A Thanksgiving Prayer

This prayer is in honour of Canadian Thanksgiving.

The Inequality of Sin

Have you ever heard these phrases: “sin is sin is sin,” or “all sin is the same in God's eyes”?

I have heard them many times. Let's take a look at the Scriptures to see what they say.

“For no one living is righteous before you.” Psalm 143:2b

That is pretty clear that every one of us stands before God as unrighteous. There is no one who is “good enough” to make the claim that they will be declared righteous on judgment day.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. (James 2:10-11)

Ouch! One stumble at obedience, one sin, makes us guilty of breaking the entire law. Why is that? Because God is utterly , completely, and perfectly holy. He has never sinned. He has never made a mistake. He has never had poor judgment. He has never lied. His very nature is sinless. One sin and we are no longer like God.

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.

Isaiah 59:1-2

Sin separates us from God. There is no list of which sins separate us from God and which ones don't. Any sin in our life separates us from this holy and perfect God. In this context of who is righteous and who can stand before God on the day of judgment, “all sin is equal in the sight of God,” as any sin separates us from God. Each and every one of us has been separated from God and requires a Saviour to redeem us and make us acceptable to Him. That Saviour is Jesus!

However, the other day, something jumped out at me as I was reading the crucifixion account in John 19.

“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Did you catch that phrase at the very end of Jesus' reply? “Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” Jesus clearly thinks that not all sin is equal.

I decided to explore this further. As Jesus prepares to send out the Twelve Apostles to proclaim the message of the Kingdom of God, he gave them many instructions. Those instructions included the following:

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. (Mt 10:14-15)

Later, Jesus says something similar to the crowd.

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” (Mt 11:20-24)

In both these passages, Jesus indicates that on the Day of Judgment there will be different degrees of judgment/punishment. If different sins receive different punishments, clearly Jesus does not consider all sin to be equal.

Not long after I started typing this blog post, I read an excerpt in The Utter Relief of Holiness, by John Eldredge, in which Eldredge discusses the very same topic.

“This idea has morphed into the popular notion "all sins are pretty much the same." It doesn't matter what the details are; sin is sin. I've heard that very phrase from many church leaders. Really? Sexual abuse is the same as jaywalking? I've met Bible scholars who would actually tell you yes. Jesus clearly doesn't agree. He felt that because the townspeople of Capernaum had seen him in person—God in the flesh—witnessed with their own eyes his life and miracles and had still rejected him, their crimes were far more serious than the homosexuality of Sodom. Whoa.

Jewish radio commentator and teacher Dennis Prager calls it "moral equivalency"—blurring moral differences, making all ethical issues equal, and therefore all sins equal. The idea is devastating for several reasons. First, I believe it has added to the sexual collapse I mentioned earlier. Good grief, if in the heat of passion you believe "a sin's a sin" and this is really no different from cheating on a test, and what the heck, you've already gone this far, you aren't going to have much reason to keep your clothes on. Confusing the weight of sins actually hurts our ability to resist temptation.

But the blurring of moral differences has also torn many a tender conscience apart. When a dear soul comes before God to repent of lying to her boss, and she believes (because she's been told) that she has done something just as awful as murdering her neighbor, she finds it very hard to receive forgiveness. She puts herself through all sorts of severity that frankly the offense simply doesn't call for.

This is not the view Jesus holds on the matter. All he said to the woman caught in adultery was "go and sin no more." But to the cities that rejected him, he shouts a warning that it is going to be a mighty black day come the end. There are moral differences; some matters are far weightier than others.

Furthermore, you can't pursue genuine holiness if you are walking around under the crushing weight that tossing a wrapper on the sidewalk is just as bad as harboring resentment toward your parents. It's crippling; it also keeps you from focusing on what Jesus called "the weightier matters."

The idea has also had devastating consequences when it comes to our influence in public life. It has clouded many a Christian's thinking around election time. Trees are important, but not nearly as important as human life. Education is important, but not nearly as important as the sanctity of marriage. Blurring moral differences tries to make all things equal. They are not.”

The Scriptures clearly indicate that not all sin is equal. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that “sin is sin” and allow yourself to commit sins that carry a much greater weight. On the other hand, don't beat yourself up and go into a depression for something small, thinking you are just as guilty as the murderer sitting in a jail cell. We all need a Saviour as much as the murderer, and without coming to Jesus we have no solution for our separation from God. However, Scripture is clear that the consequences in this life and the next are not the same for all sin.

Oh Almighty Father!

How awesome it is to come before Your righteous throne! We praise You and thank You for Your incredible mercy extended to us through the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross. There is no one righteous on their own merits. We have all fallen so far short of Your glory. Yet, You love us and delight in us! You want a relationship with us! We cannot give you enough praise and worship for Your incredible love! Thank You for Your Word and the wisdom it provides. Help us to realize that some sins are indeed worse than others. Some of us think small things are terrible, and beat ourselves up for being so horribly sinful. Others minimize all sin. Help us to have sober judgment when we examine ourselves. Let us remember Your promise that when we come to You in confession and repentance You forgive all our sins and clothe us with the righteousness of Christ! May we live in such a way as to grow more like You every day. To You be all praise and honour and power and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Son of God film

I heard about the film about a month ago when researching my last post on persecution. I was intrigued and really hoped it would come to Canada, where very few Christian films make it to the big screen.

I learned about a week ago that it was opening in theaters on Feb 28. I decided to invite several non-Christian friends and a few Christian ones to join me on half-price Tuesday. Monday night I had a good friend and his son coming, my oldest son, and a young non-Christian friend my brother and I have been reaching out to. All three of these young men have faced very significant mental health challenges.

Monday night a friend sent me a few links to reviews of the movie – all by Christian reviewers. Two of the reviews were so extremely negative they left me with a huge knot in my stomach. The makers of the film have combined their Christianity with new age spiritualism. I didn't want my non-Christian friend to get the wrong message. I don't think he has ever heard the full story of Jesus, and I didn't want him to hear a false gospel. The other two young men, although both Christians, because of issues in their lives, are still very vulnerable in their faith.

I wrestled much of the night in prayer. I agonized that I hadn't been bothered by the Biblical errors evident even in the trailer. I was bothered by the traditional scene of the wise men at the stable, because Biblically they didn't get to Bethlehem until maybe a year and one half later. But in the trailer the scenes of the calling of Peter and the raising of Lazarus were also not Biblically portrayed.

I finally came to the conclusion in prayer that God allowed the movie to be made. God allowed it to come to theaters. God has spoken through misguided people before. In Numbers 22 we read the story of the diviner Balaam, who was paid to curse Israel, but instead by God's power blessed them. (In case you read the account in Numbers 22 and think Balaam was a believer in Yahweh, read Num 31:15-16 where he is blamed for the advice which turned the Israelites away from the Lord). God also spoke through the high priest Caiaphas that it would be good for one man to die for the people (Jn 18:14, Jn 11:49-53).

I also fully trust in God's promise in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.” God could use this movie for the good of those He has called. With those two conclusions, I was finally able to go to sleep in peace and trust that God would work through the film in spite of the negative reviews.

The young non-Christian did not make it to the movie, because he had been up all night sick. The rest of us went. My son Caleb told me it was the first film during which he had ever cried, and in fact he cried through most of it! It was indeed a powerful film. Instead of creating or propagating conflict about the movie, pray that God will touch those who see it. God is bigger than the problems in the film!

So what are the problems? The true deep down problem is that Jesus is not portrayed as knowing his future. He doesn't know His destiny at the cross until the Last Supper. In the Gospels, Jesus knows the cross and resurrection are the culmination of his ministry long before the Lord's Supper, even from before His ministry began. John the Baptist referred to Jesus as “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” (Jn 1:29) In the movie Jesus doesn't know that Lazarus had died, He forces Judas to betray Him in response to a vision, and learns from a vision that Peter would disown Him. These just are not accurate!

This is a doctrinal issue that is very important. Jesus KNEW His future, both from all the Scriptures that referenced Him, but also because He was God incarnate. He wasn't responding ad hoc to sporadic visions. “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” (Jn 519) Jesus also claimed, “I and the Father are one.” (Jn 10:30) A claim which those who heard understood to mean that Jesus was making Himself equal to God.

Jesus prepared His disciples for the truth of his crucifixion and resurrection, starting right after Peter's proclamation that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of God. (Mk 8:29-33) He prophesied His resurrection not just to his followers, but also to the religious leaders. A guard was placed on the tomb (which was not in the movie) because the religious leaders recalled that he claimed he would rise in three days. (Mt 27:62-66).

He taught that it is through Him that we receive atonement for our sins and a relationship with the Father.

“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.” (Jn 8:24)

I am the Good Shepherd: I know my sheep and they know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the father – and I lay my life down for the sheep... The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (Jn 10:14-15,17)

No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6b)

Although these are indeed major issues, I don't think they negate all the good that the film does hold.

Some of the other issues discussed in the negative reviews can be explained by the fact that a movie has a limited length of time to tell the story. The makers of Son of God chose to spend a lot of screen time on establishing the cruelty of the Roman occupation – that the Jews were desperate for a political Messiah. This meant less time went to Jesus' teachings. Someone viewing the film will not know what it means to be a Christian when they come out of the film. However, it is a great starting point for discussion, teaching, and a desire to read God's Word. If you are bringing a non-Christian to the film, have a Bible or New testament to give them.

There are four accounts of Jesus' life in the Bible – the four Gospels. They have slightly different accounts of certain events, because they are written from the perspective of different people. One of the reviews claimed a Biblical inaccuracy, when it was in reality the version from one of the other four Gospels.

There are a few scenes that perhaps take “artistic license” too far. In other cases scenes or teachings are combined together in order to save screen time. This is a reality of movie making and does not mean these scenes contradict Scripture.

The final complaint I find very interesting, because it is incorrect. The negative reviews were indignant that Mary Magdalene was with the disciples the entire time. Although in the Gospels she is not given any “lines” until the resurrection, she was present throughout most of Jesus' ministry. She actually helped provide for Jesus and the Twelve!

“After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household: Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” (Lk 8:1-3)

The inaccuracy is not that Mary Magdalene was present, but that the other women were absent. There absence is again a fact of movie-making. Extra characters not essential for the story are left out.

So, I suggest it is a movie worth seeing. Jesus is a warm, intriguing, humble character in this film (although they did leave out the foot-washing scene). You can see why people were drawn to Him. The scene of the calling of Matthew is an unexpected tear-jerker. The scenes of Jesus' beatings, floggings and crucifixion are extremely powerful. We all need a reminder of what He endured for us in order that we might enjoy forgiveness and a relationship with the Father! Just don't expect the film to make Christians of the viewers. We have more work to do in teaching and making-disciples. We also need to remember the spiritual battle going on and PRAY for the movie to have the proper impact.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you so much for leaving Your throne in heaven and coming to this broken messed up earth. Thank you for coming not just to teach us, but to die for us and give Your life as a ransom for many. Thank you that through Your life and teaching we can know You and Your will. Thank you that You are the Good Shepherd that lay down His life for us wayward sheep. Give us hearts to trust that You will work powerfully through this film in spite of it's weaknesses. Don't allow it to cause division in your church. Instead, let it ignite a hunger for Your Word in people – people who know you but can still go deeper; people who think they know you, but don't; and people who don't know you at all. We give You all praise and honour and glory forever and ever, amen.

Persecution

Two weeks ago Prime Minster Steven Harper made his first official visit to Israel. He brought a delegation of 208 people with him. News media that have been known to be against Harper decided to attack him in a different way. They went after three members of his delegation who have made public statements that the Bible indicates homosexuality is wrong.

The delegates include Don Simmonds, chairman of Crossroads Christian Communications, Shawn Ketcheson, Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Ottawa, and Rabbi Reuven Bulka a beloved figure in the Ottawa community who recently received the Order of Canada for his community work.

The media has twisted quotations by pulling them out of context. These men have (individually or collectively) been portrayed as “staunchly anti-gay” and “homophobic.” I guess you can say they are staunchly anti-gay, as the literal meaning is to “hold fast to a conviction against homosexuality.” However, the phrase in today's culture conveys the idea of actively propagating that conviction and forcing others to accept it. “Homophobic” is used totally incorrectly, as a phobia is an irrational fear. Disagreeing with someone's beliefs does not make you “anti” or “phobic.”

Pastor Rick Warren has summed up the problem is this quote: 

“Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”

The media has singled out this one particular belief as if it is their strongest one. I do not know much about two of the delegates, but I have heard hundreds of sermons by Pastor Ketcheson. His message is always that we are all broken sinful people in need of healing and in need of a Saviour. The media had to go back to a sermon from 2011 to find Pastor Ketcheson's statement against homosexuality. The media made it sound like the entire point of the sermon was to denounce homosexuality. I was in the congregation for that sermon. It was a message on sin. It included that God considers all sex outside of marriage as sin. Greed is sin. Lack of forgiveness, hatred, jealousy, drunkenness, addictions, putting anything else before God – these are all sin.

Don Simmonds is the chairman of Crossroads Christian Communications which has the mission to provide relief and assistance to people affected by disaster, famine, poverty and war, and facilitate sustainable development programs in their countries. He has been accused of supporting the government in Uganda in their effort to legislate the death penalty for homosexuals, because he is involved in relief efforts in that country and holds the position that homosexuality is wrong according to the Bible! Talk about twisting something good into something negative!

So, how should we respond to persecution? The Bible gives us plenty of direction, the first being to expect it.

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2Ti 3:12-13)

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also calls us not to just put up with persecution, but to rejoice in it!

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt 5:10-12)

How are we to respond to our persecutors? The Apostle Paul was stoned numerous times,spent many years in prison, and ultimately faced death by beheading for his work in proclaiming the Gospel. He answers the question in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment. (1Co 12b-13)

How are we to respond in such an incredibly difficult way? Our nature wants to defend ourselves and to attack in return. Paul answers that question for us as well.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 2Tim1:7-8

We can respond as Jesus did on the day He was betrayed and crucified. We can do so by the power of the Spirit of God within us! Jesus could have retaliated, but He did not. Paul could have retaliated, but He chose to imitate his Lord. Both Paul and Jesus also call us to support those who are persecuted and not to back down when we are persecuted. Jesus

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38

I don't want Jesus to be ashamed of me! We need to stand up for the truth of God's Word. We also need to support others who stand up for the truth.

Brian Lilley, a newsman for Sun Media in Ottawa, took a very public stand against the other media giants in this situation, and for the truth of God's Word. Here is his report on the situation. Harper Under Fire for Pastor. It is awesome to see other Christians supporting those who are persecuted.

Some of our brothers and sisters in other countries receive persecution on a regular basis. I will close with this statement from a poster put out by Voice of the Martyrs, as it is something for us to think about. What are we willing to give up to stand up for the Truth?  

We worship in church.

Thousands of our persecuted brothers and sisters

worship in prison.

Dear Father,

Thank you that Your Word is truth! In this world of selective morality, people are turning away from that truth to chase after lies that do not fulfill. You call us to be lights in this dark world. That starts with taking a stand for You and Your truth. But, taking a stand does not mean being abusive or attacking those who attack us. Just as You did not retaliate, give us the strength to love our persecutors! Help us to spread Your truth in a loving manner. Let people be attracted to our lives. That will not happen if we are judgmental You were so loving to the woman brought before you caught in the act of adultery. You did not judge her, but loved her enough to call her to change. The Samaritan woman at the well with a sordid past felt loved by you, not condemned! Give us that heart to be loving lights to the world. Help us to see people's brokenness, and extend them compassion as we offer Your Words of healing truth. Father, thank you for these men who have stood up for Your truth in a culture that wants nothing to do with it! To You we give all praise and honour and glory! Amen.

Little Girl -- A Lesson in Delight

I know it has been a long time since I posted anything. I won't go into all the reasons why.

It is a few days past Christmas. I am not going to bother with a Christmas themed post. We all know the amazing gift that God gave us in sending His Son Jesus.

I am going to continue with the theme of what I have learned from my pets. Little Girl is my favourite. When we got her, she was the smallest and cutest kitten in the litter. She was supposed to be 8 weeks old, but the vet said she couldn't be more than four weeks. We thought we got a male kitten (before you get on my case, gender is not as obvious in cats as many other animals). I soon came to the realization that we had a little girl cat. The name “Little Girl” stuck. She is still very little. She has two offspring; both are twice her size. Gurt is one of them.

The first thing I learn from Little Girl is that although God does not have favourites, we are each treated as if we are His favourite! In my humanness, I must admit that Little Girl is my favourite. My time, energy and emotions are all limited. God has no such limitations. He can meet all my needs and spend incredible time with me without taking away from anyone else! Praise God. We always have His full attention, His full support, His complete affection, His completely satisfying love. WOW!

The second thing I learn from Little Girl comes from why she is my favourite. She almost always comes when I call her. This is rather unusual for cats. They are often too independent to come when you want them to, unless of course food is involved. She comes because she obviously delights in spending time with me. I often take naps during the day. She will eagerly follow me into my room, hoping I am going to have a nap, so she can cuddle up with me. We spend a lot of time snuggled up together with her purring very loudly. She also licks me, desperately trying to groom as much of me as possible – it is the only gift she has to give.

So why is she my favourite – because she delights to be with me. She eagerly seeks me out. She comes when I call. She offers me everything she has to give. Although God doesn't have favourites, I am sure we delight Him when we respond to Him as Little Girl responds to me.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord. (Jer 29:13-14a)

The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut 30:9b-10)

And of course, what is the greatest commandment? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Mt 22:37). It is the greatest commandment because that is what God wants most from us.

Little Girl desperately tries to groom me. What else does a cat have to offer? Do I give my all to God? Do I give Him my time, my energy, my gifts and talents, my wealth, my dreams?

“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” (Lk 14:33)

God wants us to give Him everything (btw, He gave it to us in the first place). He often lets us keep much of it, but He wants us to release our hold on things, people, jobs, hobbies, plans, and dreams. When we do this for God, our love for Him is evident, and He delights in us!

When Little Girl is with me she purrs with all her heart I'm sure God loves it when I cuddle up with Him and sing to Him. (I know I don't do this nearly enough.) He loves it when I choose to spend time with Him!

God is delighted when I delight myself in Him!

Father,

Thank You so much for Your incredible love, which You expressed so completely in sending Your Son to live on earth and die for our sins! Thank You that You WANT a relationship with each one of us! Sometimes we don't understand why You do, but may we each be encouraged that You DO love each of us so much that Jesus died for each one of us. Let us delight ourselves in You. Give us hearts that long to be with You. Open our eyes to see wonderful things in Your Word. Open our eyes to see Your expressions of love throughout the day. Let us give You all that we have and all that we are, not out of duty or fear, but out of desperate love. To You we give all honour, glory, and praise.

A Lesson from Gurt -- God Loves Us As We Are

Today I am going to share about our cat Gurt. When Gurt's mother was pregnant, Christopher (my youngest son, 8 years old at the time) loved yogurt more than any other food. We like to play around with words and we would break yogurt up to “Yo! Gurt.” We joked that we could name one of the kittens Yogurt and call it saying Yo! Gurt. Well, her name ended up being just Gurt, or Gurt Gurt.

Have you ever heard the expression "Curiosity killed the cat”? Well, that describes Gurt. She has to examine and explore everything. She has to check out every box, every surface of the house, and the “great wilds” around our home. She can be extremely mischievous.

As in the photo above, she is frequently in the way. She used to love sitting on the monitor, often with her tail in the way of the screen. (She would still do it except we now have flats screen monitors). As a kitten she and her littermate would climb the Christmas tree and attack each other from the top limbs, toppling the tree more than once. S he loves to get on my desk and knock papers onto the floor. She jumps up onto my wardrobe where I have things collecting for a clothing exchange at church. She knocks down some things, or makes herself comfortable and takes a nap. I then have to re-wash the items she has covered with fur. It doesn't matter what I try to do to stop her from jumping up there, she finds a way.

She has figured out how to open doors that do not latch, such as our bathroom door. She lets herself in when I am taking a shower, letting out all the warm air. I then have to get out into a very cold bathroom. Her favourite time to seek my attention is when I am in that room.

The most frustrating thing is when she brings me presents from the great wilds around our house. A lot of people share stories about how their cats will leave dead mice as presents. Well, Gurt loves to play. So, she brings me live critters so I can play, too. (Chipmunks are much worse than mice – they climb the wall halfway and then throw themselves at you!) From her frame of reference, as I go chasing mice or chipmunks all around the house, I am playing. She has the satisfaction of knowing that she has given her mom a good gift!

I love Gurt. I am sometimes annoyed by her, especially at her gift of chipmunks! But, really, she is just being a cat. It is her nature to be curious. It is her nature to enjoy boxes and heights. It is her nature to hunt and play. It is her nature to seek attention when it is convenient to her. Some of the things that frustrate me about Gurt, are really things that endear her to me (and the rest of the family).

Well, we are made in the image of God. In some ways, the way we love our pets has similarities to how God loves us. Just as I accept Gurt's sometimes frustrating behaviour, realizing it is simply her nature as a cat, God accepts us. It was only in the past few years that I came to understand that God knows I am human and He is OK with that. In print, that statement seems so basic, so obvious. However, for over 20 years as a Christian, it was anything but obvious!

I understood that God loved me. However, I felt like He was always disappointed in me. As much as I tried by my power and with His power to get rid of the sin in my life, I still remain a sinner. For me to understand that God is OK with that was life-changing. Yes, He wants us to repent and grow, but He knows that I will not be perfect until I enter the gates of Heaven.

Rom 5:8 tells us: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Did you see that? While I was still a sinner Christ died for me! While you were still a sinner, Christ died for you! Jesus didn't die for us at our best, but at our worst! He knows that we are human and it is in our nature to sin. He loves us even with the sin in our lives!

I had a prayer walk the other day where I tried to understand how He could hate sin so much, yet love us sinners. It is so hard for me to separate the sin from the sinner. I got the response that He delights in our transformation. He delights with every change in our lives that brings us closer to our original glory. He loves it when we repent.

Jesus declares in Luke 15: 7, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Most of the time we understand this verse in the context of someone coming to know Jesus. However, that morning I got the sense that it applies to each one of us with each sin we repent of. Jesus delights in every step of our journey that brings us into a closer relationship with Him.

Oh Holy Father,

We praise Your wonderful Name! You are a God of great love, mercy and faithfulness! We thank You for Your Word and the wisdom it provides. We thank You that it is living and active. A passage can speak to us is a new way after seeing it one way for many years. Thank You for our pets and the joy they bring to us. Thank You that You can use almost anything in our lives to teach us about You. Thank You that You accept us where we are. You don't just accept us, You love us. You loved us at our worst. You will continue to love us in ways that will refine us to become who You want us to be. You delight in each step of repentance. May there be repentance in my life today that will bring You joy! May each person reading this also take a step of repentance that will bring them closer to You. May You open our eyes and our hearts to see the evidence of Your love that is all around us!.

All glory and praise and honour to the God of mercy and love!

Smokey - a Lesson from my Cat

Hello again. I'm sorry I have been absent. The past few month have been challenging and emotionally painful. I am not able to share about the struggle at this time, but I want to praise God that He has been so very present through the entire time!

He has blessed me personally with a deeper relationship with Him and the gift of His peace that passes understanding. He has blessed my family in that my brother has come to Jesus! It feels like my 16 year-old son has matured five years in the past month! My business (which I asked God for His direction and will as to what I should do to earn a living) has really taken off! God is so good!

I am an animal lover. Cats are my favourite. I have three cats living with me, and there are three more that moved out with my oldest son. My brother, who lives with me, has a dog. Each of these animals has a very distinct personality, and I can learn from each of them. Today I will share about one of them. I will probably share about others in future posts.

SMOKEY

Smokey came to us a little over six years ago. I used to feed my cats on our porch and stray cats would sometimes come to take advantage of the free food. I would shoo them away. I can't afford to feed every cat in the neighbourhood. Smokey was one of these cats. However – there was something different. I realized he was sick and very thin. He was so terrified of people that he probably wasn't a stray but rather a feral cat (a wild undomesticated cat). He was wheezing so badly there was no way he could hunt. I live in the country and there are plenty of small rodents to feed hundreds of cats. However, a mouse could hear Smokey a mile away.

I started to feed him, but I had to go back into the house, as he wouldn't come anywhere near me. Well, to make a long story short, we ended up adopting him. It took many months for him to let us come near him, but eventually he moved in. As an example of how little he understood our world, it took 4 years for him to learn that he could sit on the window ledge and look out the window. Prior to that he was so scared at being picked up that nothing registered. Now he will tolerate being picked up. He loves sitting on anyone's lap, and can't get enough attention. He still has that wheeze and other messy health issues, and periodically a bad cough that needs antibiotics.

So what do I learn from Smokey? His is a story of salvation. Like every person that comes to Christ and finds a new life, Smokey found a new life with us. He is so grateful! In spite of constantly being sick, he is the most playful of my cats. He also wants to be with me all the time. He can't get enough of me. I think of Psalm 42:

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

Do I have that attitude with God? When I am sick, is my life still characterized by joy and gratitude? Do I long to spend time with God? I can get annoyed at how much Smokey wants to spend time with me. He head buts me – hard – trying to get my attention. Can you imagine how God would feel if we were that desperate to spend time with Him! I am often busy and don't give Smokey the attention he so desperately wants. God is NEVER TOO BUSY, but if He was, would I want Him so badly that He would get annoyed?

Oh how I need to grow in my love and appreciation for what God has given me! I have a new life that is so much better that what I knew before! Do I really understand salvation. Like Smokey, I was dying. Then Jesus came and fed me with the Bread of Life – Himself. He gave me Living Water – His Spirit. These gifts did not cost me anything, but it cost Jesus His very life! I lack for nothing, as God meets all my needs in Christ. I have shelter, safety and protection under the wings of the Lord Almighty!

So, how do I show my gratitude? How do you show your gratitude for your salvation?

Blessed Jesus,

Wow! There are life lessons all around us. Please open our eyes to see them. Open our hearts to understand them. Thank you for Smokey. Thank you for his example to me. Let each of us have that desperation to spend time with You, just sitting in Your lap and enjoying Your presence. May we come with gratitude, rather than a list of things we want You to do for us. Help us to be grateful for what You have already done on the cross. Help us to be so in love with You that if You never gave us anything else, our gratitude would still be overflowing. Thank You for Your incredible gift of salvation! Thank You for loving us when we were dying and had absolutely nothing to offer! Thank You for loving us in spite of our messy imperfections and sins! Thank You for giving us hope and new life! Let us feast on You and drink deeply from the Living Water that You provide! All praise and glory and honour be to Your Holy Name. Amen!