Runt of the litter

I had a friend named Mark. Mark believed in God but didn’t attend church. His reasoning was “There were very few good people that actually went to church.” He knew people that go to church who were liars, cheaters and hypocrites.  He refused to associate with those type of people. This bothered me because, I go to church. It saddened me because he missed out on the one of the most important reasons for going to Church, fellowship with the body of Christ.

Sometime later, Mark’s Female Boxer had a litter of puppies. They were so cute I had to have one. The runt of the litter was very small and white. A white boxer is considered an imperfection and some breeders have them put to sleep because it is bad for the blood line. I chose this puppy.

Mark asked, “I have 5 other puppies, in great health; perfect markings and not sickly. Why did you chose the runt?”

I simply stated, “Because she comes from good stock and I refuse to condemn her. When Jesus chose his apostles, he didn’t choose the cream of the crop; he didn’t heal the healthy and he didn’t hang out with the most popular people. His church was a work in progress…imperfect.” He chose me, the runt of the litter!!!

Truth: There are no perfect Christians and no perfect churches.

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this (Not perfect), or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

The Apostle Paul also said, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  1 Timothy 1:15

So anybody who thinks he is a good person is only fooling himself. When we get saved, Jesus does not destroy bodily weakness. We still have sickness, pain, and many health problems. Our souls continue living in a corruptible body…..we make mistakes! All of us have moments when our hearts are not completely pure.

Here’s another truth: Church people should strive for perfection. When we are saved, we don’t desire to stay the way we were, we seek change. The word “press” in Philippians 3:12 means to follow after, pursue…like a runner in a race.

1 Corinthians 9:24 says: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Notice it says we are to run the race…that’s all of us. There can only be one winner though but does that mean we give up running? NO! Does a Nascar Driver think he will win every race? He’d like to but reality is in he knows he probably won’t. He still runs the race though, why? Because winning a single race isn’t the only reward; because winning the Cup at the end of the year isn’t the only reward. He keeps running because there will always be another race.

We keep running because there is more than one race. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don’t. The accomplishment of running the race is doing your best to win, that’s all God wants. Each single race has a reward but that’s not the only goal.

Again, another truth: Saved people are not perfect, just forgiven. Every Christian; no matter how long you’ve been saved; no matter how close our relationship is with Jesus; has the constant need for the grace of Jesus.

1 John 1:8-9 if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That word “confess” indicates that it is not a one-time thing. If it was a one-time thing it would be the word confessed. In other words, it’s a continual process! A continuous race.  We keep on “confessing” and God keeps on forgiving our sins! Forgiveness is a gift that we must receive daily from Jesus.

We are not judged on our ability to be good Christians. Our righteousness is based on our dependence on Jesus. Even the most holy; religious; evangelical; pastoral and obedient person’s lives are based on their dependence on Jesus.

We will NEVER be perfect in our Earth Suits….never.

We ARE forgiven through confession of sins.

The whole reason for this post is if you don’t go to church because of hypocrisy or people not being good enough or because you fault other Christians based on how they are living there lives. Quit providing excuses and holding people to a higher standard.

IT’S NOT YOUR JOB!!!

You should be busy “pressing toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of Christ Jesus”!

Do this and you WILL WIN the prize!!!

 

Hide and Seek

Remember playing Hide and seek as kids? You know the rules, 1 Kid was the seeker and counted to 10 with his eyes closed. Meanwhile the others would go hide. The seekers job was to find them before they made it back to base. We played in a large cemetery near my house which made it even more challenging as well as spooky.

Throughout the Bible, mankind has played Hide and Seek with God, especially me. In the Garden of Eden, after the apple incident, Adam and Eve felt shame and tried to hide from God. Peter hid from Jesus after denying him 3 times. I hid from God for many years because I was afraid of Love. Growing up, Love was not a big priority in my family so when later in life, love was expressed to me. It scared me and I would run and hide.

We hide for many reasons, and we hide behind things like wealth, fame, popularity, addictions and pain. I used to hide under my bed thinking, if my Dad didn’t see me, he couldn’t punish me.  We try to drown out or cover up our sins, thinking…”If I don’t think about my sin, am I really sinning?” The pain and depression of this way of thinking is, we hide ourselves from God, limiting God’s work in our lives.

Of course, we can’t hide from God but we can limit him.

Jeremiah 23:24 "Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth?

God is Omnipresent, we can’t hide from him. We can hide in God though and he will protect us

Psalm 32:5-7 "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

When David confessed his sins, God forgave him and protected; soothed and delivered him. David hid in the Lord. When we hide in God we lose our fears and gain comfort in him.

When my son and I played Hide and Seek and if I was the seeker, I dramatically would search for him saying, now where can he be? My son always seemed to hide in the same spot every time but I would purposely not find him.  I’d open the closets, look under the bed, and look in the toilet stating, “Wow, he is such a great hider!” Eventually, after passing his usual hiding spot, he would come out of hiding and jump into my arms.

You see, that’s how we play the game. We come out of hiding and jump into or father’s arms…where it’s safe!

God, our Father is Base!