Face the Facts

"The LORD said to Joshua,

'Stand up!

What are you doing down on your face?

Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, 

Which I commanded them to keep.

They have taken some of the devoted things;

they have stolen,

they have lied,

they have put them with their own possessions.

That is why the Israelites 

cannot stand against their enemies;

they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction.

I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy

whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

Go, consecrate the people.  

Tell them, "Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, 

the God of Israel says:

There are devoted things among you, Israel.

You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them."'"

Joshua 7:10-13

He must have felt like the world was against him.  The hearts of the people turned away from him, favoring instead the younger, likable lad who it seemed could do no wrong.  He was tormented in his soul, finding no peace even in the solace of beautiful music, seductive women or mind-numbing wine.  What once was a life to be envied now became a tortuous quest to kill the one who seemed to be the root of all his troubles.  If only he could extinguish David, Saul believed everything would fall back in place and things would begin to go his way(1 Samuel 18-20).

Unfortunately, Saul was deceived in his own mind.  What he may have perceived as injustice and unfairness was really the result of his own disobedience to God.  Once Saul ceased yielding to God and His ways, instead choosing to rule the kingdom of Israel in the way he saw fit, everything went downhill(1 Samuel 13:13-14). Saul found out the hard way that it is impossible to succeed without God's blessing.

While it may be easy to blame circumstances, bad luck or even God for the mess my life has become, I had better take a lesson from Saul.  While Saul never returned to the favor of God, Joshua did heed the warning.  In today's scripture reading, Joshua groveled before the Lord, lamenting the defeat of his army.  God, however, brought the new leader of His people back to reality with the thought that the sin of the people is what brought destruction upon themselves.  In the same way that Saul had no one to blame but himself for the downward spiral his life had become, Joshua needed to look no further than the disobedience of Achan to find the root of their problem.

In a similar way, I must face the facts.  When I live in sin, failing to repent of its destructive ways, there are consequences.

Bought at a Price

His agony was palpable as He hung on the cruel cross.  Blood caking to his body, streaming from his hands and feet and pouring forth from a gash on his head:Blood seemed to best represent the harsh scene. The moans of this man who was so much more than mere appearances suggested pierced the heart of even the harshest soldiers who stood by observing the scene.  The suffering of Christ as He withstood the punishment meant for me cannot be denied.  He paid a steep price to free me from the death sentence my sins have earned me(Isaiah 53:4-6, 2 Corinthians 5:21). 

As a result of the sacrifice Jesus made for me, I enjoy new life that will last an eternity.  As I live each moment with the hope of such glorious riches, I must remember that the way I choose to live is no longer a choice that belongs solely to me.  Instead, my life has been bought at a price so I am called to honor God in the decisions I make(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Even though I may view my body and the blood that pumps through it as my very own to do with as I please, the price Jesus paid to redeem me back from the grave gives Him a kind of entitlement to my every moment.

Most of the time, though, I admit that I do what I want in order to please myself. I don't often think of the price Jesus paid for me, instead taking for granted the precious gift of life I've been given.  Instead of living in a way that honors His sacrifice, I often minimize His suffering by doing things that I know are displeasing to God. True worship of the One who makes life possible, however, is to offer my very life as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

The fact I must face is that, as a follower of Christ, my life is no longer mine to do with as I please.

Judge Rightly

I live in a world that despises judgement of any kind.  If I say a certain lifestyle is wrong, I am said to be intolerant.  If I don't embrace the latest liberal agenda, I am called a bigot.  If I stand up for what is right, I am ridiculed.  

Since I am discouraged from making any kind of judgement call in today's free-wheeling society, it would be easy to cut myself some slack as well.  After all, I'm only human, right?  I may console myself with the idea that nobody's perfect; we all make mistakes.

The problem with this attitude is that I end up giving myself leniency as a result.  God has called me to strive for holiness because He is a holy God(1 Peter 1:13-16).  If I am to judge myself rightly, using God's intended purpose for my life as a measure, I will know whether or not I'm on the right track (Romans 12:3).  If, however, I use my own kind of ruler, I will either think I'm doing better than I am or I will judge myself as worthless.  Either way, I'm way off.

I remember one of the many moves my family made as a part of my husband's military career.  When we arrived at our new home, we discovered several boxes were missing.  I called the moving company, describing the contents which included a slow cooker.  I talked about how I didn't want to do without that particular piece and looked forward to using it again.  The company representative later called to tell me that they had located our belongings and would have them brought over to our home.

When that day finally came, I excitedly opened up the boxes, feeling like a kid on Christmas morn.  I could not wait to see my precious belongings.  With the picture of the gleaming Crock Pot firmly ingrained in my mind, I carefully removed the packing material in order to free my favorite cooking appliance from it's prison.  As the man from the moving company watched, I lifted the cooker from it's nest of paper.  Much to my surprise, the item I held in my hand did not match the memory I held in my mind.  Instead of a shiny, polished pot, what I saw was a dingy, brown antique. My recollection of the condition of that Crock Pot was not accurate.

This is what normally happens when I think of myself, as well.  I tend to see myself as better than I really am.  If I want to judge rightly, then, I'll need to use the faith God has given me to see myself through His eyes.  Then I will know more accurately the ways I have offended God with the sin I allow into my life, kind of like when I saw my slow cooker with new eyes; it wasn't as great as I thought it was.

The fact I must face is that, as a follower of Christ, I must judge myself rightly.

Examine my Heart

I felt perfectly justified in my anger.  After all, my family had given so much to the boy.  We welcomed him in as one of our own, spent time helping him with his schoolwork, taking him to church and giving him a ride when needed.  My husband and I loved him as one of our very own; there was nothing we wouldn't do for him.

It hurt all the more, then, to see him go downhill, succumbing to the pressures of the group of boys he chose to hang out with.  When he rang our bell one night at midnight, high on drugs and pushing his way into our home in order to clean a wound he received from a street fight, I felt nothing but anger.  How could he treat us this way after all we've done for him?

Later, when I asked the Lord to examine my heart, He pointed out my own selfish point-of-view.  In the same way that God loves freely, I am expected to do the same.  His love is not conditional nor is it earned.  As a result, this young man's behavior should in no way diminish the compassion I have for him.  Instead, I expected him to reciprocate with gratitude and a show of respect.

There are many times when doing things God's way will result in poor treatment from others.  While I may think I'm justified in my disappointment, only God can show me where my attitude is wrong.  Once He points out the error of my thinking, then, I can turn away from my wicked, selfish ways and let Him show me the path He would have me take.

This could mean that others will think I'm a pushover as I show grace and mercy to those who don't deserve it.  Other times, it could result in making a decision that seems risky and foolish as I let God give me His perspective.  I could even end up moving toward pain and suffering when I'm naturally inclined to avoid it at all costs.  Whatever the path, though, I can be sure that letting God reveal my selfish motives will end in pleasing Him.

The fact I must face is that, as a follower of Christ, only God can accurately read my motives.

It's easy for me to think the difficulties I find in my life are unfair.  While I can complain to God, begging Him to take away the suffering, there are times when I must face the facts.  Sometimes, my current circumstances are nothing more than a consequence of sin.  Instead of blaming others, then, I had better buck up and come to terms with the truth.  I must remember that I'm bought at a price and therefore cannot live just any old way, I must see myself with accurate, godly eyes, and I must let God examine my heart to reveal my true motives.  In these ways, I'll be facing the facts that will bring me back in a right relationship with God.  While my circumstances may not change, at least I'll be walking with my Father who loves me too much to leave me the way I am.  

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can stop fooling myself into thinking I'm good enough just the way I am.

When do I cut myself slack instead of asking God what He thinks about my current choices?

How do I live just any old way instead of intentionally choosing to honor the sacrifice Jesus made for me?


Originally published on March 5, 2014