A couple of years ago, I vented on this blog about what had become the bane of my existence: entropy. A couple of days ago, as I was working on our current Bible study, God gave me a new perspective on the concept of entropy.
God, in His sovereignty, can use anything and anyone to communicate truth; sometimes it's as simple as one sentence. In one of the lessons in Week 6 of our study, "Jesus, the One and Only," Beth Moore states that learning to replace fear and worry with faith is a daily process. And I got to thinking that every sin is pretty much that way. How great it would be if I could take my deepest, darkest, most habitual sins, just make the decision to hand them over to God and be rid of them, once and for all.
But that's not how it works. Spiritual entropy (sin nature) shows its ugly face, and sins I've "given over" to Christ show up again and again, day after day. I've found that I have to throw myself on His grace every single day and ask for a renewed sense of joy; a greater faith; and a tighter reign on my tongue. There are sins which I know I will battle every day, and sometimes even on an hourly basis, for the rest of my life. No matter how many times I come clean before Christ. No matter how many tears I shed over lost battles. No matter how much growth takes place. I will fight sin over and over again until the day I'm taken up to be with my Savior.
So in a sense, my spiritual walk is a lot like my physical surroundings. Just as I end up washing the same clothes over and over again; just as I endlessly sweep the same floors and cook hopefully-not-too-much-the-same meals and wipe the same bottoms, I need to continually ask God for strength to serve Him faithfully. "So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall . .. " (I Cor. 10:12)
From this point forward, whenever I become frustrated about cleaning messes off the newly-cleaned dining room floor - again - it will be a reminder of my need to surrender my life to Christ - again! Just one more reason to look forward to, and long for, the day when I will be with Christ Jesus, who will do away with entropy of both the physical and spiritual varieties.
6 comments:
i think there will be "amens" going up all over the place, charity! that was such a good word picture of what our daily battles with sin are like. and then we have those "good" days - sometimes several in a row - when we think we've got the problem licked and we start to let down our guard only to find it shows its ugly face the very next day (kinda like the verse you referenced).
i was just talking with God yesterday about the fact that becoming a recluse sounds more and more desirable. i think i could follow him with less difficulty, be obedient with fewer temptations, feel less guilt by eliminating repeated failures. (i was in the car....does that tell you anything? oh, my tongue!)
so thanks for the timely encouragement. and thank YOU, God.
Dee is so right
Amen
Great analogy with our daily chores! I often get overwhelmed with myself, constantly falling short, especially when it is a sin I am working hard at changing. But, if I could conquer my sins, what would that do to my pride? My need to be humbled?
Lately, I have been thankful for the abundant verses in scripture, that speak of God's loving kindness, and how He is ready, waiting and wanting to forgive us.
PRAISE GOD!!!
You hit the nail on the head. Sin is just so 'daily.' It is crouching at my door, waiting. The project that the Lord is working on my right now (YOU know what it is) is such a battle!!! Thanks for putting it so excellently.
mom
(looking forward to some good discussion tomorrow.)
I think it is, without question, the hardest part of walking with Christ--the reality that sin doesn't just stop the moment we start believing in Him.
But it is also what leads us back to Him on a daily basis--seeking forgiveness and renewed fellowship with Him.
So, if we didn't struggle each day with the "same old things", we probably wouldn't feel the need to go sit at the foot of the cross AGAIN each day.
I guess God knows what He's doing.
"have to throw myself on His grace every single day and ask for a renewed sense of joy; a greater faith"...
...and that is when Christ is most glorified!
I'm still learning that I cannot, by sheer will-power, stop these sins that so easily want to dominate my life, but only by falling at the feet of Jesus and asking for the filling of the Holy Spirit!
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