09/24/2017
How many little things of faith have you left unaddressed? I dare say the major items are either solved or you are working with God on them, but have you overlooked the small and seemingly less important nuances to your walk with Jesus?
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24 ESV
I like sports, and in my younger years I liked to play them. One of the things that athletes learn early on is that the basics of how to play the game come fairly quickly. Developing the skill it takes to throw the ball, or knowing when, where, and how to run are things that come rather easily. What makes the difference between a good player and a great player are the little things... the seemingly insignificant nuances of the sport. If you are a football lineman it might be a slight adjustment to your footwork, or recognizing some subtle indication that your opponent is about to send a linebacker to blitz your quarterback, that makes a difference. If you are a golfer it could be a very slight adjustment in your stance that gives you a little more distance or control when you hit the ball, or perhaps the way you analyze the green and determine the roll your putt will take. Many players are sufficient at the sports they play, but the devil is in the details.
Our faith is a lot like this. We learn the big picture that leads us to recognize Jesus Christ as our Savior and the Father as our God, but then we begin a lifetime of cleaning up all those bad little habits that keep us from reaching the fullness of relationship with God that not just we, but that He desires.
As we seek a deeper and more significant relationship, and especially in the newness of our faith, we concentrate on the big things. We learn the tenets of our faith, and how to talk without cursing with every other word. We learn to love one another without it becoming a physical relationship, and how to settle a disagreement without coming to blows. We work at perfecting our ability to be happy with someone else's good fortune without allowing ourselves to become jealous, and how to treat our parents with honor and respect... well, you get the picture.
Then one day we realize that we are like the athlete who plays his sport... we can play the game without blatant errors or committing flagrant penalties, and in our newfound success we feel pretty confident. This is the point of greatest spiritual danger... this is the time in our walk of faith when we must decide to not just worship and follow the Lord, but to yield our entire selves to Him. This is the moment when we decide whether we are going to complete our journey and perfect our relationship, or remain a weekend warrior and let good enough be sufficient.
Just like Jesus taught us in our bible verse this morning, there are things we should do that will make our efforts meaningful and our journey fruitful. The big thing in our scripture is that we have come to the altar and are prepared to make a sacrifice, but once again, the devil is in the details, and having an unresolved conflict keeps us from truly experiencing this time of contrition, sacrifice, and close relationship with God as we should.
I drive an old car, and things are breaking all the time. I am good about fixing the big ones that would keep the car from being drivable, but I am prone to allow the little repairs to go unattended. Sometimes it is a matter of time and priority, sometimes I just don't have the money, and at other times it is just my natural inclination to procrastinate. Eventually, I will write down all of the little nagging repairs that have been accumulating and in one concerted effort I will fix everything on my list. Once I have done this I realize what a relief that is, and how enjoyable it is to drive my car again.
Our faith is similar to this too... we ignore many of the lessons of Jesus as we keep the major tenets of our faith, and we let the nagging shortcomings and sins in our walk pile up. We look at the big picture and feel that our relationship is in good shape, but when, at long last, we address the list of details that we have been putting off, we are suddenly elevated to a new sense of joy and our relationship takes on greater meaning and pleasure. I'll bet you have already experienced this to some degree, and yet, you begin to immediately accumulate a new list. How ridiculous is this habit? Which of these do you, accepting as trivial, place on your list for each day?...
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:19-21 ESV
So, like the athlete that realizes that the little details will perfect his game, and the car owner who sees that dutifully making small repairs as things break will keep him from experiencing anxiety and insure his continued pleasure; we as people of faith need to pay attention to the details of our relationship with the Lord, and not allow our lessons and sins to go unattended. Doing the small things better, and consistently, will make us better Christians. Just as importantly, not allowing our seemingly small sins to go unattended and without repentance will increase our peace, joy, and closeness of relationship with God.
Are you satisfied with the state of your walk with the Lord? Is your list of unresolved issues of faith blank, or is it growing longer as time goes by? Let's repent together today, asking for forgiveness of our accumulated sins, even those we have wrongly thought of as insignificant, and seek God's perfection together as we journey towards His ultimate will for us; paying attention to every detail along the way.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your grace and provision. I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who was born, suffered, died, and was raised again that my sins might be forgiven. Help me Father to seek you more diligently every day, and to yield to your perfecting of me. Jesus, lead me, and never let me lose sight of the impact that my sins have on my relationship with you and our Heavenly Father. Forgive me Father for I have sinned, forgive every sin I have committed, and remind me always that there is none more acceptable to you than another. Open my eyes Lord to my shortcomings and help me perfect my ways as I follow Jesus and listen to your Holy Spirit. As I walk this way of faith and seek your will in my life, let your Holy Spirit fill me with your comfort and an urgency to remove all sin from my life. Never let me become complacent in my contrition or remiss in my attention to the lessons of faith. You are my God and I praise you and love you from the depths of my heart... without you I am lost, and without constant prayer and attention my relationship with you is lacking and unfulfilled. Keep your hand upon me Father and hear the longings of my soul as I bow before you.
Rich Forbes