Killers for Jesus?
This quote was written on the board during the break in JJR class and for those of you who don't remember it, or weren't there, I encourage you to stop and meditate for a few minutes on it before you move on to read my take on it. This is for the simple reason that whatever God tells you is infinitely more important than what I could dredge up, although if God uses me to speak to you, that's OK with me.The Quote:
Use sin as it will use you
it it your murderer, and the
murderer of the world...
kill it before it kills you.
- Richard Baxter
Selah (Hebrew term for stop/meditate)
My Thoughts
My first reaction to this quote was focused around the first line, which talks about "using" sin. Ultimately, at the end of the quote, we are told that by "using" sin, we are to do death do it before it deals death to us. However, it got me to thinking about the types of people who attempt to use sin in their lives to create gain for themselves here on the earthly sphere of existence. People that do things like killing each other, stealing, exploiting others and even the harnessing of the actions of other people that willingly "use" sin and trying to make a profit from it.
These people often rise to power in the public eye and are loved by some and hated by others. Unfortunately for that person, the power doesn't last forever. Eventually they are taken out; sometimes by the forces of good, sometimes by events (like dying of natural causes) and other times by the actions of another power-hungry "sin user". When I stand back and look at the way in which this happens to people, I cannot help but look at what Jesus taught us about being a servant. I mean, Jesus told us to do to others and we would want done to us and oftentimes that means we won't be trying to go over their heads or take them out. If we respect others and love them, we won't have to watch our backs or keep account of who "owes us one" or the people that we need to avoid because they think we "owe them one".
Jesus words were so simple, yet so true.
My other, more recent reflection has to do with the last line of the quote (fitting, really). This section reminds me of a song called "In the Light" (don't know who sings it), but the section in question goes like this...
The disease of self runs through my blood,
it's a cancer fatal to my soul.
All these attempts of mine have past failed,
to bring this sickness under control.
As we come to grips with who we are on our own, we realize that there is absolutely nothing that we can do to stop what we have ended up with. We have inherited the ultimate genetic disorder: slavery. Since we have no idea of what is right and wrong in and of ourselves, we are unable to take control of our lives and purge ourselves of "what we don't want to do, but do anyways" and replace it with "what we want to do, but just can't seem to get done".
A loss of control.
An utter depravity.
But there is something that we can do about it, and this is what briongs joy to my heart and keeps me ticking and trundling across this space-time continuum that we call "life". In fact, what makes it even better is that the start-up costs are absolutely minimal, while costing us everything that we have, everything that we were and anything that we had ever hoped to be. It is the ultimate in paradox: gaining everything while losing everything.
Essentially, the only way that we can rid ourselves of our genetic disorder is to be bled dry by the Great Physician. No amount of slashing our wrists or pricking ourselves is going to be able to help us, we need to come to him for everything that he can give us, while giving up the very thing which defines us. Just as we needed that tainted blood to live, it needed us. Without each other, both are doomed if no suitable replacement is found.
Unfortunately, that blood will likely find another willing victim and continue to wreak havoc on him or her until judgement is levied upon it.
Fortunately, our bled self is eligible for the transfusion that was given at the cross. With that infusion of blood comes a genetic strength that has been given to us called "freedom". Carried with our newfound freedom is the ability to do what is right; an absolutely liberating state of being that empowers us to change.
Unfortunately, our body and desires will still have trouble lining up with the transfusion, after all the only thing that it has been able to do up until now is what the old blood allowed it to do, which is what you don't want to do anymore.
This is where the "killer" part comes in. Daily, this body of ours will be wanting to do what it used to, resurrecting desires and thoughts that were once thought slain. Stalking us, leaving us to stroll along and hitting us when we are weak and vulnerable in the dark, lonely places of life. There is nothing that feels worse than being stalked, yet we are everyday. What many of us don't realize is that we are able to strike back at these desires and thoughts; it is a new feature of the blood that we have been given: the power of God through Christ Jesus. That's right, we have the ultimate in "power steering". As long as we let Jesus steer our life, he will give us that power that we need to kill sin daily and stand up over and over again, getting knocked down less often.
To all those who are reading this and have experienced what I am takling about, I charge you to continue to stand up under the pressure and to work with the body of Christ in order that the both of you will be enriched in your life. Stand firm!
To those who are reading this and have not experienced what I am talking about, continue searching for Jesus, because he is searching for you.
posted by theDING @ 09:39
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