This post continues to get the attentoni of blog readers, perhaps because the title offers the key to becoming channels of compassion in our relationships to others. What happens in our personal relationship to God flows over into our interaction with friends, family and co-workers - our "neighbors." These posts are based on Jay Adams' book of the same title. A little book with a powerful punch. Very, very practical application of scripture to daily life.

Most Popular Post #9 Four Weeks with God and Your Neighbor, Week 5

In His grip, Sharon

Ok, so the first week of Four Weeks with God and Your Neighbor challenges me to identify specific sins and to create a plan of action. If a certain circumstance occurs that tempts me to sin, then I will respond in a specific way. My response to this assignment looks like this, "If I am confronted with someone else's conflict, I will refuse to draw conclusions based on the presenting person's words. Instead I will withhold judgment and encourage the speaker to go back to the person with whom they are in conflict and try to resolve the issues between the two of them."

What sin am I putting off? Listening to a bad report and impulsively judging another's heart and behavior. What behavior am I putting on? Refusing to enter into another's conflict and challenging the people involved to resolve their differences biblically rather than adding fire to the conflict with gossip.

Just slapping on a new behavior will not result in a new heart. I am convinced that I must identify the part of my worldview that is flawed before I will see genuine behavioral change in any area of my life.

Breaking sin habits is tedious and hard. Sometimes it's even boring because there is no magic pill. I must follow my choice to change with action. But the harder part is digging into the root of the thinking that drives my actions.

I must identify and admit the pleasure I gain from this particular sin.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-4 is a list of sins of the "last days." Paul, the writer of this passage ends this list with identifying the root thinking that drives these sins: People are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Again, ouch. It's painful to admit that when faced with a choice to either obey (reflect Christ) or disobey (sin), pleasure derived from the sin drives my choice in areas unchanged by Christ's presence. My mind quickly sorts through my options and weighs my behavior on my pleasure scales. If I am to really see change, I must be honest about why I choose evil.

This exercise is getting painful.

In His Grip,
Sharon

David says that his sin is always before him (Psalm 51:3). I feel his pain. I can barely function when I know that my actions have hurt someone I love. How do I "un-sin" my relationship to them? I can try to undo the pain of my sin, try to fix broken relationships. But just like I can't put toothpaste back in the tube, I can't take back the hurtful words or even lack of words.

Think of it, David lived with the murder of one of his key leaders. He lived with the consequences of adultery. Though God "un-sinned" him through forgiveness, David's life was characterized by chaos and family feuds...the consequences of his sin. Yet, God calls him a man after His own heart.

How can this be? Grace, grace, God's grace. There is hope for me, too. How does God want me to tap into this amazing grace? With the sacrifice of a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:16-17) that is reflected by my thank offerings, my dependence on His love, and trust in His Help (Psalm 50:14, 15). My heart is overflowing with the renewed revelation of God's longing for me to relate to Him on the most personal level. Every time I acknowledge His faithfulness and every time I depend on Him, I am giving a thank offering in which He delights.

I think about how much I want my husband to depend on me, to trust me to meet his needs wherever possible. And I want him to know how much I love him, to tell me he sees the love I'm expressing in my behavior toward him. The more he acknowledges my love, the more I want to show him my love.

Oh my, knowing my own heart needs in my marriage, I can see more clearly why God desires to receive thank offerings from me and how those offerings actually ignite His power in my life. This is really more than I can get my hands around but it's driving me deeper into His heart.

What about you, my friend? What is God teaching you on this spiritual pathway? What is soaking in Psalm 51 revealing about your own heart? Your lessons learned will help me keep on keeping on.

In his Grip,
Sharon