09/24/2023
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 that your putt will take. Many players are sufficient at the sports they play, but the devil is in the details. If Satan can’t trip us up in the big things (our salvation), then he begins to work on those subtle improvements that will perfect us in our faith if mastered.
Our faith is a lot like an athlete’s sport. We learn the big picture that leads us to salvation as we recognize Jesus Christ is our Savior and the Holy Father is our God, but then we must 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 or using sexual innuendo 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 fouls, 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 only 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 journeys fruitful. The big thing in our scripture reading 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 have always driven old cars, and things are breaking with them all the time. I am good about fixing the big problems that will 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 or resources, 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 try to fix everything on my list. Once I have done this I realize what a relief that making these repairs 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, while letting the nagging shortcomings and sins in our walk pile up. We look at the big picture and feel that our basic 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 faith 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 bad habit? Which new sins do you, accepting them as trivial, place on your “must do later” list 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 go unattended to. Doing the small things better, and consistently, will make us better Christians, and just as importantly, not allowing our seemingly small sins to go unattended to, and repenting of them, 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 for our accumulated sins, even those we have wrongly thought of as insignificant. Let’s seek God's perfection together as we journey towards His ultimate will for us; paying attention to every minute 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 readily to your desire to perfect me. Jesus, lead me, and never let me lose sight of the impact that my sins have on our relationship, and with 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 a sense of urgency as I work to remove all sin from my life. Never let me become complacent in my contrition or remiss in my attention to the smallest 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 to confess what I consider to be both the greatest, and most insignificant, of my indiscretions.
Rich Forbes