WASHED, SANCTIFIED AND JUSTIFIED

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

-1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)

I used to think that being a good person was enough; that being a good person, no matter what your beliefs or faith or religion, would be enough to gain access to heaven in death. Of course, I was such a person in my own mind; after all, I was nice to others, I tried to help others who needed help, I was pretty honest, I didn’t do drugs, I didn’t really steal, and most importantly I hadn’t killed anyone. I looked pretty good compared to those people you here about in the six o’clock news. Yes, when I used man’s standard of measurement, I was good or at least good enough. The problem with this reasoning is God does not use man’s standard of measurement, for all of man has fallen and all of man sins. We are measured against God’s standard of measurement and there is no curve, only pass/fail. As I read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, it is painfully obvious to me that I was not as good as I thought I was; I was not good enough. When I measure my old self against God’s standard, I am faced with the harsh reality that I would have gotten seven check marks against me and all I needed was one to fail. When I look at my life through God’s eyes, I am definitely not good enough and in fact, I am pretty revolting. But the beauty and the hope for me comes in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” The day that I repented and looked to Christ, I was washed, I was sanctified, and I was justified in His name and by the Holy Spirit. Because of Christ, I am washed clean and I have been made as white as snow. Thank you Jesus!

The world would have you believe that being a good person is good enough, but what does that mean? What does it mean to be a “good person?” If all of man is corrupt, if all of man has fallen, then being a good person doesn’t really amount to much. I exhort you today, do not be deceived by the lies of the enemy that would have you believe that you are good enough in and of yourself; you are not, no man is. Take a close look at your life and measure not against other men, but against scripture, against the Word of God. My hope is that if you are like me, if you believe as I once did, that you are good enough; my hope is that the Lord would reveal the truth to you and bring you to the saving knowledge of His grace. I am so very thankful the Lord revealed the truth to me before I had to stand before Him in judgment and I pray that He would do the same for you. The final exam is coming, though we may not know when; are you in good standing, will you receive a passing grade?

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What does it mean to be a “good person?”
  
• When using God’s standard of measurement, how do you measure up?
  
• Were does your hope come from?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

OUT OF THE HOUSE OF BONDAGE

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

-Exodus 20:2 (NKJV)

God is reminding Israel who He is; He is the LORD, the One who brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. As I think of these words today I am reminded of the journey the children of Israel experienced from the time the LORD brought them out of Egypt until the day they entered the Promised Land; a journey with mountain top experiences of faith and miracles to valleys full of fear, rebellion and chastisement. Throughout their journey, there were many times the Israelites thought they would be better off if they had never left Egypt, better off in bondage. Yet through it all God was faithful to bring them out of their bondage and into the land He promised; a land of milk and honey.

Not unlike the journey of the Israelites, my journey out of bondage has been a rocky one. I have experienced the beauty of what the Lord has for me as I take in the view from the mountain tops and I have felt the darkness and chill in the valleys as I contemplate returning to my Egypt; returning to the house of bondage. The house of bondage is not necessarily a fun place to be, but there is a certain amount of comfort there; comfort in knowing what to expect. To continue on through the valley requires faith and it is during these times in our life that we truly see if we have the faith of a mustard seed. In the valleys of our journey to the Promised Land, it is often easier to fear and rebel than it is to continue on in faith. But if we return to our Egypt, we cannot experience the freedom that only the Lord can give. If we return to our house of bondage, we cannot enter the land God has promised; the land of milk and honey.

I have been camping out along the outskirts of my Egypt of late, tired of wandering through the desert as my faith in the Lord and where He is taking me has all but dried up. I want so desperately to strike out once again in my journey to the land God has promised, but fear and fatigue have kept me right where I am…in bondage. How long will I camp here? It won’t be long now, for even as I write, I am packing up my tent and looking to the Lord to see which direction He will take me for only He can bring me out of my Egypt. I now see that all I need to do is keep my eyes on Him and follow His lead as He guides me through the mountain tops, the valleys and the deserts in between. How beautiful even the valleys and the deserts when God is your guide!
Have you been camping on the outskirts of your Egypt? If so, I challenge you to pack up your tent today, to look to the Lord and to follow Him as He leads you through your journey to the Promised Land.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• What is your Egypt, your house of bondage?
  
• When are you tempted to return to your Egypt or even camp there?
  
• What would it look like to keep your eyes on the Lord throughout your journey to the Promised Land?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

TOLERANCE OR LOVE?

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles – that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.”

-1 Corinthians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

There was an incestuous relationship going on within the Corinthian church. But the Corinthian church was not mournful as it should have been. This sexual immorality in the church should have broken their hearts; but instead they were tolerant of the sin and worse yet, they were proud to be tolerant.

We live in a society today that preaches tolerance. We are told we should tolerate each other’s beliefs, lifestyle and sexual orientation. While tolerance may help in “keeping the peace” to some extent, all it is really doing is avoiding and ignoring the issues. What we really should be preaching is love; not the love of the hippie era, but the love that can only come from Christ. Some would equate tolerance with love, but there is a distinct difference between love and tolerance. You can tolerate someone and still hate them. How then is tolerance the answer to ending hate crimes? Conversely, you can love someone and not tolerate their actions. A prime example of this is when parents exercise “tough love” with their children or even the simple act of disciplining their children when they do something wrong. A parent can absolutely love a child but not tolerate their behavior; and because of their love for that child will discipline the child for the behavior. Christ did not call us to tolerate each other, but to love one another! “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39, emphasis mine) Yet in many of our churches today we see prideful tolerance of sin, especially around sexual orientation. But what happens when the church prides itself on tolerance rather than truth and love? You have a church that doesn’t love their brothers and sisters in Christ enough to tell them the truth when they are going the wrong way on a One way street. You have a church that is more concerned with gaining members by tickling the ears than running the risk of offending someone by speaking the truth. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to my relationship with Christ, my salvation, I want to know the truth even if it is difficult to hear. One’s salvation and relationship with Christ is far too important to not share the truth in love with a brother or sister in Christ. By doing so, we give that brother or sister an opportunity to get right with the Lord; an opportunity for redemption.

I have been challenged by 1 Corinthians 5 and I pray that you too will be challenged today; challenged enough to share the truth in love with your brothers and sisters in Christ when they are headed the wrong way on a One way street; challenged enough to stop tolerating people, beliefs, lifestyles, sin and instead to start loving people as Christ loves you.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• Where in your life do you tolerate but not love?
  
• How would it look if you were to replace tolerance in your life with love?
  
• Where will you begin?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.

DO YOU HATE YOUR NEIGHBOR?

“Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! Yet now, if You will forgive their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

-Exodus 32:31-32 (NKJV)

We see here in Exodus 32 the love Moses had for the Israelites. The Israelites had sinned against God by making a god of gold to worship and they deserved what was coming to them, but Moses intercedes on their behalf and asks God to forgive their sin. Then he takes it a step further and asks to have his name blotted out of the Book of Life if God is unwilling to forgive their sin. Wow, now that is love! In fact, it reminds me of the love Christ has for each of us.

Can you imagine caring so much for a nation or even an individual that you would be willing to have your name blotted out of the Book of Life? Maybe you can, but I find it difficult to fully comprehend. While some may consider me to be fairly bold with my faith, the reality is, it is easy to be bold when you are surrounded by like minded individuals. I find that when I am in the presence of those who need the Lord most, I am least likely to put my faith out there. I often shrink away from the opportunity to share Christ with others, fearing it would make things awkward or that they would think I was “wack job.” I recently watched a “Penn Says” segment on YouTube where Penn Gillette, an outspoken atheist, makes the following statement,

“If you believe there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever; and you think, ‘Well, it’s not worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward.’ And atheists will think that people shouldn’t proselytize, ‘Just leave me alone, keep your religion to yourself.’ How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean if I believed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a truck was going to hit you and you didn’t believe it and that truck was bearing down on you, there’s a certain point where I tackle you and this is more important than that.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM)

One’s salvation is more important that an oncoming truck, after all, this isn’t just life and death but eternal life and eternal death. Yet, we as Christians so often hide our faith from the world. We are so afraid to look different than the rest of the world and yet if we are truly walking with Christ, we cannot help but look different for we are not of the world. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19) We have been called to share the gospel with every creature, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”(Mark 16:15-16) How much must we hate someone to not share the truth of Christ?

I am challenged today by the love Moses showed toward the Israelites and who Jesus has called me to be as a disciple of Christ. I wonder how it might look if I truly loved my neighbor, how my conversations and actions might be different. I pray that you will be challenged today to step outside your comfort zone and be open and willing to go where the Spirit leads you in your interactions with others.

COACH'S CALL TO ACTION

• Where or when do you shy away from sharing Christ with others?
  
• What is it that causes you to shy away?
  
• How would it look to have faith enough to trust the Holy Spirit to go where He sends you and to give you the words to speak?

Copyright © 2009 Radiant Sun Life Coaching. All rights reserved.