A Stumbler's Walk | NAILED IT! (Pt.2)

This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

-- Colossians 2:14

(This is part two. For context, please first read part one. To help distinguish, I cleverly titled them Pt.1 and Pt.2)

In the last post we addressed BEING guilty and the incredible depth of grace that removes our guilt. There is however, another and deceptively dangerous side of guilt - FEELING guilty.

When we are redeemed by Christ we are completely free. Our guilt is removed. Our debt has been paid.

Whom the Son sets free, is truly free.

-- John 8:36

And yet, from time to time many (most) of us struggle with a sense of guilt. The shadows of our past close in. Or recent failure draws the curtains blocking the sunshine of grace.  

Guilt. 
It is an ugly word. 
Guilt can burden. 

It can oppress. 
Guilt can shut us down...

Guilt and fear are cousins. We feel guilty when we fear we do not measure up; when we fear we are not worthy; when we fear we are not loved; when we fear our failure will cause God and others to turn their backs. 

The self-defeating insidiousness is that we sometimes find pseudo-comfort in our guilt. (That was a weird sentence, but may be worth a re-read.) The outward whimsical expressions: "Well, that's just how I am..., I'm no saint..." or "I just suck," are simply covers that lay like a tattered blanket trying, and failing, to bring some kind of warmth to the pain beneath. They fail. We are not designed to live feeling guilty. 

There is a sorrow according to the will of God that produces repentance without regret, 

leading to salvation. But the sorrow according to the world produces death.

-- 2 Corinthians 7:10

True freedom is found in living beyond regret - without being weighed down by guilt. When Jesus nailed our record of debt to the cross, he crucified guilt. It is only we who choose to resurrect it. 

As a redeemed person you are a saint; albeit, usually a messed up saint. You are free, though you sometimes stumble. Your guilt list, past present and even future is overwritten in the blood of Christ with the words:

I love you.
Debt paid.

It is finished.

Freedom!

And the record of wrongs written beneath is no longer legible through the scarlet words of love. 

God, you nailed it! And I am free...

For now,

D

A Stumbler's Walk | NAILED IT! (Pt.1)

This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

-- Colossians 2:14

Guilt. 

It is an ugly word. What thoughts and emotions does it illicit? Guilt can burden. It can oppress. Guilt can shut us down. Sometimes it has no effect at all. (Hopefully I can make the point.)

There is a difference between BEING guilty and FEELING guilty. It is possible for the murderous psychopath to BE guilty - while feeling completely free of any sense of guilt. My guess is this is not the case for any reading this post (I hope).

It is also possible for the guilty offender to be completely unaware of his offense. I once was driving a Texas road with a posted 65 mph speed limit. It was a divided highway with two lanes moving in each direction. Suddenly, I noticed friendly red and blue flashing lights behind. What I had not noticed was the sudden change in the posted speed limit - from 65 to 45 in a matter of what seemed three feet. (I later discovered it was a notorious spot.) Driving those three feet, (realistically, hundreds) I had no sense of guilt whatsoever. This did not change the fact that I WAS guilty. And I paid the price - or the debt as the Apostle Paul puts it - for my offense.

Very frankly, and with no judgement or joy on my part, I am compelled to note we each ARE guilty before God; whether we know it - feel it - or not. Jesus said if we fail at one point in our righteousness, we've failed completely. This goes for popes, pastors, prisoners... all. We are guilty. And with this guilt comes a debt.

The problem is, unlike my speeding offense which cost me about 100 Starbucks Venti Americanos, this is a debt we are incapable of paying. Our righteousness bank account has woefully insufficient funds to cover the price to redeem our souls. It is a spiritual debt that spiritually bankrupt people cannot pay.

Now the good news. Christ paid our debt from the riches of his grace. As Paul writes, Jesus nailed our IOU to his cross. With his death he paid our penalty. And though he was buried and rose again, what remains, figuratively speaking, nailed to the cross is the record of our debt (and sins). The list is overwritten however, in bloody red letters with the words...

PAID IN FULL

It is up to us to receive or reject his payment for us personally. It doesn't matter how religious, good or bad, etc. we are or have been (or ever will be). What matters is that we simply admit our guilt, accept what he has done and experience the incredible freedom offered.

(I've not yet gotten to the point I had in mind as I began writing this post. But being several paragraphs in, I'll save it for part two. Like the teasers on the news, I'll go to commercial with this: In part two I hope to deal with the insidiousness of FEELING guilty. Hopefully you'll stick with me.)

God, as the camp(y) song goes, "You paid a debt you did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay..." How can I ever thank you enough?

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | FLAWED...

Flawed...

I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 

-- 2 Corinthians 11:30

Thankfully the writers of the various narratives, histories, poems, and letters that make up the Bible never attempted to cover up the flaws of faith's heroes. 

David's murderous lust. Peter's tempestuousness. Sarah's lack of faith. James' and John's ambition. Mary's past.

Real people with real strengths and real weaknesses; real faith and real doubts. 

Much like us. 

Paul is one of those super-saints with whom we feel we cannot relate. His shadow is cast over much of the New Testament and the formation of the early church. His pen produced much of what we consider sacred scripture. 

Yet Paul is flawed. His story is not a simple one. It is not fairy-tale clean. 

Paul was a man of incredible faith; a picture of passion and mission. But I think Paul was at times a lonely man. You can hear it in his voice when he gets personal in his writings. Groups of people, both outside the church and within, continually attacked Paul's credibility and motives. He was mocked, ridiculed and worse. He was also, on a few occasions, abandoned. 

Paul was a man of strengths. His greatest? Intimacy with his weakness. Paul was flawed; and he hugged it. It is in this understanding of his own inability that he was enabled to completely rely on God's power within; God's power to transform. 

The same is true for us. There is a swelling confidence that comes when we choose not to hide our weaknesses from God. Instead, when we reveal ourselves completely - when we hug our flaws - God's grace will do in and through us what only he can. And the results are beyond our wildest imaginations. 

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the hear of man imagined, 

what God has prepared for those who love him...

-- 1 Corinthians 2:9

God, I am flawed... But your grace overwhelms my weakness. 

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | GOD OF YES

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ... in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.

-- 2 Corinthians 1:19-20

Religions tend to preach a God of No. And to some extent, this is true... Don't kill, don't steal... don't worship idols... don't dance... OK, I added that last one. But see how easy it is? Religion tends to add to... to extend the borders... to overstep.

There was a time in my life when I served a God of No. I attempted to live up to rules - most centering around what I could not do, say, think or be. More and more however, I've come to know God as a God of YES.

He is the God who sees us as we are and says "YES, I will redeem." He is aware of our struggles and says "YES, I will be present." He knows our weakness and says "YES, I will transform."

He has made promises about our past (redeemed)... our present (empowered)... our future (heaven). And his promises are YES. How do we know this? Because he gave us the ULTIMATE YES in Christ his son. And in Christ, all of God's promises are... YES!

So don't kill... don't steal... don't worship idols. But not because of a No. Instead, know that every No must be based on a BIGGER YES!

(And go ahead and dance!)

God, today - and every day - you are my YES.

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | TGIF!... or WHAT'S SO GOOD ABOUT FRIDAY?

I'm not sure which title I like better. So I used them both. Today is Friday. More than that - today is Good Friday.

A couple days ago, I saw a talking head on TV miss the point. (That's not too uncommon. I guess I miss the point a lot too.) What snapped my face toward the flat screen though was how close and yet far off the man was in his eloquence. I really don't remember if the news story was about the tragic fire at Notre Dame or if it was about political unrest in the U.S. I believe it was the former, which actually makes his near-miss more palatable at face-value, and more tragic at its core.

The newsman-come-theologian made a statement akin to: "...and after all, this Easter season is all about rebuilding and renewal. Let us remember and take comfort in that."

Sounds good. But nope.

REbuilding and REnewal are good things. They are wonderful in fact. And necessary. But they are not the focus of the Easter season. One might make the case they are aspects of it's REsult. They are products of the main RE. But neither is the main RE. The RE that is Easter's heart. (I know you're way ahead of me.)

What is dead cannot be REbuilt. What is dead cannot be REnewed. What is dead cannot be REenergized, REvitalized, REstored, REanythingized. What is dead must be made alive. What is dead must be...

 REsurrected!

What is good about Good Friday actually lies in it's terribleness. Good Friday is about death. Good Friday is sacrifice. Good Friday is Perfection ripped to shreds, bleeding, gasping, (forgiving), and dying. Good Friday is dark and hopeless. Good Friday finds its end in a velvet-black tomb. Good Friday is only good because Sunday comes.

What is dead is buried. What was buried is no longer in the tomb. What was murdered is alive. REsurrection!

Before there can be REbuilding and REnewal - or any other RE - there must be REsurrection.

So today is Good Friday. The sun is shining outside, and a light shines within. Because Good Friday, with all it's horror and agony, is not the end of the story. If it were, we would not call it Good Friday. We'd just call it Friday.

Today is Good Friday. And Sunday is coming.

God, Thank you for your resurrection power. There are so many things that need to be resurrected in me by that same power and love. 

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | THE LONELY ARROGANT

"This knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up.

-- 1 Corinthians 8:1

Any time I have attempted to prove myself the smartest person in the room I've failed. On many fronts. First, I seldom have the highest IQ in any setting - even when alone. (I've known of an Ikea chair or two that have me beat.) Second, even if one were to prove to be smartest, he or she has still failed. The failure comes in simply having to prove it. In other words, winning the IQ competition usually goes hand in hand with losing the relationship opportunity.

The issue is not IQ, it is arrogance. Notice that Paul writes, (This) "knowledge" puffs up...; and not knowledge puffs up... There is a significant difference. 

The Apostle Paul is not against knowledge. He is not belittling education and understanding. As a matter of fact, Paul most certainly had an incredible intellect. He was in line to be High Priest of Israel and had an incredible grasp of the Old Testament. He confounded Greek philosophers with his wise arguments. And at one point, was even accused by a king of being driven mad by his "great learning."

Scripture repeatedly states that God's desire is that we have wisdom, understanding and knowledge. He is the author of all of the above.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding...     

-- Proverbs 2:6

Here is the point: Arrogance is a disease. It is a sickness of the soul. And it is an infection that affects every relationship. (Chosen ignorance is also a disease - and often a religious one. But that is for another post.)

Arrogance is self-serving / Love serves others

Arrogance stands alone / Love exists in community

Arrogance tears down / Love builds up

Arrogance leads to failure / Love always wins

Given time, the arrogant person will prove to be the smartest in the room - because he will be alone. 

God, help me to be humble and to love...

For now...

D 

A Stumbler's Walk | BEAM ME UP, SCOTTY!

(I'm working on the final part of HOW?, but in the meantime, here is a redo/rerun.)

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. -- 1 Corinthians 10:13

Star Trek ran for 79 episodes. Not once did a character say, "Beam me up, Scotty." Nor did Humphrey Bogart's Rick ever say, "Play it again, Sam," in Casablanca. Both are commonly attributed to the originals. But they are not there.

Nowhere in scripture is it written that God will never give you (or allow) more that you can handle. We hear it all the time. And it is as cliche as Beam me up Scotty.

The fact is God will again and again allow us more than we can handle. (Stay with me, it get's worse... then better!)

Paul wrote of his struggles: For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8). David writes much the same: I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart (Psalm 38:8).

Ultimately, 11 of the 12 disciples were martyred for their faith. The twelfth, John, was boiled alive in oil (and lived), and then exiled - where by the way, he had the incredible Revelation of Christ and wrote the letter of the same name.

I often face circumstances, burdens and pain beyond what I can bear. Please re-read the very last part of that statement.

... beyond what I can bear. 

There are two lies born out of the statement, God will not give you (or allow) more than you can handle. The first is that YOU can handle it. You. By yourself. You can and must be strong. 

The truth is, eventually you can't. There must be WE. The life of faith cannot be lived in isolation. Paul writes that we are to, bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2). When we cannot lift another's burdens, then we must lift the person who carries the burden. Christianity is lived in community; never in isolation. 

The second lie is much like the first. It centers in the bearing of burdens. We are not human pack-mules destined to trudge through life weighted down. That is not the joy inexpressible and full of glory Peter writes of (1 Peter 1:8); or the fullness of joy Jesus speaks of (John 15:11). 

As a matter of fact it was Jesus who said:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, 

and I will give you rest... you will find rest for your souls. 

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. 

-- Matthew 11:28-30

(I told you it would get better!) 

I've often heard well-intentioned people say, "That's just my cross to bear," in speaking of a struggle or burden. But crosses are not for carrying. They are for dying. And when we are daily, crucified with Christ, as Paul wrote, we are also daily resurrected with him. It is only the pains, the struggles, the burdens, and the sin that remained nailed to the cross. 

God, because you are with me I can walk through any valley...

For now...

D