Grieving God

Todd always finds it a little frightening the way my brain works. I think it is just because he is a man. But, I do understand that I work out a lot of things within so by the time I blurt out something it seems rather...ummmm...'out of the blue'. In this blog...I am going to try and lead you through my train of thought you won't misunderstand the conclusions or results of the blog. Maybe some aspect of the journey will minister to you.

I have been listening to the song "East to West" by Casting Crowns and losing myself in the melody and words. The lyrics can be found here: http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/casting-crowns-lyrics/east-to-west-lyrics.html. The other day while listening, I found myself thinking, "these are super heroes of worship- what kinds of sins can they be singing about?" "Why would they be afraid of God leaving them in their sin?"

I quickly realized the faulty aspect of this thinking- Galatians 6:3-4
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else. We are never to compare ourselves to others- but only to Christ who desires us to follow his ways (Philippians 2:5-6: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,) - so who cares why Casting Crowns wrote the song!

But, I couldn't quite leave that train of thought....it continued in my brain and I started thinking about some things I had heard recently from other believers- classifying their sins in relation to other's sins- when God makes NO distinction. All sin is abhorrent to Him.

And that thought led to the idea that for many of us as believers- we have left old lifestyles and and outward lives of sin- but we all still struggle with sin. The Bible is very clear on this point- Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None of us are perfect...we all need God's forgiveness on a daily basis.

And then while reading a book, I came across this quote by St. Augustine: What you are must always displease you, if you would attain to that which you are not.

This put my thoughts into perspective for me and brought clarity. We need to relearn, or learn for the first time, to be dissatisfied with the sin in our lives- no matter what it looks like!

Conclusion Alert:
I believe that many of us, as followers of Christ, have forgotten to perceive the seriousness of ALL sin. We do not understand the gravity of gossiping, of lies, of ungodly thoughts, of many sins that have no outward manifestations. And all of this is the sin of pride. Do you need to reread that again?

I think the main sin we, as faithful Christians, struggle with is Pride. We struggle to grasp that all sin grieves our Lord, all the while patting ourselves on the back that we are 'not like so and so".

We wave away the 'little' sins and unconsciously compare ourselves to others. We need to remember that our Savior died for all our sins and all sin separates us from God- no matter how we look on the outside. 1 John 5:17 says, "All unrighteousness is sin". That is pretty clear!

So what does that mean for us?

I believe for me it means that I need to realize the gravity of my sinful nature and how it grieves the Holy Spirit. I believe I shouldn't wallow in depression, or false guilt- but confess all my sins, asking God to reveal the inner workings of my heart and mind and lay it out before my Father in Heaven and allow Him to make me clean. As far as the east from the west- that is how far my sins go when I confess and ask for forgiveness.

But all of us, even the Christian giants, need to get a grip on the cancer of sin. In this fallen world, we need to stay away from classifying sin and thinking we look pretty good in comparison to those around us. Thomas Carlyle: "The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none."

And then we need to respond to the sin in our lives make changes. Renewing our mind, catching our words before they fall out of our mouths, asking God to continually make known to us the sin that resides in our hearts.

There is none like God- except for God! All of us fall short! But, God is there for us to encourage us, to cleanse us, to make us walk in ways that please Him. He doesn't want our false humility or for us to not accept His grace-so sacrificially given- but God does desire us to live lives of change- making it our goal to please him in ALL respects.

I close with this passage from Isaiah 40:5-28 to remind you of the grandeur of God:

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken." A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?
As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.