Sin loves an idle mind

...Just for you, Klamecki.

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It’s about that time of year when things start to get really insane. There are just a few months of school left and you’re in the midst of big projects and papers. Your commitments, whether to school, or church, or work, are consuming your schedule. Every day it’s something else you have to worry about, some other deadline you have to meet. Then, like a beacon in the night, the long-awaited day off arrives. You finally have time to sit down and breathe; there’s actually a small window of… free time… in your life. What now?

Enjoy your free time, but beware of the dangers that come with it. Sin loves an idle mind. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:16, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” It is easy to think that in those rare moments of free time, you have somehow earned the right to use that time to do whatever you want. With this mindset, you naturally let down your guard, and it is then that sin will strike with most appeal, and with the subtlest of suggestions.

There are times when you are tempted to sin and you know it is sin. Whether you’re sitting around watching television or surfing the internet, the temptation to sin can be obvious and clear, but when you’ve got nothing else to do, it is more enticing. However, sin in that format is generally easy to pick out. Sin has the ability to disguise itself as innocent and harmless. It is far more dangerous for you when sin causes you to make small compromises that seem like nothing at all. Maybe this TV show isn’t bad, exactly, but is it beneficial? Maybe that website doesn’t have anything inappropriate, but is reading it a wise use of your time? Whether or not some particular activity is actually sinful, assess whether it is something that could possibly lead to sin, and whether there is something better to do with your time. On the internet, sin is always waiting at your fingertips. In our media-driven culture, sin, and the temptation to sin, is ever-present.

This does not mean that you have to completely isolate yourself from everything. The potential to sin is within you regardless of where you are or what you are doing with your time, so that would not necessarily help. It does mean that as believers, we need to get serious about hating sin. “But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil” (Rom. 16:19). Flee from sin. The days are evil, and temptations surround. When idle time comes your way, prayerfully consider what the best use of your time would be. “Do not give the devil an opportunity,” Paul says in Ephesians 4:27. Are you engaging things of the world that are giving the devil an opportunity to tear you down? Do not allow room for sin to grab hold. Resist anything that presents sin as humorous or harmless. Look to the cross, direct your gaze toward the Savior. The cross was necessary because of how severely the Father hates sin. Will you then repay Christ by allowing that same sin the chance to take hold in your life?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus // look full in His wonderful face // and the things of earth will grow strangely dim // in the light of His glory and grace.

Christ the First

Colossians 1:15-18 –

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

There’s an obvious theme to this section of Colossians, summed up nicely in the last little phrase. Christ is first in everything. He made everything in the world: not just material items, but positions, relationships, conditions to every situation… He created it all. He created you and everything you will experience on this earth and then beyond, including your relationship with Him. Remember that while you were yet a sinner, Christ died for you (Rom. 5:8). He initiated the relationship, and He holds it together (Col. 1:17).

Our part in this relationship, similar to our role in evangelism (see previous post), is small but crucial. As per the commandment, we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Deut. 6:5). So we are to devote ourselves fully to God, and to live for Him completely. This love that is to consume our entire being is held together and empowered by Christ, but it is our responsibility to make godly decisions which reflect our dedication to this relationship with Christ.

Loving God with heart, soul, strength, and mind is not easily summed up. Christianity is all about what Christ did for mankind, but that does not mean that the believer’s role is easy, or even simple. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be tackling a series of topics that are related to this pursuit of godliness to which believers are called. In attempt to be more intentional and specific about my own zealous endeavor, I would like to seek out and apply the truth of God’s Word to various issues, so that Christ will come to have first place in my life.

"the Gospel which has come to you"

Colossians 1:3-6 –

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the Gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth…

At the very outset of his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul reiterates the power of the Gospel. Before anything else can be said by way of instruction or teaching, Paul sees it necessary to communicate the truth that it is the power of God alone, the power of the very Word itself, which accomplishes the purpose to which all believers are called. God creates the mission (the proclamation of the Gospel to the entire world), God creates the missionaries (those who believe in Him), and God empowers the mission (through His Word and the Holy Spirit). The role of the believer is minimal, yet it is difficult.

Jesus commands His disciples, and us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…” (Matt. 28:19-20). This is the mission, to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). God has designed for Christians to be the messengers of His glorious Gospel. It is the highest calling and the most widespread calling. It is to every Christian. Jesus does not say “those who I call into ministry: go and preach the Gospel.” He does not say “those who feel like it: go and preach the Gospel.” He says “GO!” He uses an imperative sentence with an understood plural you at the beginning. This command is for all believers, for all who read those words and believe that the Bible is the true Word of God.

Notice what Paul says in Colossians though: “the Gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world [the Gospel] is bearing fruit and increasing.” The messengers of the Gospel are not bearing fruit; the messengers of the Gospel are not increasing. The Gospel is doing these things. No believer has ever come to the Gospel by their own accord. God has drawn them to it. The Gospel comes to the lost through the messenger; by the power of the message, the Holy Spirit changes lives. And when the Gospel brings salvation to the broken, to the dead in spirit, the Gospel increases. As more souls are saved from the burden of sin, more voices begin proclaiming and carrying the message of the cross. There is no greater news than the truth of Christ crucified, risen, and ascended to the Father.

While the role of the believer is minute compared to the role of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel, the believer’s role is significant and it is difficult. It is significant because God has chosen to spread His message this way. He could do it any number of other ways, but He does it through His children so that they too may experience the power of the Gospel. Paul writes that as the Gospel bears fruit and increases in the world, it simultaneously does the same “in you since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth.” It is difficult because so many in the world do not want to hear this message. In fact, they are so adamantly opposed to the Gospel that Christians are constantly murdered for simply speaking of it. Embrace this difficulty. In 2 Timothy 1:8, Paul writes, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.” The mission is not easy, but we are called to willingly join with fellow believers in suffering.

Do this while keeping in sight the “hope laid up for you in heaven.” The hope of eternal life has been granted to you by the power of the Gospel. So as you go with the mission of carrying that same Gospel, remember what the Gospel has brought you. Remember the cross. Remember that God has redeemed you through the blood of His Son and called you with the highest calling. Remember the blessings that God daily pours out on your life. Remember all that He has freely given, and respond with a passion for proclaiming the message of salvation. Respond with a willingness to suffer, and even die, for the sake of the Gospel, that all the world might hear and believe.

Wholly Surrendered

I talk a lot about “surrendering wholly to God.” One thing I want to be careful of, and I am afraid I am guilty of, is using these sorts of phrases that sound good in writing but do not really benefit anybody in everyday life. It’s one thing to wake up in the morning and say “God, today I surrender myself wholly to You,” and quite another to wake up and immediately dive into His Word and find out exactly how He wants you to surrender to Him each day. So my goal is to elaborate on this phrase a little bit and take a look at what it really means to surrender wholly to God.

It must start with a complete understanding of the cross of Jesus Christ. We can talk all day long about different aspects of living for Christ, but if we are not living in the knowledge of the price He paid for us, nothing else has meaning. Colossians 1:20-22 says, “…and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” First, understand the depth of the sin you once lived in. And though I say lived, your soul was dead in your sins (Eph. 2:1), even while your physical body lived. Understand, then, how God reconciled you to Himself through the death of His Son, while you were yet a sinner (Rom. 5:8). Though you opposed Him, He made peace with you and brought you into His kingdom. Your soul is washed clean of all sin, and He is actively involved in the process of your sanctification, as even now you become more like Christ.

Surrendering wholly to God requires a hunger for God. If we do not have an intimacy with God that exceeds all other relationships, we will be unable to hear Him speak as clearly as we might. In order to find out what God would have us pursue, we must have such a relationship that there is no room for doubt. While the primary means we receive knowledge of God is through personal reading of His Word, we have an abundance of excellent resources written by men and women who have devoted their entire lives to the study of the Scripture. Do not forsake your daily reading of the Bible, but cultivate also a hunger for learning through the godly wisdom of others. Paul and Timothy write to the church at Colossae, “we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-10). Increasing in the knowledge of God is a part of walking in a manner worthy of Christ. J.I. Packer writes in Knowing God (an excellent book to aid in this pursuit), “As he is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so he must himself be the end of it. We must seek, in studying God, to be led to God. It was for this purpose that revelation was given, and it is to this use that we must put it.” Do not simply know about God, but know Him intimately and personally, so that you will be able to hear Him constantly speaking truth into your life.

Surrendering wholly to God requires trust. Submit yourself now to the fact that you will not always know what God is doing, and that is okay. We have a promise from God that whether or not we understand a situation, or an event, it will ultimately be for our good. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). By His grace we are among “those who love God,” and by His will we are “called according to His purpose.” Scripture is full of God’s promises to those who follow His leading. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, trust Him unceasingly and receive the full blessing He has set apart for you. In the good times, trust God and guard yourself against the thought that life is good by your own doing. In the bad times, trust God and guard yourself against the thought that He has forsaken you, or that He is punishing you. Rest in the comfort that it is for your good, and do not doubt the workings of God.

Lastly, surrendering wholly to God requires action. Each believer must “find out what pleases God” (Eph. 5:10) in his or her own life and then seek that end with all strength and diligence. Though this action may look different in each person, there are some things which cannot be disregarded. Christ commands us: “be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Wherever you go, shine His light. Whether it is a mission trip half-way across the world or a grocery trip down the street, breathe grace on everyone you come in contact with. Encourage others with the love of Christ, speaking kindness and edification. Witness first with your actions, and then with His words. The pursuit of godliness also cannot be taken lightly. “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:11-14). Seeking out and destroying sin in your life is hard work, but we are called to it. It is a non-negotiable action that is a crucial part of surrendering to God, and it is an ongoing battle. In The Enemy Within, Kris Lundgaard writes, “Paul found [the law of sin] at work in him even while he wanted to do good. He didn’t stumble onto it in a time of great backsliding, or when he was indifferent about the things of God. He was aware of it even when he most wanted to serve God, when he set his mind to obey his Savior and King, when Christ ruled his heart.” Even in the midst of our spiritual highs we are called to action against sin. Be ruthless in your eradication of that which God abhors.

As we begin to take seriously this life to which we are called, we must surrender wholly to His will, to His leading, to His Word, and to His commands. We must know that it is only by the grace we have received through the cross that we are able to approach Him and seek after Him wholeheartedly. It is “in Him that we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). In Him, and by His power, our surrender leads to His name being glorified. There is no greater calling than this, to glorify God through our complete submission, and to make His name known by the simple testimony of His work in our lives.