Doxology

So, yesterday was Pentecost Sunday. The sermon was on the Holy Spirit. One of the purposes (benefits) of the Spirit is to guide us. You see, there is this battle and many of us, when we are being completely honest, do not want to be led at all.

One point in the sermon that stood out to me was in regard to some of the old adages such as: "Just follow your heart", "Let your conscience be your guide", and "It can't be wrong if it feels so right". If we truly listened to those sayings, they could prove deadly {There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 16:25}. And, I don't always trust my heart {For our of the heart come evil thoughts - murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Matthew 15:19}.

And that is why we need to heed the Spirit and die to the flesh constantly {daily, hourly, each minute, every breath}. The flesh is an insidious master and it is far too ambitious not to get its way at any cost. And, sometimes it is so very subtle; It is a seemingly inconsequential shift that will ultimately lead us down a path steeped in self, in pride, in sin, in death. Sometimes it is a small rebellion in the heart that has catastrophic ramifications.

My eleven-year-old received an invitation to go to the beach. He was very excited. I found a swimsuit at the Goodwill and touched base with the mom. She assured me she had sunscreen. When I picked him up after six hours at the beach, I immediately saw that he had a bad burn. Come to find out, he didn't wear sunscreen, and he decided to take his shirt off. At the time, he was enjoying himself in the water. Later, however, the consequences would begin. Pain, fever, chills, nausea, followed by large blisters, more pain and itchiness. And all of this was so unnecessary.

I think this is what we do to ourselves, isn't it? We have access to the "sunscreen" but we refuse it {Don't tell me what to do....I know what's best}. We choose sin, we choose pain. And, all the while He waits for us to submit, to turn back to Him. And, even though He doesn't have to, He binds our wounds. And, that, dear friends, is a grace which none of us deserves {a grace that always fills me with a profound feeling of awe and such gratitude}.

"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them,  and my soul is downcast within me.  Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." Lamentations 3:19-22