We’ve all
read the parable. We’ve heard numerous teachings on it, and I would venture to
guess I’m not the only one who has been asked the question, whether in a sermon
style teaching or in a group bible study: “Who are you in this parable?”
Many see
themselves as The Prodigal Son
himself: having walked away from the Father, pursued things of the world, only
to discover them all to be a lie. This is the one who praises God for His incomprehensible
grace. Who proclaims he was lost and is now found. Who gives all glory to the
Father who never gave up on him. The Father that watched daily, patiently
waiting for him to return to his senses.
Then there are
those parents who can relate with this Father:
the ones holding on to hope for that wayward child. The parent that aches and
grieves, offering prayers day and night, watching expectantly. To this parent,
the parable offers reassurance that God can save, even to the uttermost. Even
when the sinner has knowingly chosen to walk away, setting aside the cross and taking
up the desires of world. You may be that parent.
Or you may associate
more closely with the brother. You know, the ‘Other
Son.’ The one that despised his Father for welcoming his brother home with
celebration and a fatten calf after squandering his inheritance. The son who
felt he ‘deserved’ so much more. This one proclaiming himself to have followed
the commands of the Father to a T, never wavering in his service, always doing
what was good and expected. He looks down on his brother as the sinner that he
is: no grace, no love, no compassion or
understanding. My mind puts this brother in the place of the ‘Rich Young Ruler.’ The
brother proudly declares he has kept all the
commandments from his youth. The Father gently responds in the form of a
question: “You too have an inheritance, Son.
Will you sell all that you have and give to the poor?” But when the son hears
this, he becomes very sorrowful because his inheritance is much.
I have pondered
the question time and again, “Who am I in this parable?” Recently
the answer I received was one I never would have expected. The person I clearly
saw isn’t even in this parable, but could easily have received a starring role.
You see, as the son wasted his possessions with prodigal living, God was at work. As the son found
himself in the middle of a famine, desiring to eat the food he fed to swine, God was at work. As the son began coming
to his senses, seeing clearly the foolishness of his ways and the need for his
Father, God was at work.
BUT, what would have happened if…
What if someone had stepped in and
helped this son? What if a brother, friend, or someone simply passing by had
brought him food, given him money, or offered him a place to sleep?
What if…?
And this
friend, this brother, this wanna be savior is the role I would
fill had there been written a part for the character. Because I am that person
stepping in to save the world. I am that person wanting to make everything ok
and assure no one suffers. I am a savior hindering the work of The
Savior. Yes, I am an enabler, and I am convicted to the core!
So maybe you’ve
been asked countless times as I have. Even so, I ask you again: who
are you in this parable? You may be surprised at what the Holy Spirit reveals
to you as you seek to find the answer.
Eve saw that the tree was good for food, and she coveted the
wisdom it would bring her. She took and ate of its fruit, offering it to her
husband also. She and Adam realized their naked state and attempted to hide it from
God. Genesis 3:6-8
Cain saw that the Lord respected Abel’s offering and coveted
that respect. Cain took his brother, Abel’s life, and attempted to hide his sin
from God. Genesis 4:4-9
Joseph’s brothers saw that he was favored by their father
and by the Lord (Genesis 37:4-8) and coveted that favor (Genesis 37:11). They attempted
to take away that favor by selling him to Ishmaelite travelers. They killed a
goat, dipping Joseph’s tunic in the blood in order to hide their sin from their
father.
Achan, of the tribe of Judah, sinned before the Lord,
bringing defeat and death upon the Israelites. He saw among the spoils a
beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold
weighing fifty shekels, coveted them, took them, and hid them. Joshua 7:21
David saw Bathsheba, (a married woman), bathing on the roof
of her house, and he coveted her beauty. He sent messengers to take her and then
slept with her, resulting in an unexpected pregnancy. He attempted to hide his
sin by orchestrating the murder of her husband and marrying her himself. 2Samuel 11
Are you seeing a pattern here? In each situation, the
individual/s saw, coveted, took, and hid.
It doesn’t appear that sin is something we ‘fall’ into, but
rather a series of conscious choices. It is an action that we have several
opportunities to change, and the first opportunity presents itself the moment
we lay eyes upon it. This is when we face two options: look upon it a little
longer, or turn the other way and get out of dodge! Should we choose to linger,
covetousness sets in and we must make a vital choice: give in to this desire
and take what we know is not ours, or flee the temptation and head in the opposite
direction (1 Timothy 6:11). If we give into desire, there remains a way of
escape: bring it into the light by confessing our sin. However, when we allow
sin to go this far, we begin to sear our conscience, and when our conscience is
seared, hiding sin becomes oh so easy and logical (1 Timothy 4:2).
Not only does sin involve seeing, coveting,
taking,
and hiding,
but also enticing others to sin with us (Genesis 3:6- She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate), casting
blame for our sin rather than taking responsibility for our action (Genesis 3:12,13- “The woman whom You gave to
be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” and “The serpent deceived me
and I ate.”), and flat out lying about our sin when confronted
(Genesis 4:9 “I do not know. Am I my
brother’s keeper?”).
We all choose sin and we all fall short of God’s glory
(Romans 3:23). However, God offers grace to those who repent (Psalm 32:5).
Unlike Adam and Eve, who were merely afraid of being naked and found out by God
(Genesis 3:10), we must have a heart of true repentance, confessing our sin the
moment we are convicted by it, receiving forgiveness, and choosing
righteousness.
“Ifyou do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well,
sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:7
I have completed my first week together with a group of 15 other ladies in the book of Ephesians. If I ever again doubt who I am in Christ, I have only to turn to this first chapter to regain full confidence of my state before Him! I praise God for using Paul to write this letter to the Ephesians and to us. Go here for a quick Introduction to the book of Ephesians.
Paul is an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to God’s
will, not the will of any man. Paul was formerly a murderer of Christians, yet
God willed him to be a changed man, an apostle, a delegated messenger sent
forth with orders. If God can turn a murderer into a messenger of life, what
can He do with you and me?
He writes to the saints, those already saved, you and me,
and he begins with the words grace and peace. Paul was a zealous
man of God. Can you imagine receiving a letter from him? I wonder if the
Ephesians’ chests became tight with thoughts of ‘oh dear, what’s he going to say? What have we done wrong?’ Then the letter is read and they hear those
words: grace and peace. What a release! What a huge
weight lifted off the shoulders of these believers! What a vital message for me
as mom, wife, friend. Paul didn’t immediately zero in on the issues of wives
submitting to husbands, children honoring parents, or slaves obeying masters (or
keeping a clean house, having dinner on the table by 5:00). I want to offer my
children grace and peace BEFORE I press them about
hanging up their coats, putting their shoes away, or getting their homework
finished. How much more willingly they will do these things if grace
and peace
are in the forefront!
Paul doesn’t attempt to understand, rationalize, or explain every
spiritual blessing or what exactly it means that He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world. Predestination? Isn’t that a can of worms we
all want to jump right into? Paul simply rejoices that it is so. He praises God
for our blessings and takes comfort in his salvation. Do I think it was easy
for Paul to look back and realize that while he was slaying God’s people, God
looked upon him and said, “He’s mine. I
already chose him.” I doubt Paul could wrap his mind around that! However,
he chose to accept it, praise God for it, and walk in it. Because of that, he
was able to see himself in the eyes of his Lord as holy and without blame
and was able to offer this same confidence to other believers as well. This is
a high calling for me as a wife and mom. It is by accepting and walking in my
identity in Christ as chosen in Him before the foundation of the
world and holy and without blame that peace and grace
will flow from me to others.
There’s that controversial issue again- predestined. Only, Paul
takes it further and reminds us that we are adopted children. The
fact that I’m not a Jew should disqualify me, but no, He adopted me and made me
His. Most adopted children don’t resemble their adopted parents, but I
resemble my adopted Father, bearing His Spirit, His attributes, being created
in His image. Not only are we adopted but we are accepted!
I have not adopted children, nor was I adopted by my parents, but I have had
foster children in my home, and I know they struggled to feel accepted.
They also desperately wanted to be with their unsafe, unhealthy parents because
that was the situation they knew and were comfortable in. I was adopted
by my heavenly Father almost 14 years ago, yet there are times I still feel unaccepted
by my new family. I feel like I don’t quite fit in, yet I don’t fit in with the
world anymore either. Adoption can be a tough road, but we
ARE accepted
in the Beloved. My adoption is final and it brings praise
of the glory of His grace.
It is only in Jesus Christ that we have redemption from our sins.
This redemption
is a releasing, a deliverance, a freedom from the price required for my sin,
and that price is death. Christ died in my place and I am free! This grace,
this receiving what I don’t deserve, is found in His forgiveness and it abounds
toward me!I am to live as one who has
received COMPLETE freedom and deliverance. Rather bear the
countless horrible things I’ve done, said, or thought on my shoulders, I want
to walk in COMPLETE forgiveness (letting the sin go as if it had never been
committed) because this is what Christ has done for me! And this forgiveness
He made to ABOUND toward me. I like what the online strong’s says about
this word ABOUND- “Abounding is used of a flower going from a bud to full
bloom.”
I feel like that bud, not allowing myself to fully bloom,
not receiving the abundance of God’s forgiveness.The word says He made known to me
(confided in me- you only confide in those you trust) His forgiveness through
the blood of Jesus. I want to walk in that. If I can only receive this forgiveness
toward myself, wouldn’t I be able to freely offer it to others! I sit as if
chained in shackles when those shackles have been released! I stay as a caged
bird while the door is wide open and freedom one step away. Lord, help me
choose to walk in freedom rather than sit in a bondage I’ve been released from.
This word inheritance is different than the
one used in verse 14 and is the only time this word is used in the bible. It
refers to casting/determining by lots; receiving and inheritance; a private
possession we’ve already obtained. Because I am adopted, I am an heir of Christ
and a receiver of the inheritance. As the people of
Ephesus were growing rich making and selling idols of the goddess Diana, Paul
reminds the Christians that they have real, true riches. How easily I’m
deceived into coveting this world’s riches rather than embracing the heavenly
riches of my inheritance. Yes, oftentimes the ungodly prosper and seem to have
it all, but I must trust God’s will for my life. This trusting in Him brings praise
because this kind of trust makes no worldly sense and brings all the glory
of my life to Him alone. I must not just believe IN Him, but believe Him.
Faith comes
by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). I heard, I trusted,
I believed,
I was SEALED by the Holy Spirit. This word ‘sealed’ is the same word
used in Matt 27:66 when the stone was sealed over Jesus’ tomb, in John6:27 God set a seal on Jesus, in Rev 7:3-8 the tribes and believers are sealed,
and my favorite Rev 20:3- God shuts up Satan in the bottomless pit and seals
him there. This is a mighty seal! The seal of the Holy Spirit I
have CANNOT be broken by Satan and it is secure until the time of REDEMPTION-
A releasing affected by payments of ransom. I am already redeemed, but there’s
more to come in my REDEMPTION! My redemption will be complete when I
am brought into perfection.
I am the PURCHASEDPOSSESSION! I was
purchased by Him and I belong to Him. This word means- a preserving; a
preservation. I am reminded of sealed canning jars. Don’t you just
love that ‘pop’ of those jars as they seal up one at a time? Such
satisfaction! What a picture of His satisfaction when we receive the Holy
Spirit and are SEALED- preserved, until the day that we are released from this
tent and brought into completed perfect redemption. The Holy Spirit
guarantees this! It’s like dumping that jar of pie filling into the crust.
Completed! Perfected! Finished!
And the result of ALL OF THIS- to the praise of His glory!
May He be praised and glorified through the work He does in this chosen,
holy, blameless, predestined, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven, saved,
sealed, purchased possession of His! Wow! No, I will not try to fully
understand it all, but to fully believe it and walk in it J
This past Monday, I started an online bible study through
the book of Ephesians with a group of wonderful women. Wow! When you take teeny tiny pieces of scripture,
write them out, and focus on each little word and phrase, God opens up the
floodgate! I am prone to bulldoze through an entire chapter or two, check it
off the list, and move on with my day. Generally this results in the question, what was it I read this morning?
In Him we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure
which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the
times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven and which are on earth- in Him.
Yes, we are moving v-e-r-y s-l-o-w, and yes, it has been like an
abundance of food for my soul to glean from God’s word, His Spirit, and His
people! I absolutely love what my sister’s share each day!
I want to share with you my application for today.
I
am really challenged to live as one who has received COMPLETE freedom and
deliverance from the penalty of my sin. We live in a world that requires you
pay the price for your wrongdoing and requires you live your life bearing that wrongdoing...
Once a _________ always a _________. Rather than live the rest of my life bearing the
countless horrible things I’ve done, said, or thought on my shoulders, I want
to walk in COMPLETE forgiveness (letting the sin go as if it had never been
committed) because this is what Christ has done for me! And this forgiveness He
made to ABOUND toward me. I like what the online strong’s says about this word
ABOUND- “Abounding is used of a flower going from a bud to full bloom.”
I
feel like that bud, not allowing myself to fully bloom, not receiving the
abundance of God’s forgiveness.The word
says He made known to me (confided in me- you only confide in those you trust) His
forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. I want to walk in that. If I can only
receive this forgiveness toward myself, wouldn’t I be able to freely offer it
to others! Lord, help me walk in FREEDOM! I sit as if chained in shackles when
those shackles have been released! I stay as a caged bird while the door is
wide open and freedom one step away. Lord, help me choose to walk in freedom
rather than sit in a bondage I’ve been released from.
Omnipresent- Always present- Present in all places at all times
----------------------------------------
Is God omnipotent? Yes. Is God omniscient? Yes. Is God omnipresent? Yes. Do you really believe this? Let me rephrase that- Do I really believe this? Um… I thought so. *Sigh* This blogging thing is becoming really hard on my ego.
The Holy Spirit used a conversation I had with my mom through Facebook messaging to reveal again my heart of unbelief. Let me start from the beginning.
A few days ago, the family sat around watching HGTV. (Have I mentioned I adore this channel? That I feel inspired by it, even though almost every wall in my house remains bare…. I may be afraid of commitment.)After multiple episodes of amazing transformations, HGTVs Dream Home 2012 came on. Eyes glued to the TV, we watched in awe as they revealed room after room of beauty and surprise. Let me tell you, this home has it all! If you ever dreamed of THE perfect home, this is it!
Not only is this house amazing, but they are GIVING IT AWAY! Wait, it gets even better. The blessed receiver will not only be handed this FULLY FURNISHED 1.5 MILLION DOLLAR MANSION, but also a brand spanking new 2012 GMC TERRAIN, and (as if that’s not enough) $500.000!!!! Can you say “Mine, mine, mine, mine (insert seagulls from Finding Nemo)?” I think you can envision the pools of drool on my hardwood floor as four pairs of eyes gazed covetously at the TV screen. We were ready to pack up and move to Utah! Before the episode was over, I was on the computer entering to win, OF COURSE!
My son (age 10½) was begging me, “please mom, can we get it, can we get it?” I gently reminded him that I had no control over who would win this unbelievable prize, that all I could do was enter the drawing, and that he should pray and ask God for this house. He was instantly disappointed, stating “since we don’t NEED the house, God won’t give it to us.” “But Joseph, the bible says ‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!’ (Matt 7:11) God does not only give us what we need, He enjoys blessing us just as we enjoy blessing each other. But you have to ask Him.” See what a wonderfully spirit filled mom I am. Yeah, I was pretty proud of myself too. BUT NOT FOR LONG.
The next day I sent my mom a Facebook message (private of course), telling her she needed to enter this drawing so one of us could win. I explained that she shouldn’t tell anyone else
about the drawing because if they entered, it would lessen our chance of winning (hence the private message). There’s that word- chance. Ugh. But I don’t believe in chance. I believe that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent! I believe He is in control and I leave nothing in the hands of chance. Really? Hmmmm, your thinking would say otherwise. Yes, I was once again being convicted.
I was equally convicted of attempting to steal a blessing and a gift that God may have for someone else by being deceitful and selfish. As if I could do anything to keep this unbelievable home from being handed over to the one God already decided would receive it! Do I really think I’m all that?! Apparently so.
Well, I’ve made a short story long. To wrap it up, I confessed my selfishness, unbelief, and pride, and thanked God for revealing my heart to me again. I am now giving you the links to enter (however, I don’t think I can pray for you to win… I’m not quite there yet L). You can enter twice a day, once here, and once here. (I enter four times a day- once at each site for my hubby, and once at each site for myself). See, I’m giving you all my secrets!
I really do hope one of us wins! Oh, and if you win, you must have us over for a nice loooooooonnnnnnngggg visit! J
Wow, this whole blogging thing might be getting out of control! Ten seconds ago I was sweeping my neglected floors and had another ‘I have to stop everything I’m doing and blog about this!’ moment. (And I was worried about running out of things to say?) So, my kitchen is half swept and here I am, again. I anticipate my laptop vanishing, my hubby being responsible for the disappearance, as he comes home day after day to an unkept house with dirty floors and heaps of laundry. If I suddenly stop posting, you’ll know why!
Anyway, as I was attempting to please the hubby by clean, clean, cleaning, I was taken aback by things I had slowly grown blind to: the growing mass of mail on my microwave, the neighbor’s leaves covering my backyard, my son’s numerous drawings taped to the kitchen wall, the smudged fingerprints throughout every window and sliding glass door. When did all this happen? Surely when I went to bed last night the place was spotless!
Unfortunately this happens in our spiritual lives as well. Over time we begin to grow blind to the ‘stuff’ that has slowly crept in, to the invasion taking place: that movie or TV series, those secret novels, bitterness and resentment toward someone, lustful desires for another man or women, pride in ourselves and our works, impatience, the list goes on and on.
The funny thing is, we really never grow blind to these things in the lives of those around us. If you were to stop by, you would probably immediately take note of my mountainous collection of mail and unkept windows. Likewise, there’s a good chance you notice the sin in my life well before I see it myself. While you’re examining me, I am in Lala Land, thinking everything is organized and in shipshape. However, I am noticing how cluttered and chaotic your life is. (Not really, I actually find you all perfectly presentable with not a sin in the world! Haha!)
You see, unless we take time to examine ourselves, we will not only continue in blindness of our depleting state, but will begin to draw further and further from the One that wants to cleans us. The living and powerful Word of God is a discerner of our heart’s thoughts and intents (Heb 4:12). It is through God’s Word that this ‘stuff’ is revealed to us, as if looking into a mirror and realizing, ‘wow, when did that happen!’ (Jas 1:22-25). As a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, the Word cleanses our ways so that we may be righteous before Him (Ps 119:9,105). It is when we are not looking into it daily, letting it reflect upon us, that we so easily fall prey to the bondage of sin and self-righteousness.
So, before I come knocking on your door, pointing out the speck in your eye, I am going to take time with God’s Word, asking Him to do some house cleaning and remove the plank from my eye (Matt 7:3-5). You better do the same, because I will be stopping by soon! Now, go get some housework done!
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner
Is this a familiar sight? Please say yes. Please say I’m not the only one with mold consistently seeping through the paint on my bathroom walls. Tell me it’s in your bathroom too! We’ve painted over it, scrubbed it down with bleach (several times), made sure to run the fan and open the window during showers, it just keeps seeping through. And, truth be told, it’s embarrassing! Whenever company drops in I think, “I hope they don’t have to use the bathroom, I haven’t scrubbed the mold away lately.” Is that not ridiculous? I can’t even believe I’m telling you this! You are never allowed in my bathroom again.
What is more ridiculous is the fact that I do this constantly regarding the sin in my own life. I will paint over it, making it look as if it’s not there. I will attempt to scrub, scrub, scrub it away, leaving the impression of a clean, pure self. But on the inside, there it is, lurking, waiting to seep out. I desperately hope it doesn’t succeed when you come around. Oh yes, when I’m with you, I am sure to wear the freshest coat of paint! When I’m with my kiddos, now that’s a different story. Just as they catch sight of our moldy bathroom walls countless times each day, they also get to see the sin in me that so easily seeps out when I’m not on guard (Heb 12:1).
I once heard it told this way: You’re driving down the road, you hit a pothole, and your scolding hot coffee goes spewing all over the crotch of your pants. Immediately profanities come flying out of your mouth. Why did you just say those words? Was it the fault of the pothole? No, it was the coffee’s fault; if it hadn’t been so darn hot…. No, actually it was Starbuck’s fault for selling you such hot coffee- I see a lawsuit in the near future. Ridiculous, right! We all know those words came out of your mouth not because of a pothole, or the coffee, or the establishment that brewed it. Those words came out of your mouth simply because they were there to start with! That mold seeps through paint only because it is already in the wall. I cannot blame it on the shower’s steam, or the horrid fumes that are released in that room (and believe me, they are horrid!). No, it is simply that the mold is within the walls, growing, and waiting to show it’s ugliness! And the only way to be rid of it, is to rip out that wall. UGH. And this is something I am not doing any time soon.
However, I must attack the sin in my life immediately. I must rip it out! Jesus said if your foot causes you to sin, then cut it off because it is better to enter Heaven with one foot than to live eternity without Him with two. He said if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out! It’s better to spend eternity with Him in Heaven with one eye than to end up in Hell with both (Mark 9:45,47). Jesus takes sin seriously. Ought we to also. Praise God that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness (1Jn 1:9). When circumstances expose the ugly sins of your life, don’t cast blame, or attempt to cover them up, simply confess them to your Savior J
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
