I had an amazing ride to church on Saturday. Nope...I ain't Jewish. We had a wonderful meeting of men about quite simply...how to keep it in your pants.
See, as a Christian we are more in danger of the loss of our internal soul then any pagan, Jew, Muslim or atheist. Why? you ask?
Because of a very facsinating idea that by choosing to wrap the mantle of Gods grace around our shoulders we have placed one of the greatest weights around our neck that a man can place on himself.
Christians have chosen to live under/by/next to/with and forever for God. We told God "Sign us up." We went to the recruiting office, took the physical and put up our right hand while saying "I swear to protect and defend God and our family and our fellow humans as a knight at Gods Round table." And guess what, try getting out of the Marines by saying "Nah...I don't want to follow your rules anymore." Say that to God and he will NOT throw you in jail. Your punishment is eternal and VERY warm with some pitchforks throw in for good measure.
So we met. And by the way...Don't ride your bike 6 miles to stay in shape and then eat 3 doughnuts. I felt like I ate a tire.
Christians are a different group. We ask people to live a holy/righteous life and forget that we are human and sin like nobodies business. Christians masterbate, covet wives, hook up in park restrooms, lie, cheat and steal like EVERYONE else. But...since we ask others to not sin, we are (according to popular culture) not allowed to be sinful. We are called hypocrites and ridiculed on TV because of putz's like Jimmy Swaggart. Tough life to choose to live.
But these guys got together and asked "How can we deal with this and even more, prevent our sons from following in our footsteps." Nice. I am proud to belong to this church.
I disagreed with things said but that was not the point of this post. This is about us as humans. Are you examining your life to see what needs fixed? Yes you have things that need fixed so wake up. By not acknowledging your "sins" and working to stop them you are keeping yourself from reaching your full potential.
The guys in this group wanted help and wanted to help others. Do you have someone to reach out to? A pastor, family member, friend? Hell...call me.
Whatever you want...a job, a wife, a chance to feel grace, a saved marriage. It is there for you. Get past your "sins" and get help.
For those of us searching for a little clarity when our world goes stright to hell and we feel we have no control.
As Christians we will never achieve perfection in this life, but I like the phrase from Francis Schaeffer, "substantial healing." This rather substantial transformation is not only possible but inherent in our faith and progress. There ought to be clear and evident change and growth in a Christian's life because he "has been with Jesus." When you encounter Him your life can never be the same. So we are not just like everybody else, but being effected by the Fall, we are susceptible to the same troubles as everyone else.
ReplyDelete