If My People . . .

"If my people,

who are called by my name,

will humble themselves and pray

and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven

and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14

He does it all.  He created all things, set the wheels of life in motion, watches over all things, reconciled a sinful people to Himself.  What is there left for me to do?  

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty meant for my sins.  As I accept Him as my Savior, my sins are wiped away and I appear before the Lord as clean; white as snow.  There is nothing I can do to make myself worthy.  It is the grace of God that gives me this glorious gift of salvation while I'm still in my sin.  I can't make myself good enough for God; that's what I need Jesus for.

So if Jesus reconciled myself to God, what is expected from me?  Do I keep living my life as I always have?  

As I go through the transformation process of being cast into the image of Jesus Christ, there are four things that I must always strive to do.

Humble Myself

I think I'm pretty important.  Well, it's not that I think that highly of myself because I do possess quite a few insecurities and suffer from low self-esteem in many areas.  Rather, my problems seem more important to me than others' difficulties.  My pain hurts more than my neighbors' pain.  My bad day is worse than your bad day.  I tend to be the center of my own world, whether I like it or not.

For this reason, it is vital that I constantly put myself in my proper position.  One of the best ways to do this is to walk outside on a clear night.  As I observe the vastness of space, I feel small and insignificant.  My life is tiny compared to the universe!  

It is also good for me to intentionally look for suffering around me, seeking ways to encourage another or help one who needs a hand.  Focusing only on my own life and it's struggles, difficulties and even joys has a way of narrowing my perception.  As I turn my attention to others, it helps me to keep my life in perspective, realizing that I'm not the only fish in the pond.

Martin Luther wisely said, "Until man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him."  If I want God to mold me into the masterpiece He created me to be, I must become as lowly as a lump of clay.

If I want the Master Potter to have His way with me, I must become mold-able. 

Pray

It is said that the average adult makes 35,000 decisions per day.  Although most of those are simple, like considering where to sit or what to eat, others are more complicated.  Out of the more challenging choices, I usually make most using my own common sense,  advice from others, or choosing whatever appeals to me at that moment.  Every once in awhile, I will remember to pray, asking God for guidance as I make a choice.

Life can weigh me down, there's no doubt about it.  Instead of carrying the load myself, I can instead say to God, "When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I." (Psalm 61:2 NKJV)

There is a peace that comes when I give God the responsibility of being the head decision-maker in my life.   Tranquility exists in the midst of strife when I place the burden of judgment on God's shoulders.  Allowing God to take the lead leaves me in the serene position of following.

As I unload my worries upon God, a peace that no one can understand guards my heart and mind from further anxiety.  Or, as Harry Emerson Fosdick said, "Peace is a consciousness of springs too deep from earthly droughts to dry up."  

If I want to become more like Jesus I must pray continually.  

Seek God

In the movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Milo's life was driven by a passion for discovering the lost city of Atlantis.  This single purpose colored every part of his life even down to his choice of career fields.  His enthusiasm for the quest for Atlantis was dismissed by everyone around him, earning him the scorn and ridicule of co-workers and peers.  Popularity, however, was not important to Milo.  What mattered most to him was that he solve the mystery of the lost city.

In the same way, my single focus in life is to be the mission of seeking God.  The difference between Milo's quest and mine is that God wants to be found.  He said in Jeremiah 29:13 that, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  

As I work in the garden, I can look for God's hand in the wonders of a sprouting seed or a singing bird.  When I am driving in rush hour traffic, I can strive for a godly attitude and ability to see the good instead of focusing on the drivers cutting me off or tailgating so close I can see their eye color.  If I am performing a menial task I have done and detested a thousand times, I can meditate on His Word and what He is trying to teach me.

Seeking Him is about including Him in every part of my life, not just those parts where I need Him or where I feel I'm most presentable.  I want to make running after God and desiring to please Him above all other things the engine that drives my car.  He wants to be an integral part of my life, but I have to invite Him in.

It's easy for me to move out of God's presence, but if I want to become more like Jesus, I must "continually seek Him." (1 Chronicles 16:11)

Repent

If you ever watch a herd of cows, you'll notice that they always turn their backs to the wind, especially on a stormy day.  They know enough to protect themselves from the harsh cold.

I need to learn a lesson from the bovine family.  Instead, my flesh is usually drawn toward sinful behavior.  Anything I do that is in response to my own fleshly desires instead of out of obedience to God is considered to be wicked in the eyes of God.  If I am to please God, I would be wise to forsake my natural ways and thoughts.  (Isaiah 55:7)

Turning my back on a certain thought pattern or destructive behavior is effective because it places the temptation out of my vision.  It also serves to turn the tables, putting the evil behind me and pointing me in the direction that leads toward God.

As anxious thoughts enter my mind, I can turn away from them and focus on what God is doing in my life or toward meditation of a verse of scripture.  If I am being lured into gossip, I can end the conversation or change the subject.  When I am tempted to enter into sexual sin through pornography, watching an explicit movie or something even more blatant, I can get up from the computer, television or flee the scene and turn toward my Bible.  It may also be necessary for me to get rid of my computer or other source of temptation in order to truly turn from those evil ways.  

Turning away from those things that tempt me to go against God and His ways is vital to my spiritual walk.  I can't simply ignore those thoughts or replace them with something better.  Instead, purposefully setting my course in the opposite direction will take me further away from evil and closer to God.  

I can't live my life my way and please God.  If I want to grow more Christ-like, I must turn away from those things that displease God.

Jesus did it all.  That, however, doesn't take me off the hook for the way I live my life.  In order to please God, I still need to constantly strive to humble myself, pray, seek God and turn from my wicked ways.  In this way, my character resembles Christ's more and more with each passing day.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will keep my course set on Jesus.

How do I let sin into my life by refusing to turn away from it?

When am I most vulnerable to sin?