Depravity of Man & Freedom in Christ

The recent shooting in Colorado reminds us of the brevity of life; also, it is a tragic display of the depravity of the human soul. Humans are so peculiar in that, when tragedy strikes, we look for the cause yet never do we find ourselves returning to the root of the problem— our own sinful and depraved nature. It amazes me that in our efforts to be blameless before men, we are even willing to blame the tragic occurrences of life on inanimate objects, such as a gun, a car, etc.

Shifting blame and pointing fingers has been around since man first sinned in the garden. Remember Adam? He blamed Eve for his inability to be obedient to God (Gen. 3:12). What cannot be missed is the truth that Adam, regardless of Eve’s actions, had to answer to God for his own. The same is true for you and I. We may be able to avoid condemnation while we walk this earth, but one day we will be held accountable before God. Matthew 12:36 reminds us that “…every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”

As Believers, we should endeavor to live our lives with authenticity first before God. Only by giving Him the preeminence of our lives can we keep our relationships, to Christ, to man, and to sin in perspective. Only in authentic living do we find the humility to recognize, confess, and grow beyond pride and sin.

We cannot recognize the freedom and strength that is ours in Christ until we have realized the weakness of our own flesh. The Apostle Paul shared a tremendous truth with the church at Galatia that still serves us well today “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8).

What sin is there in our lives that we need to be honest about today?

The Bitter Sweet of Hope

 Last month I was blessed to have taken just short of a full month off. What a tremendous time! It wasn't to take a vacation, but rather to spend time with the Lord and simply refresh spiritually.During the course of my time off, I had opportunity to truly discover that my soul had become discontented in many areas of my life and ministry. What is frightening is how subtle it can happen to any of us regardless of the time and energy we are putting into ministry or the Word. What I found at the end of the day were two truths that, once realized, gave me the power to mature in Christ. First, any discontentment in our lives always leads back to a failure to trust God in a particular situation. Secondly, our blindness to the subtleness of discontentment may stem from our own unwillingness to deal with tender areas in our life.

While in Georgia on my sabbatical, I went out on the property to pick wild blackberries. I don’t often do this, but I want to share a note with you that I wrote in my journal that evening. I believe it will help you visualize the truths above.

Wednesday 6/20/2012: “Blackberries are a cruel beast, so beautiful, tasty and sweet yet so painful to pick from the bush. Dealing with our inner feelings, our insufficiencies and our attitudes, dealing with our sins can be much like that. At the end of the day, you have a bucket full of delicious berries, but it takes wading through the briars to get there. This week has been slow – I’m afraid it’s my own reluctance to deal with the briars.”

I am reminded of the Psalmist who sang “How sweet are your words to my mouth! From your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” Guard yourself against discontentment; learn to continually trust God! “God our Savior and….Christ Jesus our hope”

Pastor Barry