As a pastor, I routinely preach how we are to love God more than anyone and anything else in our life, and how that will call us to also love others. \u00a0One proof that we love God the way we should is that we will love others enough to share the Gospel with them. \u00a0I routinely preach how there is no greater need that a person has than their need for salvation. \u00a0I stand behind all of those statements, because they are biblical statements. \u00a0However, today was a reminder that it is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live just one sermon out. \u00a0James 1:22 says, “Be a doer of the word and not a hearer only, deceiving yourselves.” \u00a0Romans 12:19-21 says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to God’s wrath, for it is written: Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. \u00a0Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head. \u00a0Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” \u00a0I admit that I have preached on those verses multiple times throughout my ministry. \u00a0Yet, today was a rough reminder that I have such a long way to go because it is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live just one sermon out. \u00a0I could make a lot of excuses, I could tell others all that occurred and many would be on my side. However, the bottom line is that God was not glorified in how I handled a situation. I \u00a0have to admit that just typing that last sentence out brought such a heavy weight crashing down on me. \u00a0Yet, there is no one to blame but me.<\/p>\n
I believe those called into leadership are held to a higher standard by God. \u00a0I believe we are called to live to those standards that we routinely preach about. \u00a0However, today reminded me that although I am a child of God who has been saved by His grace, inside of me is a sin nature at war with the Holy Spirit of God who lives in me. \u00a0Today, I am reminded of the apostle Paul’s predicament when he said, “the things I shouldn’t do, those are the things I do; and the things that I should do, those are the things that I don’t do. \u00a0O wretched man that I am, who can save me from this?”<\/p>\n
Have you ever been there? \u00a0Do you understand what I’m feeling? \u00a0I think most Christians have been at some time or another. \u00a0In those difficult moments, when it is obvious that you chose to allow your sin nature to win out over the new nature given to us by Christ, what are we to do? \u00a0I will tell you what we can’t do. \u00a0We can’t wallow in it, because that is what satan wants us to do. \u00a0He is the author of shame and guilt, not God. \u00a0So then, what do we do? \u00a0I think the first thing we need to do is allow this to remind us of our need for Jesus. \u00a0If we could remember everything, perfectly obey in everything ,and behave perfectly in everything, then Jesus would have died in vain. \u00a0There would have been no point in Jesus’ death, if we could be good enough. \u00a0But God knew we could never be good enough. \u00a0He knew that even on days when we are obedient to Him and His Word that there is still sin in our lives. \u00a0That is the reason that Jesus came to die on the cross. \u00a0He who was good enough to appease God’s wrath died in the place of those who could never be good enough. \u00a0Allow this truth to wash over you, and allow you to praise God for His grace. \u00a0It doesn’t mean that we have a license to sin. \u00a0When we sin, our hearts should break over our sin, because God’s heart breaks over our sin. \u00a0Yet, we need to remember that where sin did abound, grace much more abounds we are told in Romans 5. \u00a0Second, we need to confess our sin. \u00a0To confess means to agree with God that what we said, did, or thought was wrong. \u00a0We don’t need to try and sweep it under the rug, or pretend that it didn’t happen. \u00a0We need to own it, confess it, and then seek God’s help to learn from it and grow from it. \u00a0That’s the final thing, we need to repent. \u00a0To repent means to turn around, to go the other way. \u00a0We can never repent apart from God and His help. \u00a0Repentance is something that the Holy Spirit does in our heart and in our lives. \u00a0So we need to cry out to Jesus for help.<\/p>\n
It’s ok to feel guilt over our sin, we should feel it in fact. However, we can’t live there. \u00a0We must look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. \u00a0We must confess our sin, forsake it, and seek God’s help to grow from it. Days like today make me appreciate God’s amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. \u00a0But it also gives me hope, that if God can save someone like me, then He can certainly save you. \u00a0You simply need to admit your sin and surrender to His grace. \u00a0If you aren’t sure how to or you want to, please reach out to us here at Westlake Baptist. \u00a0We would love the privilege of telling you how you can have the greatest relationship anyone could ever have. \u00a0You can reach us at westlakebc@gmail.com. \u00a0Thank you Jesus for saving a sinner such as me!<\/p>\n
Pastor Justin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As a pastor, I routinely preach how we are to love God more than anyone and anything else in our life, and how that will call us to also love others. \u00a0One proof that we love God the way we … Read More