized tests early, applying to your top pick school early and for financial aid. Resume: Before you apply for any career-level job or go to any interview, developing a resume is a must. Although the process of building the content of your resume can take place over several days, it will be necessary to condense that into a professional looking document, highlighting things that present you as a good choice for a future employee. Don’t create your resume in a vacuum. You probably don’t need to hire a resume service, but ask a friend with good taste and common sense for help, or at very least, check other examples online to see what a decent resume looks like. Interviews: Many companies visit campuses for interviews several months ahead of graduation. Check with teachers and watch campus bulletin boards for information. Job fairs: Dress nice and attend! Job fairs are an opportunity to network and find new companies that you may have never considered working for before. It’s way too easy to procrastinate on these important matters, but doing things last-minute might mean missing a full-tuition scholarship or finding out the position you wanted is already filled. There’s too much at stake. For all of our coming attractions, we should remember early on to seek God’s guidance before we act. Then act accordingly, and quickly.
GM : 18