09/03/2019
When we have come to love Jesus the last thing we should want to do is be separated from others of like mind. When we love our Lord, and come to behave as he does, then we must put on our old clothes, and hide our faces if we are to blend in once again with those we used to associate with. Do you desire to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ, or do you simply love Jesus on some occasions, and retreat to your old life at other times?
“Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?”
The Song of Solomon 1:7 ESV
Football season is upon us here in the United States, and on Game days all of the fans of the various NFL teams will put on the colors, or jerseys, of their favorite team. This tells everyone around them who they support. Tennessee’s team is known as the Titans, and their primary color is a kind of sky blue. So on the days when the Tennessee Titans play you will see a great deal of blue worn, and their stadium will be a sea of sky blue. Everyone wants to show their allegiance to the team, and this wears their colors.
I moved to Nashville in 1976, and Tennessee didn’t have an NFL team at that time, so I wore the jersey and colors of the Washington Redskins because that was my previous home, and the team I identified with. In fact, Nashville was awash in various colors because people who lived here just picked a team they liked, or continued to support a team from where they once lived, and it could be any one of them. Then in 1997 Tennessee became the home of their own team when the Houston Oilers move to Tennessee from Texas. Suddenly people had to switch colors to support their state’s team. This sounds pretty straight forward, but it wasn’t, and still isn’t. Although most Tennessee fans have made the transition, there are still those who have become so loyal to various other teams that they continue to cheer for them, and wear their jerseys. Every other day of the week these people act like Tennesseans, but on game day they will revert to their previous identity. This behavior can be true of our faith as well. When we accept Jesus as our Lord there are some of us who will continue to put on the colors of their past life on certain occasions, but this reluctance to change isn’t as harmless as cheering for a sports team...
“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.”
Ephesians 4:17 ESV
When we commit ourselves to believing that Jesus is the Son of God, we should love Him unequivocally, and be transformed into new people. Our old clothing, and allegiances should be forgotten, thrown off, and a new set of clothes, and way of life, adopted.
“But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV
Our God is a jealous God, and will not tolerate us sharing our love, worship, and lives with another. Listen to His very specific words in this regard...
“You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),”
Exodus 34:13-14 ESV
And, should we attempt to hold onto our old selves we hear what the consequences will be as well...
“"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Revelation 3:15-16 ESV
These are strong words, and in today’s politically correct society we shy away from such, but there is no sugar coating God’s intentions here. Our faith requires steadfastness, and courage; it also requires absolute loyalty, obedience, and a complete transformation; all of this flies in the face of a feel-good society whose people are rewarded for mediocrity, or failure, and where bad behavior is not only tolerated, but excused.
God loves us, He loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son for us, but He isn’t going to tolerate sin in us, nor our on again off again love for Him, and His Son. Jesus reiterates this unambiguous requirement when He says...
“And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
Matthew 22:37-38 ESV
So let’s look into ourselves, and ask if we truly love God, and Jesus Christ. Let’s look for any old clothing we might have stashed away there so that we might move to and fro, into and out of, the life we once lived. Let’s seek out any signs of reluctance that remains there as an impediment to our complete love and transformation, and then let’s test ourselves in this manner continuously...
“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, thank you for the clarity of your Word, and the unequivocally specific nature of your expectations of me. Thank you Holy Father for not allowing me to determine, by utilizing my own weak nature, the commandments I should follow as I love and serve you completely. Help me Lord to focus on your ways, and to be unyielding in regards to my faith in you. Let your love for me not only guide my loving you Lord, but let my love grow as it feeds off of yours. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God of great love, and unyielding expectations. Praised be your name for transforming our souls into reflections of your goodness, love, and mercy. Great are you who gives us the strength and courage we need to follow Jesus, and to be steadfast in our faith in you, just as He is. All Glory is yours Merciful Father, because by your unrivaled mercy you extended to us your grace through Jesus Christ, and have insured our forgiveness by believing in Him. You have washed away our sin with the cleansing power of His blood... purifying us through His obedient sacrifice.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalms 51:7-10 ESV
Rich Forbes