But my hands are full!
(Road Repair continued)
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
Yesterday we talked about picking up our crosses and following Jesus down the road He has marked out for us. But what if our hands are full with other stuff? What if we have reached into, and grabbed a handful of, a bunch of the world’s sticky, messy, nasty stuff, and now we are completely overcome with it?
Some recent statistics, concerning regular church attendees, from barna.org:
- Over 50% of the men have been involved with pornography within the last week
- Over half of evangelical pastors admit viewing pornography in the last year.
- 34% of female readers of Today's Christian Woman's online newsletter intentionally access Internet porn
- 1 out of every 6 women, including Christians, struggles with an addiction to pornography
- Born again Christians and non-Christians have essentially the same probability of divorce.
- Mormons are more likely to read the Bible during the week than are Protestants or Catholics.
- 12% of Senior Pastors say they have the spiritual gift of leadership; 8% say they have the gift of evangelism
- Three out of ten born again adults say that co-habitation, gay sex, sexual fantasies, breaking the speed limit or watching sexually-explicit movies are morally acceptable behaviors.
And this is just a random sampling; there is less and less a behavioral difference between adults in church and adults not in church. A good part of that is the lack of emphasis on the Word of God in church! Consider these words from Paul: Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. (Romans 1:28-32)
“…they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God…”
“…they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them….”
Friends, may it not be so! Instead, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews12:1-3)
May we, indeed, fix our eyes on Jesus! Again, this comes through prayer and the reading and studying of His Word. Then, with our eyes firmly on Him, and our hands unencumbered, we can take up our crosses and follow Him.
Tomorrow, Lord willing, “The Only Three Reasons for Church”, until then, Shalom! Pastor Jim
P.S. If you need a starting place for spiritual discipline, consider the following: Starting today, and then first thing tomorrow morning, I challenge you to listen to God, with this five-minute exercise:
1) Do this as soon as you wake up. Set your clock a few minutes early if that is what you need to get up ahead of the household noise. Lay your Bible by your bed as a reminder. 2) Go to the quietest place in your house, outside, your kitchen, your bathroom...wherever. 3) Pray for 1 minute that God would speak to you. Audibly, out loud, ask Him to remove Satan from your presence for this time. Ask Him to remove distractions and mental clutter. During this time, do not ask Him for anything else, do not thank Him for anything else, do not pray for anyone else (but please find another prayer time for all these things). 4) Open your Bible and read for 2 minutes. This is God talking to you through His Word. Listen to Him. 5) Close your Bible and be silent for 3 minutes. Listen for Him. He may come as a thought, a nudge, an idea. For a while, He may seem hard to hear. There is so much clutter in our minds! Keep listening.
This may seem difficult. You will hear every creaking tree branch. You will hear every barking dog. But like Elijah's time in the cave, God is not in the tree branch, God is not in the dog. Persevere. Listen for the gentle whisper.
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