Already Won
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Deuteronomy 6:6-9
And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Colossians 3:8-11
8. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth. 9. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices 10. and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.
What you see is what you get. That’s often how we describe those who are pretty laid back and are generally viewed as open, self-aware, unpretentious people. People like that don’t have anything to hide. Not that they have never done anything for which they are ashamed, or at least embarrassed or disappointed in themselves. It’s just that they realize we are all flawed, imperfect beings, and have moved past the “human“ aspect of their existence into a new way of thinking and being. As Christians we also realize that is how we can all connect as humans -- that’s why we are not to judge others, not to discriminate against them, not to turn our backs on them. My sin is the same as your sin -- the act itself may be different, but the impact is the same - it separates us from God.
Don’t do as I do; do as I say. Have we ever said that to our children. Is that how Jesus taught his disciples? Or did he get on his knees with a towel around his waist and wash the dusty, calloused feet of his beloved friends. Did he ever once tell his followers that he was exempt from anything that was being taught? Or did he model what he talked about? Did he deny us salvation? Or did he carry a cross to a hill and allow himself to be crucified? Did he die for us? Did he rise on the Third Day?
It is not easy to be a Christian! It’s very, very challenging. Some days its pretty nearly impossible. The world is not a nice place. And in our town, the murder rate is skyrocketing. And the crimes have become more violent and brutal. Senseless acts of evil. It’s frightening. Disregarding all of that, just driving to work, being at work, going to the mall, sitting on the sidelines of a child’s T-ball or soccer game all lend themselves to exposure to hate, anger, fear, sin.
So how do we live in this world full of flawed, sinful fellow human beings? Deuteronomy tells us the answer. “shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” We must stay in the Word. We must read the bible, pray, surround ourselves with Christians and live out our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ. The powers of evil are at hand. Evil has always been in the world. And it will remain until the end times.
Lest we think that the world is as bad as it can get, read about some of the epic Old Testament battles! They didn’t use clean, sleek, high-tech weapons. It was hand to hand combat. And it was awful and violent, and terrifying. They felt, I’m sure, that was as bad as it could get, too. It only gets better when God’s people rise up and say, enough!” When we declare our faith and live out our faith, evil losses. Jesus wins. No, he’s already won! We win!
My prayer today is that you will rise up against the forces of evil that are present in your existence. And that you will “put on the new nature” won for us on the Cross.
Mary
