I have said a number of times here with my thoughts that I am a sinner. I know it and must do what I can to avoid sin as much as possible, although that will be impossible as noted in the previous sentence, I am a sinner.

I know that there are times when I am unaware of my sin. Think of it from the idea of this analogy, speeding while driving. By and large, I am aware of the speed limits when driving. There are times however that the limit changes and the sign for the change was knocked down and I was unable to see it. There have also bee times when I was distracted by conversation that I completely missed the change or posted limit for speed. Yes, in those times, I am still responsible for the action of breaking the law. Just because I was “unaware” that does not grant me a pass with regard to keeping the law of driving.

Now, let me look at sin. There are times that I am unaware of the sin I am committing. Whether it be due to the sign being knocked down, or my being distracted, there are times that I will sin against God unaware at the time. It is later that I realize that I have sinned, when it is pointed out. It is when I am aware that the sin is made visible to me. Just like speeding, the fact that I was unaware does not mean I am not responsible for the sin.

“⁸But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.” – Romans 7:8 (ESV)

Paul writes that he was not aware of his covetousness until it was pointed out as such. Adam and Eve where without sin until they ate fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Once they ate of the fruit, they were made aware of their sin and it became a burden unto them. In my life the burden of sin is there once it is made aware to me. I am still responsible to doing good in the name of the Lord, and should repent for all of my sin. There are times when I will not be fully aware of my sin and for those times my repentance is for those sins in general and that God would make me aware so that I have the opportunity to avoid.

Satan is going to take every opportunity to separate me from God. Those opportunities are when I will sin. It is my responsibility to repent for those sins and ask that God present them to me so that I will have the chance to avoid them going forward. I should do my work for God and He will provide the protection against the sins that Satan will present to me. I am responsible for knowing of Satan’s plans and know and take those, and all opportunities to do for God and bring glory to Him.

When have you been presented with actions that may not have been in line with bringing glory to God? Are you even knowing that you have sinned? What if you were to be aware and take every opportunity to repent and know so that you are able to avoid those sins and bring glory to God?

One of my favorite sayings is “Focus on Getting it Right, Not Just Getting it Done”. I use this in my personal life as well as my professional life. James writes about this very topic and how it applies to our life in Christ.

“¹⁷So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” – James 4:17 (ESV)

Okay, maybe it is not exact in the topic, but I was certainly reminded of my saying this morning as I read the passage. We are to do what is right and when we do not, it is considered a sin.

We are to do what is right, when we know what is right. When we do not do what is right, then we are disobedient to God and that is where the sin comes in. Sin is that which goes against God. Sometimes we know when we are sinning and other times we do not.

My goal is to do what is right in the eyes of God. As noted above, sometimes I know what is right and other times I do not. Either way, for me it is a sin, and all sin is equally against God, the difference is in the approach I take with regard to that sin. When I don’t know that I am sinning, my repentance is for the sins I have committed that I am unaware. Avoiding those sins are difficult as they may have been in the moment and I may not have even known as there was no visible impact to others. The sins where I know what is right and don’t do it, those are fully mine to own and my repentance for those should be specific to the sin itself.

I am not perfect and will make mistakes and sin, however it is my responsibility to know what is right and take that action for Christ, regardless of the consequences. I know that there is pressure to follow along with society in the decisions that we make, and in some cases there may be pressure to follow the law of man. The thing is, society and man are not who I am living for. I live for Jesus and as such, my responsibility is to do what is right in the eyes of God and when that goes against the eyes of man, I will live with the consequences of man to know that I am doing right in the eyes of God.

What does right look like to you? Are you in the mode to please society and do what is right in the eyes of man? What if you just focused on getting it right by God and allow Him to take care of the rest?

In 2016 at church, we were studying Hebrews and especially that “Jesus is Better”. This morning was brought back to Hebrews in my study of the word “right” and have again been reminded that “Jesus is Better”.

“¹³And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right had until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? – Hebrews 1:13 (ESV)

I have the following written in my bible as a reference to the above verse and Jesus being better than angels: “His Role is Better”. Jesus is indeed better. He is greater than any other aside from God. Jesus has been elevated to the most honorable of places, the right hand of God.

I have a responsibility to know that Jesus is better. I have to be careful that I do not try and elevate myself to the same position. I only use Jesus as my example of how to be and will never, I repeat, never be able to reach His status. Jesus is great in all senses of the word and I have to be one to acknowledge Him as such.

How do you see Jesus? Are you looking at Him as though He is just another man and you have the chance to be just like Him? What if you were to acknowledge Jesus’ greatness and that He is better than all?

I see too often where I have spent too much effort on something in this world only to be disappointed in the results. I don’t mean that the results were not rewarding, only that the results were only rewarding in the moment and were not sustaining over time.

“¹If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV)

And there is where I am going wrong. It is not that the effort was not worthwhile, it was that the effort was not on those things that are sustaining over time. I should be doing the work for Christ and with Him in mind at all times. When I do, I will find myself in a position of satisfaction over time as the reward I am seeking is yet to come and not being presented in the moment.

I have a belief that rewarding someone for the work they have done is great and appreciated in the moment. But, I have too often been rewarded for my work with a meal. Whereas that meal is good and may not be something that I would necessarily do for myself, it is only good for the moment and forgotten the next day. The reward of something tangible that I can look at periodically and use more frequently is much more rewarding. Such as a shirt with a logo, a watch, a desktop clock, or some other item that is in view and useful over time is much more rewarding over time.

In my life with Christ, it is the reward in heaven that keeps me moving. My effort is expended on achieving the reward daily, as I will not receive it until I have reached heaven. I am therefore working continuously for that reward and will not stop expending effort until I have reached the reward. I will say that there are milestones here in this world that are realized, and I am excited to reach them, however I do not stop working until I have reached the reward promised me in heaven.

When you are expending effort, where are you looking for the reward to be given? Are you working for the goal above? What if you were doing all for the glory of God and your reward in heaven as opposed to the temporary satisfaction in this world?

“¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²’Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise),” – Ephesians 6:1-2 (ESV)

There are different things happening in these verses, obedience and honor. As noted in the commentary of my NIV Bible, “To obey means to do as one is tole; to honor means to respect and love.” So as a child of my earthy parents, I am to obey them and do as I am told while I am under their care, and I am to honor them with love and respect for the rest of my life.

This obedience and honor does not just go for my earthly parents. I am to obey and honor God as well. I am to obey Him by completing the tasks He has for me in this world, and I am to honor Him with love and respect continuously, regardless of where I am or the circumstances I may find myself in.

Wherever I am in life, I have a responsibility to do right by my parents, both earthly and heavenly. I am their child and it is right for me to obey and honor them. As an adult, my obedience to my earthly parents has run its course and I am now in the position of honoring them. I am to love and respect them for the work they did as guides and guardians of me while I was in their care and return that care to them for as long as they are with me. As a child of God, I am still in the position of obedient child and must do as told/instructed to bring glory to Him. I must also love and respect Him for as long as we are together, either here in this world or in heaven.

What did obedience and what does honor look like for you with regard to your earthly parents? What about your heavenly Father? What if you were to obey and honor for the rest of the time you are with both?

“⁷Therefore do not become partners with them; ⁸for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light ⁹(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” – Ephesians 5:7-10 (ESV)

This seems like a simple thing to accomplish, be good, right, and true. The reality is that it is not something that comes naturally and is easily distorted as we go through the world each day.

When I look at the full passage of Ephesians 5:1-21, I see that Paul is encouraging us to place ourselves in the company of non-believers as Jesus did in His time. I am not to shy away from them, but to infuse with them. I am to bring the word of the Lord to them each day.

Where I have to be careful is in not becoming like them or condoning their actions or lifestyles. I have to be willing to go into their world to bring the word of God to them and not expect them to come to me to start out. I have to bring Christ and not celebrate their lives and actions. I have to love them and separate them from their actions. I have to bring the “fruit of light” to those areas that are filled with darkness.

Now as I was studying this morning I found that “fruit of light” is similar to the “fruit of the Spirit” and when looked at from that perspective there is a whole open approach to how I should be around those that are followers of Christ.

“²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

When opened to the definition of the “fruit of the Spirit” the “fruit of light” is so much more actionable. It is the actions that impact those around us, not just speaking about them. I have to remember to be and act in the “fruit of the Spirit” when I am engaged with others. Those that are followers of Christ will join in and those that are not, will see and be touched by them. We should be working with the ideas for others to “do as I do”. I have to remember to be good, right, and true in all that I do.

When you are with others, what do your actions reveal? Are you joining them in their actions? What if you were to be good, right, and true with your actions as an example of the “fruit of the Spirit”?

God raised Jesus from the dead and set to the position of authority.

“²⁰that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” – Ephesians 1:20 (ESV)

Jesus was brought to our world to bring salvation to us all, all that would receive the gift. And during this time, God was continuing to work in and through Him. Jesus preached and taught with the purpose of setting us up with those that would continue His work, the disciples. And then He was lead to death and raised join God, His Father in the position of authority over all.

“²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,” – Ephesians 1:21-22 (ESV)

And not only what Jesus put in authority over all, but all that was, is, and is to come. Jesus was set to have authority over everything and as such was there to set everything right were it was to be. He was there to, as noted in my NIV commentary, “set their broken world right”. Our world was broken and is still broken as we are in it now. Jesus is there to make it right and whole again. He is the one we should be looking to for guidance. We should be seeking His counsel and His advice and His leadership to move forward and do what is right in this world.

Where are you looking to get things right? Are you seeking the counsel of those around you? What if we looked to Jesus, the one that was raised to the position to oversee everything?

There are things that I have been granted that others may not have. I have the right to be called a child of God. That right also affords me things that may cause others to stumble in areas they have not grown strong.

“⁹But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” – 1 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)

Here Paul is referring to the idea of eating meat that had been used as a sacrifice. Those that are not strong in the faith, or who are not in the faith at all will find that to be something that is against the law and will therefore look unfavorably on those that eat. They will find themselves conflicted with what is right and how that fits into where they are and how they should proceed.

“¹³Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” – 1 Corinthians 8:13 (ESV)

I can see that Paul takes a stance to stay away from that which will make others stumble. If indeed there is someone that will or could make someone question, then it is wiser to simply stay away from it as opposed to try and explain. I may be strong enough to know the difference and understand that I answer to God and not man, they may not and it is my role to bring them closer to God and not drive them away.

I have to be careful with my right as given to me by God. I have to understand that those around me may be struggling with something and therefore may not be in control or know the full consequences of their actions. Whereas it is my responsibility to tell them and educate them, I should abstain in the moment while explaining and educating later when the temptation for them is not immediate.

I have rights that have been afforded to me by God and my relationship with him. Those rights are between God and me and I am the one that understands them. Until those around me are able to understand them, then I should be careful not to cause them to be tempted or to stumble.

When you are in the company of others, what thoughts do you have about them? Are you only concerned with yourself? What if you were more careful with your rights and guarded them to be between you and God until you are sure that others understood their rights?

I know, this title is contradictory to another post I have titled “You have the right to become a child of God”. So how does all of this fit together if they are contradictory of one another? Well, it is simple, God is in control of everything.

“²¹Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” – Romans 9:21 (ESV)

I see here that God makes us all. He is molding us into that which has a purpose. He is the one in control of the molding. I am nothing until I have been formed and then from there I take on the role I am designed.

“²⁰But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?’” – Romans 9:20 (ESV)

As the one being molded, I have no say in what my purpose is/was. I do have a say into how it all plays out based on what I receive and believe. This is where the contradiction in the two posts I have made are reconciled. I have the right to becoming a child of God once I have met the condition required. I also have the right to become something else, once I have met the condition required.

I have to meet the conditions required and those conditions are handed down to me by God at the appointed time. Once they are handed down, I have the decision to meet them or reject them. If I choose rejection then I will not receive that for which I was reaching. When I receive and meet the conditions, then I will be granted.

I have no “right” for anything as I am a sinner. I do have conditions to meet and when I do I am granted the reward that God has in store for me. Those conditions as noted in a previous post are simple in form, but difficult in function to meet. Receiving and believing are all that is required and yet the vast majority of people reject that condition as “too hard” or “outrageous” in concept. As a result of the rejection, the reward is not granted.

We have a right but we do not have a “right”. We all have the opportunity to receive and believe, and we all have the opportunity to reject. We do not get to decide what we are (as created by God), but we do get to decide what we become as a result of that which we receive and believe.

When you look at it, what do you receive and believe? Are you of the thought that you deserve something from God? What if we took the approach that we are who we are and need to receive and believe to achieve?

What a great statement to hear as we go through life. I have a right to be a child of God? Yes I do.

“¹²But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” – John 1:12 (ESV)

And there you have it. From the word of God, He gave us right to become children of His.

There is a condition that must be met. I know, what is that condition and what is it I have to do or give up to meet it and become a child of God? Well, look there at the first part of the verse above and you have it, “receive him” and believe “in his name”. Yes one has to meet these conditions and you be able to become a child of God. Yes, that is all. You have to accept Him and you have met the condition.

I get excite at the prospect of becoming something and a child of God is something to really get excite about. The fact that there is really only this condition to meet, makes it even more exciting.

Easy as noted may not be easy as action though. One must fully receive and fully believe. This means that you may have to give up something or a lot.

“²¹Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heave; and come, follow me.’” – Matthew 19:21 (ESV)

As Jesus spoke to this young man who had immense wealth, He made it clear that to follow Him he would have to be willing to give all of that up. We must give up that which is from man to receive that which is from God.

“²⁶But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” – Matthew 19:26 (ESV)

We have to stop looking at things from our point of view and view them as God does in order to receive Him. We can receive Him in word, but to receive Him in heart, we must fully believe in Him and accept that He will provide all for us regardless of what we have or want here in this world. In order to become a child of God we must fully receive Him and fully believe in His name.

In this world, where are you relying for all that you have? Are you holding on to your possessions as you look to become a child of God? What if you were to simply fully receive and believe in Him and allow God to give to us and grant us all that we need?