Whether We Want to Admit it or Not

The world today doesn't like to be told what to do.

 As a classroom teacher, I get told many times that I am wrong for telling children their behavior or language is wrong. I'm told it isn't my place to correct children, only teach them academics and that if they fail, it is always my fault.

No one wants to be held accountable.  We want to blame everyone else.  The age old response for any excuse is "He made me."

Really now?

Someone else makes us lie?  Some one else makes us overeat? Someone else makes us waste our time on Facebook and not read our Bibles?

I may be about to burst some bubbles and have some folks click the X in the corner of the screen, but I am going to say it anyway....

You are a sinner.

I am a sinner.

I'm sorry, but we are not perfect.

The quicker we can admit to our sinfulness, the faster we can change. Notice, I did not say become perfect.

We will never be perfect this side of heaven.

Part of our identity is knowing full well that we are imperfect people who desperately need a perfect God.

We can't blame God when our own imperfections and the imperfections of others hurt us.

We can't blame God when we've chosen a path of our own and not sought out His good and perfect will for our lives.

We can't blame God when we've placed him in a little box and reached for him in only times of desperation.

We can't blame God for the sinfulness of this world, the direction of this country, the hurt and pain we experience all because we have thrown out His Word and what he says is right and wrong....all because we don't want to admit that we are in the wrong.

So, as we are searching for who we are, what we are to do, the path we are to follow, we need to search our hearts for anything that is not pleasing to God.

1Corinthians 6:9-11 says this,

 "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,  nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

That list, Friend, that list is the "stuff" that we don't want to be told is wrong. That's our sin.  We have created idols in our lives. We have taken that which was not ours. We have broken our wedding vows, We have preferred our alcohol and drugs over sober minds. We have lusted over what belongs to our neighbors.  We have become sexually immoral.  We have gone against the word of God.

But there is hope for us all.

There is hope in Jesus Christ.

We have to be willing to step back and say, "I don't want these things in my life. I want the blessings of God."

But there's more.

We have to mean it.  We have to want to truly be found in Him and known as His.  When those temptations arise, and they will, we must call out to God to give us strength, to provide a way out, an alternative, to lead us and guide us on the path of righteousness.

And in the mean time, we must build our relationship with Jesus.  Just like with any relationship, a relationship with Christ requires time and effort.  We have to grow and learn and spend time with him.  We have to seek him each and every day, each and every moment, in the sun and in the storm.

And that will produce fruit. That will produce light. That will grow our faith. And that will be how we are seen and known as His.