Even as Sinners, God Provides the Path Forward

Whether I am an active member of the sinners group or not, God provides the way for me to move forward with the worship of Him and to fulfill the tasks He has given for me to complete.

“⁸Good and upright is the LORD;

therefore he instructs sinners in the way.”

— Psalm 25:8 (ESV)

The LORD gives the instructions for me, and all sinners, to follow as we move forward in this world. He teaches me and it is my part of the process to learn. All that I do I have the instructions to do them in the Word of God. I only have to read and study to understand His Word to ensure that I am getting all of the instructions and not just pick the passages that tell me what I want to hear. God’s Word is complete and the instructions are as well. I have to understand all of them to get it right in the spirit of the LORD.

There are instructions that may not feel all warm and fuzzy at the time. The tasks I have been given may be difficult to accomplish and frankly are not likely to be fun and immediately rewarding in a monetary way. I have but to do the tasks, knowing that I was instructed to do so by God and that He will reward me, even if it is not realized until I arrive in heaven at the appointed time. All of God’s instruction leads to Him and are found when we are focused on Him and not ourselves.

“⁹He leads the humble in what is right,

and teaches the humble his way.

¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

— Psalm 25:9-10 (ESV)

And there is the rest of the instructions. I have to remain humble in my relationship with Him and know that His path for me is fraught with His love and Faithfulness to me as I am His. I have the path laid out and where it may not be “easy” it is full and complete to accomplish the will of the LORD. I am just the hands here in this world doing the work of the LORD in this world. I have but to do the work and as the janitor said to the president of the United States in the NASA facility that he was there to help put a man on the moon, I have to know that I am here to accomplish something greater. God provides me with the work and I am but to do the work, knowing that the path was set for me even as God knows that I am a sinner.

Too often, I believe that I go into the next thing without a clear picture of what is to be accomplished. I have to know that sometimes that is okay. I then have to lean on the LORD for the path to be provided for me to accomplish that which He has set forth for me. The end result is not the key to my part. I am a sinner and only get the path for me and that path will lead to the result that God has planned for, and that will be enough for me. As a sinner, I have only to be grateful for the opportunity to serve the LORD and that He chose me to take part in the plan and complete my part based on the path He provided for me out of love and faithfulness to me his child.

What path are you following? Are you aware that God has a path for you, even as a sinner? What if you looked to God’s Word for the path and full instructions He has for you to complete your part of His plan?

Sinners, Yes, but Don’t Act the Part

Alcoholics are are always alcoholics. Drug addicts are always drug addicts. Gambling addicts are always gambling addicts. The one thing that all of the aforementioned can be is recovering non active members of the that particular group. I am a sinner, but I do not have to be an active member of the group.

“¹Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

²but his delight is in the law of the LORD,

and on his law he meditates day and night.”

— Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV)

I am a recovering sinner. I am a member of the sinning society, manhood, and yet, am still working each day to separate myself from the group by not being an active member. I am abstaining from the active sin and therefore separated myself from the group.

Notice my words and the comparison I have made of myself above. I am a sinner and will always be a sinner. I am a man and will sin, as that is what I am. What I can do is work to not actively knowingly sin. I choose not to sin as I now know the sin to be sin and I can therefore stay away from it. I have studied in the past the best way to not sin is to actively work to avoid it by diving into those things that will keep me from it. Like my study in the mornings of God’s Word. I have to actively pursue Christ and in that action will actively avoid sin.

Like the addict who has to avoid the addiction, I have to surround myself with those who will be there for me and assist me in the avoidance of the sin. I have to be sure that I am surrounded by those who will provide the Christian example and that I can feed off of to quell my sinners predisposition. As is seen in verse two above, “delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night”.

I am a sinner, yes, but I do not have to be an active member of the group. I will still sin, and need forgiveness by the minute, hour, day, week, month, year, decade, and the like. But, I do not have to actively and knowingly sin. I know that seems a bit odd to be a sinner but but not actively sinning. Well it is about the setting out to sin that has to be avoided. I will find myself with unclean thoughts and there will be times when there will be a slip of the emotions. There will be times where I am not even aware of all that I do. It is those times that I still need forgiveness and cannot be avoided. But it is the knowingly approaching sin and doing it anyway that I have to avoid. I have to set out doing what is for God and keep my eyes on Him and step away from the sin that will present itself at all times. I am a sinner, but do not have to be an active member of the group.

What kind of sinner are you? Are you an active member of the group? What if you accepted salvation and became the recovering sinner and avoided the known sin to not be the active member of the group?

Suffering for Christ as a Sinner

Again this morning I am confused by God’s Word. I am reading in 1 Peter and am reminded of the suffering that comes my way as a Christian. I will suffer in the work that I do for Christ as it will be misunderstood by the world. I will be persecuted for the work I am doing as others see it as self-aggrandizing. I have to remember the only one that I am here to please and bring joy is to God.

Here is the confusing part as of this morning. If I am going to suffer as a Christian doing the work of Christ, then what about those that are not Christians? And look at Peter’s reference to words from Proverbs.

“¹⁸And

If the righteous is scarcely saved,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

— 1 Peter 4:18 (ESV)

Referring to the sinner, with me being one of them, I am quickly unsure as to where I fit in all of this, until I read further.

“¹⁹Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” — 1 Peter 4:19 (ESV)

I am the sinner I am and for that I am content. I have been given the chance to entrust my soul to God. I know that I have been forgiven for all of my current, past, and future sins. I have to remember that those sinners referenced by Peter are those that have not accepted the salvation provided by God. I have and therefore suffer for God. I have the comfort in knowing that I am and will be forgiven.

I have to know what I know and that is that God loves me and that even as a sinner, I am loved and will suffer yes, but for God not for my sins.

What are you suffering with? Are you suffering for you sins? What if you accepted Christ as your savior and accepted your suffering for Him knowing that you have been forgiven of all your sin?

Serve to the Sinner

My role is to:

“¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” — Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

It is not to do all that brings glory to me. And this morning, I can see how I have to keep all of God’s Word in my heart, and not just what I am reading. In the last chapter of the book of James, I found myself thinking of this very thing as I read the final two verses.

“¹⁹My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” –James 5:19-20 (ESV)

I can see how when you are looking at this short passage, it would drive one to go out and save as many sinners as possible thinking that the more you bring back to God, the more you are looked upon favorably. It looks at first take that the one who brings back the sinner is the one saving their soul and for that, one can certainly get the big head.

It is not until you take on the totality of God’s Word that I am able to get grounded in doing the work of Christ, not for me but for Him. I have to be the servant for the sake of serving others and that goes for bringing sinners back as they have fallen away from Christ.

“²⁶It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:28 (ESV)

See above the words of Jesus that we are to be servants in order to gain greatness. Yet, it is still about the service, not the greatness. I have to remember to put aside my own desires and follow Christ and His direction. I am to “Go” and be a “Servant” to all including, and everyone, the sinners.

All sinners are precious in the eyes of God. All sinners have the chance to receive salvation. All sinners are to be served. I have to remember the precious sinners and bring the gospel to them by serving them in the name of Christ.

How do you look upon your work with sinners? Are you looking as though it is your responsibility to save them for your glory? What if you served them by bringing them closer to God, not for you, but for them and the work of the LORD?

Own It as a Sinner

I am a sinner and not deserving of any of the glory that is provided by God.

“¹³But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” — Luke 18:13 (ESV)

This tax collector is a sinner just like me. He owns it in his words and in his actions. He repents for his sin with God and only with God. Notice where he is repentant. He is “far off” and not within the immediate eyes or ears of others. He is secluded to have a relational conversation with God. He is about that relationship and not about the optics and not in comparison to others and their relationship. Here is the one that is the better example for me to use in my own relational conversations with God. They are to be on my own and in seclusion. They are to be personal and out of the immediate eyes or ears of others. They are to be only about and concerning me and my relationship with God.

I like that this tax collector is not concerned with what the world thinks of him. He is concerned with what God thinks of him. He also does not claim to be better than anyone. Being a tax collector was not a job that was highly regarded among the people although it was in the government and political society. His role brought the people to think poorly of him. But the job is not what defines you. It is your heart. The job was to collect that which the law indicated was for paying taxes and to bring additional provision to his family. It was possible to be a God fearing tax collector that stayed within the law in all of the collections. I am not saying that this man was, but it is possible he may have been.

The thing about the man and Jesus was speaking was that this man owned his sin and presented it to God for forgiveness. He knew he was a sinner and did not try to be something he was not. He also knew that the relationship with God was his own and not for everyone to be a part. His prayers were to God and not for the world to see. He did not concern himself with whether he compared to others adequately. He was concerned with his relationship with God alone.

“¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” — Luke 18:14 (ESV)

I see this man as a private, not proud man. He was repentant and humble in his relationship with God. He is an example of how I should act within my relationship with God. I should be repentant and humble. I should be private. I should be personal. I should own being a sinner and work with God alone to repent those sins and do so in private with Him in personal conversation and make it about me and my failures alone.

I have to own my being a sinner and know that my heartfelt personal repentance is that which brings joy to God.

How are you out there repenting from sin? Are you doing it out in the open for all to see and are you comparing your sin to others who are “worse” than you? What if you just kept your relationship with God personal and made all the conversation private so that you could truly own the sinner in you?

Rejoice Over One Sinner

I am working on my learning more about being a sinner. I am a sinner for sure and want to know more about just what that means. This morning I am reading in the book of Luke and the parable of the lost coin. A simple one for sure, but a good one none the less. When has limited things and loses one, there is an all out search for that one and then there is the rejoicing that comes when that one is found.

“⁸Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? ⁹And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’” — Luke 15:8-9 (ESV)

The precious coin is of lots of value to the woman who had few of them. Aren’t we all about the same when it comes to those things that are precious to us. I know that I am for sure. God is no different in those things that are precious to Him. And I am one of those precious things. Not because I am a Christian, but because I am His creation. And not because there are limited numbers of my kind, but because I am limited, there is only but one of me.

“¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” — Luke 15:10 (ESV)

It is my repenting that give God joy. It is the finding of me, the one unique person that brings joy to Him. My coming to Him and repenting of the sins I have committed and those that I will commit that brightens His face. Me, the ONE sinner. I bring the LORD joy with my repentance.

I have to remember that we are all precious to the LORD. Not just those who have more. Not just those who impact larger groups of people. Not just those who are known more to the masses. It is the one sinner that repents of sin that brings joy to the LORD. God does not look at who the sinner is. God does not consider one over the other. God looks to the repentance of the sin by the sinner and that is the joy.

I need only focus on my own sin and repenting of that sin. I have to remember that it is that which brings joy to the LORD. I have to be right with God and getting there requires my repentance. I have to acknowledge my sin and ask the LORD to forgive me. I have to remember that He is always listening to hear my voice of repentance, and when He hears, he will smile with joy for His precious.

What are your beliefs of that which gives the LORD joy? Are you looking to make a splash with God by doing grand things and expecting Him to leap at you for the massive amount of work done? What if you just looked to Him and repented knowing that the LORD looks at each sinner’s repentance as precious?

One Sinner

I am a sinner and this morning I began to study the word to gain more knowledge of just what that means. I know that I act against the LORD and that is sinning by this sinner, but I know that there is more to it than just the acts. I feel, like I do with all things, it is important to know and not just hear about things.

As I began my study, I was brought to the passage in Ecclesiastes that discusses the value of wisdom. This was a surprise to me being that I was looking into the sinner. Where does wisdom come into the picture in this regard.

“¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” — Ecclesiastes 9:18 (ESV)

I am brought to the saying of “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch” or similar. What is referred to is that just having one rotten piece of fruit will speed the rottenness taking over the larger group of fruit. In the above verse, I see that exact idea being brought to light. There is good in the world and that good is to be looked at and celebrated. But, I have to be careful to celebrate the good as good and be weary of that which may look good only to be rotten. The one rotten side of the fruit can make things rotten for the entire basket.

Sinners will masquerade. We can be good on one side and then turn the other way and allow evil to abound. On one side, I am loving and caring and want others to see that which brings good. On the other side, I am self-serving and looking to bring good to me. I have to remember each of these sides of me as a sinner. I masquerade each and every day. I am two in one. I am a sinner just as all others.

But, I do have God on my side to help me. I know that I am a sinner and that I am masquerading as not being one, but I am. But, I am a sinner who has been forgiven. I have been forgiving for those sins I have committed and those I will commit. I have to remember that I will still commit sins and that those sins can and will destroy. I have to be conscious of my life of sin and do all I can to remove the mask and be the forgiven sinner that does all to bring love and comfort at all times. I do not want to be the one sinner that will destroy. I have to be the Christian that brings love.

One sinner can tear it all down. I have to work to not be that sinner.

What are your thoughts on being the one that could destroy it all? Are you avoiding the idea that one can do so much damage to the larger good? What if you recognize that you are a sinner and that you have been forgiven and that you need to remove the mask and bring love?

Don’t Be Like the Sow

I continue to be amazed at where God leads me when I am open to being led. This morning I continue my study of the word “sow”. Up until now, I have been reading and studying to understand the sowing of seeds and my role in that action. This morning I am reading and learning of the sow or pig. I will say that originally I was taken aback at what I was reading as there where I was getting the directions for my reading and study was no different than any other day.

“²²What the true proverb says has happened to them: ‘The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.’” — 2 Peter 2:22 (ESV)

I was reminded in this passage that I have turned to Christ and away from that which is not Christ. I have accepted the salvation Christ has given freely. I have moved into the relationship with Him and I am so much better off for it. But, it is hard. It is unfamiliar. It is not always comfortable. This relationship takes work and that is something that makes things challenging.

Anything good is worth working for. This relationship with Christ is good, really it is GREAT, and therefor I have to be willing to work for it. Things are going to be challenging. I am going to find myself tired of putting forth the effort. I am going to grow weary. Yet, I have to press on. I have to stay forward with my eyes fixed on Christ to make it to the end, heaven. I have to stay focused on Him.

“²⁸And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ ²⁹He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’ ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” — Matthew 14:28-31 (ESV)

Peter knows a little about this whole keeping your eyes on Christ as I see above. As long as Peter was focused on Jesus, he was safe from harm. But he was afraid and began to doubt and lost his focus to which he began to slip. Jesus never left him and reached out to again comfort and protect him.

Jesus never left Peter and He will never leave me. Even when I may lose my focus on Him, He will always be there for me. I have to remember that things will be hard and that I will have to put in the work to achieve that which is great. I have to trust Christ to get me to and though all. I know that He will, I just have to demonstrate that trust each and every day. I have to avoid turning back to that which is comfortable and familiar. I have to embrace Christ and the work He has for me, knowing that He will always be there as the familiar Father and comfort me and guide me and protect me in all.

What is it that is keeping you from a fulfilling relationship with Christ? Are you finding yourself turning back to the familiar? What if you understood it to be hard and unfamiliar and uncomfortable and chose to press on with Christ, knowing that He is there and full of love, comfort, guidance, and protection?

Sow in the Good Soil?

It makes sense to sow seeds where the ground is fertile and will produce, but am I always doing so. This morning I am reading in Matthew and the parable of the sower that Jesus tells to the people. In it, Jesus gives the picture of a sower having seeds fall on the path, the rocky ground, the thorns, and the good soil. The results were different in each instance with only the good soil yielding the harvest.

“³And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’” — Matthew 13:3-8 (ESV)

There is a lot going on here in this parable from Jesus. I am looking at the whole of it this morning. As I am reading there are a couple of things that I see that make me think. One, the sower is seemingly “careless” with what he is sowing. Two, it is not until the seeds are on with the good soil that they produce lasting and fruitful results.

With number one, the sower is on the task of sowing seeds. That is what is the purpose of going out, and yet there are seeds falling in areas where they are not specifically set to be sewn. The seeds are falling on the path, the rocky ground, within the thorns, and then on the good soil. The sower is just allowing for the seeds to fall where they may. As I look at it, and you will see in the previous paragraph, this seems “careless”. Why would the sower not just guard the seeds to be specifically sewn in the good soil only. I think that it would be a much better result and more fruitful to get the seeds to where they are going to do the most good. But, I have to also think that the most good as I see it may not be the most good that God sees.

Number two shows that it is indeed the seeds falling on the good soil where the most abundant reaping is taking place. The seeds are accepted and produce fruitful lasting results. This is the place where I believe all sowers would want there seeds to be sewn. I know that I believe that we should focus on getting things right and not just getting them done. Getting it right in this instance is the ensuring that the seeds are placed in the location where they are able to do the most good, in the good soil. But again, what I believe to be the most good, may not be the most good that God sees.

These two points lead me to this. God has seeds for us to sow. Where, yes, He wants the most fruitful and bountiful harvest from the seeds we sow, He will get just that wherever our seeds fall. If the seeds seemingly carelessly fall on the path, the harvest is food for the birds that He has created and remember;

“²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” — Matthew 6:26 (ESV)

As the seeds fall on the rocky ground, the grow quickly where the glory of God is seen that He is over all and even in such a difficult situation, good can come. And then we have the thorns where the seeds fall. Here there is no life as the good of the seeds are choked out, yet even Jesus had dinner with tax collectors sowing the seed of the gospel, because we never know who might hear and take forward with them. And then there is the seed that “falls” on the good soil. These seeds are able to take root and produce a bountiful harvest to be reaped. Yet, they may not have been meant for that good soil as they happened to just find it in the falling. These seeds produced for someone who was in need in the moment and provides for the children of God.

I know that God has a plan for all that we are. I know that He will win in all. It is my duty to simply sow and not be concerned with just getting the seeds to the good soil. I have to sow and sow and sow, regardless of where. By doing so, God is allowed to do His work with and for those who need it. These opportunities may the chance for them to receive the gospel provision supplied by Him.

Where are you sowing? Are you focused on getting your seeds to the good soil? What if you just sowed and allowed God to do His work with the seeds He has given to you to sow?

No Need to Sow for Provision

“²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” — Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV)

God provides for my needs. What I eat, drink, and wear. No need for me to worry about those items which are a provision to my survival.

I know what some may be thinking. How am I going to get what I need if I don’t have other things. Well, lets look at the life of Jesus as the example. Even at the beginning of His life, He had nowhere to go, as He was born in a stable and placed in a manger (no luxury hotel for the King of kings). Jesus grew up the son of a carpenter in a modest home with a working family (no fancy duds for the Lord). Jesus really had no formal home as He traveled the countryside preaching and teaching (no 10,000 sq ft house on a mountainside). And He walked or took a fishing boat everywhere (no private jet or yacht to get around in). Jesus was dependent on His father and others all the way to His death and beyond.

I know of those who have clothes and food and water, yet they are concerned that they do not have designer brands, caviar, or fine wine. These same folks are also concerned that they do not have enough and work constantly, and sometimes unethically and wrongfully, to earn more to have more. They are not satisfied or content with that which they have been provided.

God will and has provided for all of the NEEDS we have in life. He may not provide the designer shoes, but I have foot coverings. He may not provide caviar to have for dinner, but ground meat for spaghetti is abundant. He may not provide fine wine to drink, but we have running water in the home we live.

God provides for our NEEDS and will bless us as well. I have clothes without holes in them. I have chicken to eat, I have tea to drink. These are all blessings as what I need is just clothes, food, and water. God knows our needs and provides for them we do not have to work overtime sowing for them.

In verse 26 above, Jesus reminds us that we are more than the birds of the air and God provides for them in the moment. He will provide for us just the same. He was provided for each day and we will be as well. I do not have to store things up in order to have more in the future. I have to concern myself with the day and the day only. And that concern should be with doing the work of the LORD as opposed to the gathering of possessions for myself in this world.

Would it be nice to have more, yes. Having a new pair of shoes, a fine steak, and a good bottle of wine are great to enjoy from time to time. I have to remember that those are things that God will provide as a blessing and they are not something that I should be working to provide for myself. I have to sow the work of God to reap the reward for others thanks to the love and provision of God.

“³¹Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV)

What are the things that you are concerned with receiving or having? Are you looking for those things that may place you in the good company of others? What if you sowed to reap the provision of God for others and accepted the simple PROVISION of God in your own life?