The 3 R's
Walking into Walmart the other day I found that the section at the front of the store is now devoted to school supplies. The sandtoys, waterguns, and frisbees have been replaced by pencils, binders, and glue sticks. With the approach of school, I started to think of the old 3 R's "Reading, wRiting, and 'Rithmatic" and realized that there are also 3 R's the can be applied in our Christian life as we deal with our sin.
Repent: Admit that you have sinned, that is is against God, and that you don't want to keep living like that anymore. That's the confession part of repenting (1 John 1:9). There is one more step - changing your orientation. Imagine yourself facing the sin that you have been participating in. You stand up, turn around, and walk in the opposite direction - towards obedience, towards life! When Jesus called people to repent (Mark 1:15), it was a call to a new life in the kingdom of God through the gospel.
Receive: Open yourself up to receiving the forgiveness that is in Jesus our Saviour. God's mercy and grace enable you and I to be forgiven. "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whome we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Col 1:13-14) Receiving involved believing. Believing the good news that you are free from your sin, that you have been made pure, that Jesus' death atoned for your sin, and that your sin has really been removed from you (Ps 103:12).
Resist: "Resist the devil, and he wil flee from you." (James 4:7b). The Bible is clear: those who are in Christ have power to resist the devil (1 John 4:4). We do not do it on our own strength or by our own power but by the power of God. (Eph. 6:10-18). Not only do we have the ability to resist our enemy, Satan, but we also have power to resist the temptations that come our way (1 Cor. 10:13). Sin and Satan no longer have any authority over us. We can choose to trust and obey God.
In the school of sanctification, these 3 R's can be reminders of what to do when you are caught in confusion, anger, and defeat of sin. They are lessons that will lead to life!
Repent: Admit that you have sinned, that is is against God, and that you don't want to keep living like that anymore. That's the confession part of repenting (1 John 1:9). There is one more step - changing your orientation. Imagine yourself facing the sin that you have been participating in. You stand up, turn around, and walk in the opposite direction - towards obedience, towards life! When Jesus called people to repent (Mark 1:15), it was a call to a new life in the kingdom of God through the gospel.
Receive: Open yourself up to receiving the forgiveness that is in Jesus our Saviour. God's mercy and grace enable you and I to be forgiven. "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whome we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Col 1:13-14) Receiving involved believing. Believing the good news that you are free from your sin, that you have been made pure, that Jesus' death atoned for your sin, and that your sin has really been removed from you (Ps 103:12).
Resist: "Resist the devil, and he wil flee from you." (James 4:7b). The Bible is clear: those who are in Christ have power to resist the devil (1 John 4:4). We do not do it on our own strength or by our own power but by the power of God. (Eph. 6:10-18). Not only do we have the ability to resist our enemy, Satan, but we also have power to resist the temptations that come our way (1 Cor. 10:13). Sin and Satan no longer have any authority over us. We can choose to trust and obey God.
In the school of sanctification, these 3 R's can be reminders of what to do when you are caught in confusion, anger, and defeat of sin. They are lessons that will lead to life!
Sin ... blecchhh. Yesterday I caught myself in a sin that shocked me. It involved thoughts about another person that were ugly, ugly, ugly and completely unloving. Fortunately, I recognized it for what it was pretty quickly (thanks Holy Spirit!), confessed it, and then spent the next hour or two feeling like crap. Where does this stuff come from? When I get in bed at night I take an inventory of the day, asking the Lord to bring to mind the things I need to repent of ... sometimes I feel pretty good about who I'd been that day and I'm grateful for the changes that are taking place; other times I feel horrible as I come to terms with thoughts, attitudes, interactions, opportunities lost, etc., that are evidence of the sin that's alive and well in me. I yearn to be free from sin - especially the sin that catches me off-guard when I'm tired, lonely, bored, etc. Tracy - thanks for the reminder that we sin against God - not just our sense of decency or likeability.
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