23 December 2015 + Love Dare Day 23

Reading & Memorising Scripture

Scripture:

• Romans 6:12

Observations:

I like this passage; it's really nice and straightforward: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions."

Don't let sin reign in your body. Don't let sin make you obey its passions. Those are the two statements in this passage. Note, though, how they're intertwined. Sin cannot make you obey its passions unless it is reigning in your body. This is a very important facet of much of the book of Romans, that we are no longer bound to our sin, but to Christ. If Christ reigns in us, then sin does not. If Christ reigns in us, the we are not made to obey it. If Christ reigns in us, we have his power to resist temptation.

Application:

Forsake sin and turn to God. If there's any area in your life which you haven't taken to God, but you've kept to yourself, thinking you can manage it, or because you enjoy the way it makes you feel, that can still remain an area in which sin has rulership and you will sin in it again. Give it all over to God and be free from the obligation to sin.

This is something I'm learning. I was actually praying over this concept yesterday, talking with God and thanking him for the place he has brought me to.

~ ~ ~

The Love Dare

Day 23: Love Always Protects

"Unfortunately your marriage has enemies out there. They come in different forms and use different strategies, but nonetheless they will conspire to destroy your relationship unless you know how to ward them off.
Some are clever and seem attractive, only to undermine your love and appreciation for one another. Others try to lure your heart away from your spouse by feeding you unhealthy fantasies and unrealistic comparisons."

Yep. This is what happened to me. The first probably started happening a longer time ago, but the second is what did me in.

Some of the things listed as enemies of marriage are harmful influences (internet, TV, work schedules), unhealthy relationships (bad confidants/advisors, risk with opposite sex friendships), shame (how do you speak re: your spouse in public?), and parasites (addictions, anything consuming your thoughts, time, and money). These are things which should be actively guarded against, like a good shepherd watching over his flock, not sacrificed for our own comfort and entertainment.

"Men ...  You are the one responsible before God for guarding the gate and standing your ground against anything that would threaten your wife or marriage. ... It requires a heart of courage and a head for preemptive action."

So, that's where I stand. As I mentioned above, I was praying over the idea of not being beholden to sin and, thanks to the work God has done in me, I am more able to put energy into repairing my marriage. This idea of defending it from enemies preemptively is a big factor, I think, that will help on the repair process.

22 December 2015 + Love Dare Day 22

Reading & Memorising Scripture

Scripture:

• Romans 8:13

 Observations:

This passage follows a segment in which Paul is talking about living in the flesh versus living in the spirit, ho those living in the flesh are doomed to death and cannot please God, but those living in the spirit find a greater life that comes from God

"For if you live according to the flesh, you will die"

Pretty self-explanatory

"... but if, by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."

This is the key to overcoming sin of any kind. There are two key ideas within this verse fragment. 

The first is the phrase "by the Spirit". This tells us that God is both the source of strength for and the mechanism of overcoming our sins, even the deepest, most entrenched ones.

Second is the phrase, "put to death the deeds of the body." This passage isn't talking about retiring our sins, or putting them up in the attic. This passage is talking about drastic action. Putting something to death is severe, terminal. It is unreversable except by God and we know that God does not tolerate sin.

Application:

Firstly, this is a reminder to rely on God, not myself. 

Secondly, this is a reminder to take this journey and struggle seriously. I have the worst habit of starting something in earnest and, by my own sloth, allowing it to become merely this veneer that's added to cover over the flaws. I cannot permit even the most innocent gateway thoughts. My sin needs to not only be managed, but to die and I need to die to myself, to my own desires on a daily basis. That is what is meant by being a living sacrifice.

~ ~ ~

The Love Dare

Day 22: Love is Faithful

This is an important one. I wish it spoke from the perspective of the one who broke faith and trust instead of the one whose faith and trust was broken, but the core theme is still the same. We need to be seeking after Christ, emulating his love. We need to be giving undeserved love - love despite what a person has said or done to us.

Me? I'm the one who does't deserve the love, so it's hard to see how to apply this in my circumstance. I'm trying to repair and secure my marriage, but faithfulness has a different connotation in my context. My wife needs to know that she is the only one in my eyes and mind. She also needs to know that she is in my heart and that no-one else is there with her.

21 December 2015 + Love Dare Day 21

Reading & Memorising Scripture

Scripture:

• 1 Peter 2:11

Observations:

What stands immediately out to me is how Peter refers to us Christians as "sojourners and exiles". Sojourn means to stay somewhere temporarily.  An exile is someone cast out from his own people. These words, in context with the verses immediately above, that we are a chosen people, a people called by God for his possession. gives me the image that this place, this earth is not our home. We are merely moving through, staying temporarily until we can return to our true home.

What is Peter's point in making this statement, though?

Well, firstly, as we can see in this immediate verse, being strangers in this world, we are encouraged to hold onto the things of our true home, that is, heaven, and to remove ourselves of the things of our temporary dwelling, that is, the world. Think of it as someone going to college in a different city and state. They are not making their home in this new place. They are merely sojourning there, staying there for a time. That's why you don't see many students investing greatly in their college home compared to those who've either grown up there or staked their lives there. No their minds and hearts are on their hometown.

That being said, just as each student represents his or her home town and state, we represent our hometown, Heaven, as is alluded to in verse 12: "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." 

I had a good friend comment on the difference, though, between the earth and the world. The earth is the physical place we're living in. Earth will be remade. Peter's not saying not to engage in the things of this earth, food, cultural affectations, etc. He's saying not to engage in the things of this world, i.e. sin.

Application:

I need to be engaging with this world and its delights more as someone passing through. Not to be indifferent regarding the affairs of the world and its plights, but to be indifferent to its temptations, keeping myself fixed instead on Christ, remembering Heaven is my home and allegiance. I need to be conscious of Christ in my engagements, taking pains to represent him and to engage in things that bring honour to and are of him.

~ ~ ~

The Love Dare

Day 21: Love is Satisfied in God

20 December 2015 + Love Dare Day 20

Reading & Memorising Scripture

Scripture:

• Matthew 5:27-30

Observations:

This passage serves to highlight both what sexual infidelity truly is and how severe our response should be.

I like how, in the ESV, verse 28 is translated "... anyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent..." (emphasis added). Here, Jesus is looking at the core, heart issue. Previously, the Jews defined adultery simply as physical marital infidelity.  Jesus is identifying adultery as a heart issue in which one desires to sexually possess or have an intimate encounter with an individual not your spouse (or anyone at all if you're not married). This can be physical intimacy, sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, or spiritual intimacy. This can encompass intercourse, touch, exchanging of words, lingering glances, etc. Any intimate investiture, usually romantic or pseudo-romantic, in an individual who is not your spouse, in place of your spouse, is adultery. 

So, a man confiding information regarding his personal struggles to a female coworker instead of his wife? That could constitute the beginnings of emotional adultery, especially if the wife is unaware or has not given consent. Similarly, a private prayer meeting between a man and a woman could be cause for scrutiny. These type of cases don't necessarily start of with adultery in mind, but they very often can lead that way.

In verses 29 & 30, we see the severity with which Jesus urges us to take action against adultery, lustful thoughts, glances, and other adulterous interactions. No, do not literally cut out your eye or cut off your hand. If we did that, every man above the age of 12 would be a blind double-amputee, as would many women, if not all, by a certain point in life. 

However, we should see the necessity here. We need to cut out everything that enables us to sin. What actions do we take or thoughts do we have that lead us into sin? How can we mount an offense against them? How can we control our thoughts, our eyes, our actions? That's what this whole "Struggling with Sin" series has been about. Yes, it's my personal struggle, but the base concepts are the same. We need to:

1. Confess our sins
2. Cease conforming to the world
3. Seek intimacy with Christ
4. Sacrifice ourselves to God
5. Worship God
6. Thank and praise God
7. Ask God for his strength to overcome

Dealing with sin is a long, hard road. It's not a straight line of smooth sailing. Some days I'm climbing up. Others, I'm taking a couple steps back. Some days, I look at what I've been through and rejoice, praising God. Others, I look at the mountain ahead of me and despair. The biggest thing to remember, though, is to keep our eyes on Christ and to constantly be moving towards him. Only then can we be certain of recovery and overcoming sin.

Application:

I need to re-check my plans and strategies. I need to evaluate where I've become lax and tighten back up. I also need to examine the areas in which I've told God, "Thanks for the help. I've got it from here." Lastly, I need to dig deeper in understanding and undermining the root issues underlying my sin

~ ~ ~

The Love Dare

Day 20: Love is Jesus Christ

I love it! today's passage talks about committing to Christ, accepting Jesus' salvation as the salve for our brokenness and relying on him to provide the ability to give the love we cannot of ourselves show.