I went marketing this morning. I noticed a boy around the age of 7 years old, doing something that he knew he should not be doing. He stood at a distant from his mother so that she would not know his misdeeds.
This boy managed to get hold of a few eggs and he was simply throwing them onto the open field next to the market. Occasionally he would glance at his mother's direction. I guess he found pleasure seeing the eggs shatter into pieces as they hit the ground.
I was not too pleased with what he was doing. I went to his mother and informed her of what her son had done. She was very angry and started raising her voice at him. She also gave her son a hard slap on the buttocks. The stall-owner, realising that his eggs were stolen and then broken, demanded that he be compensated for his losses. The mother had no choice but to pay him. She also asked her son to apologise to the owner.
There were moments when the boy gave me this angry look. I guess he was not too happy that I reported his mischief to his mother.
Sasha, my dog, when she knows she had done something wrong, would always hide at one corner of the living room or under the table. Whenever I noticed this peculiar action of hers, I would look around the house. Lo and behold! I would either find a puddle of urine somewhere or the newspapers I had placed on the floor being shredded into pieces.
I guess to a certain extent we, Christians, sometimes behave the same way as the boy or my doggy. Many times we know there are things we should not be doing or displeasing in the sight of God but yet, we chose to rebel and commit those misdeeds or sins anyway.
Because of the pleasure we derive from trying to be 'free' from holy living, which is tough in practice (because of our sinful nature), we chose to go back into the clutches or traps or bondages of the evil one.
Sometimes we think that being away from the very people (God and our siblings-in-Christ) who keep us accountable for the way we live our lives, we can continue with our wrongdoings - we are wrong! God is omnipresent - He is always there regardless of what we do.
I am guilty of the above-mentioned. No doubt about it. When I came home, I took some time to pray about this lesson I was reminded of.
As I pondered, it dawned upon me these - why do I want to go back to the slavery of sin and death when at one point in my life, I asked God to deliver me from it? Why is it that I know what I should not be doing and still chose to go along with it? Why do I let short-term pleaures through sinful living deprive me of eternal benefits in holy living? Why is it that I want to put myself in a spot which I know eventually would be tough for me to get out of? Why do I choose to hurt God when He has always been there to embrace me when I needed Him? Why do I want to do things in my own strength when at some points in my life, I have experienced how God had worked mightily and evidently in me?
At the end of the day, when we notice the filth in us, we get angry with ourselves and the people around us (God included) and start becoming bitter that life sucks.
God has provided us a way out but He never promised that life would be easy. It can be made easier if we choose to follow His ways. Maybe now we do not see the benefits but when we reached the end of our lives, perhaps we would.
Then one may ask - "if that is the case, perhaps I would start living a holy life when I am nearing my death." Logical as it sounds, we must not forget we still have to stand before God in judgment and everything we had done on this earth will have to be accounted for.
Let us choose the correct road for our pilgrim's journey - it may be treacherous at times but at the end of it all, it would be a worthwhile choice.
WHAT CAN BRING A TEAR TO OUR SAVIOR
What would bring a tear to Jesus each day?
Could it be the words we so carelessly say?
Could it be when he sees how we treat one another
And not following His command to love our brother?
Does He weep with us when our hearts are broken?
I am sure He does and so He leaves His door open.
He is a man acquainted with our grief and sorrows;
He will lift us up and bring us through our tomorrows.
But what can make Him sad? What can make Him cry?
I believe when we forget just why He was crucified.
I am sure His heart gets broken and to each one He would say,
"Please, my children, listen: 'I love you. Follow me, for I am the way.'"
Sweet Jesus, let us not be the one who would bring a tear to your eye;
Help us, Oh Lord, to honor you with our hearts and open them up wide.
For no matter what happens you are always very near -
To comfort us and to wipe away every single tear.
Lord, let us come and dry the tears that flow from your eyes
By walking in love till you come and break through the sky.
We love you, Lord Jesus, and this we will continue to pray,
That we will not be the one to bring a tear to you this day.
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:1-14
"Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:21-24
This boy managed to get hold of a few eggs and he was simply throwing them onto the open field next to the market. Occasionally he would glance at his mother's direction. I guess he found pleasure seeing the eggs shatter into pieces as they hit the ground.
I was not too pleased with what he was doing. I went to his mother and informed her of what her son had done. She was very angry and started raising her voice at him. She also gave her son a hard slap on the buttocks. The stall-owner, realising that his eggs were stolen and then broken, demanded that he be compensated for his losses. The mother had no choice but to pay him. She also asked her son to apologise to the owner.
There were moments when the boy gave me this angry look. I guess he was not too happy that I reported his mischief to his mother.
Sasha, my dog, when she knows she had done something wrong, would always hide at one corner of the living room or under the table. Whenever I noticed this peculiar action of hers, I would look around the house. Lo and behold! I would either find a puddle of urine somewhere or the newspapers I had placed on the floor being shredded into pieces.
I guess to a certain extent we, Christians, sometimes behave the same way as the boy or my doggy. Many times we know there are things we should not be doing or displeasing in the sight of God but yet, we chose to rebel and commit those misdeeds or sins anyway.
Because of the pleasure we derive from trying to be 'free' from holy living, which is tough in practice (because of our sinful nature), we chose to go back into the clutches or traps or bondages of the evil one.
Sometimes we think that being away from the very people (God and our siblings-in-Christ) who keep us accountable for the way we live our lives, we can continue with our wrongdoings - we are wrong! God is omnipresent - He is always there regardless of what we do.
I am guilty of the above-mentioned. No doubt about it. When I came home, I took some time to pray about this lesson I was reminded of.
As I pondered, it dawned upon me these - why do I want to go back to the slavery of sin and death when at one point in my life, I asked God to deliver me from it? Why is it that I know what I should not be doing and still chose to go along with it? Why do I let short-term pleaures through sinful living deprive me of eternal benefits in holy living? Why is it that I want to put myself in a spot which I know eventually would be tough for me to get out of? Why do I choose to hurt God when He has always been there to embrace me when I needed Him? Why do I want to do things in my own strength when at some points in my life, I have experienced how God had worked mightily and evidently in me?
At the end of the day, when we notice the filth in us, we get angry with ourselves and the people around us (God included) and start becoming bitter that life sucks.
God has provided us a way out but He never promised that life would be easy. It can be made easier if we choose to follow His ways. Maybe now we do not see the benefits but when we reached the end of our lives, perhaps we would.
Then one may ask - "if that is the case, perhaps I would start living a holy life when I am nearing my death." Logical as it sounds, we must not forget we still have to stand before God in judgment and everything we had done on this earth will have to be accounted for.
Let us choose the correct road for our pilgrim's journey - it may be treacherous at times but at the end of it all, it would be a worthwhile choice.
WHAT CAN BRING A TEAR TO OUR SAVIOR
What would bring a tear to Jesus each day?
Could it be the words we so carelessly say?
Could it be when he sees how we treat one another
And not following His command to love our brother?
Does He weep with us when our hearts are broken?
I am sure He does and so He leaves His door open.
He is a man acquainted with our grief and sorrows;
He will lift us up and bring us through our tomorrows.
But what can make Him sad? What can make Him cry?
I believe when we forget just why He was crucified.
I am sure His heart gets broken and to each one He would say,
"Please, my children, listen: 'I love you. Follow me, for I am the way.'"
Sweet Jesus, let us not be the one who would bring a tear to your eye;
Help us, Oh Lord, to honor you with our hearts and open them up wide.
For no matter what happens you are always very near -
To comfort us and to wipe away every single tear.
Lord, let us come and dry the tears that flow from your eyes
By walking in love till you come and break through the sky.
We love you, Lord Jesus, and this we will continue to pray,
That we will not be the one to bring a tear to you this day.
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:1-14
"Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:21-24
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