Lent Day 18: Complicit sinners

"They're sleeping together," my friend said about her daughter and the boyfriend. She shrugged. "At least we know about it. I hope they're being careful."

My grandma would have marched over to her child or grandchild, pulled the two apart kicking and screaming (she and the couple, if necessary), and fallen on her face before God to fast and pray for the sinners.

My parents' generation would warn and pray, asking God to intervene. They would probably extend God's love to such a couple, and ask God to convict, knowing that all of us make our own choices with consequences.

My generation is so dulled by the adultery and bad marriages around us that we stay quiet and hope for the best. Most of us would not venture a judgment on the couple. "Well, everyone chooses their own path, even if they know better."

Our children's peers would likely shrug it off. "Well, it's their life. We don't have the right to tell anyone else what's right or wrong."

Does that make us complicit in their sins? We know we ourselves are so broken that it's hard to "cast the first stone," even before conviction strikes. Jesus said the person without sin was to begin the punishment on a woman found in adultery. I'm sinful, so I couldn't throw that first stone.

However, he never hesitated to say, "Go and sin no more." When am I willing to follow his example, and when do I look the other way, considering the price he paid to offer us new life?

Read more:

*The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The LORD is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name — He is holy. Psalm 99:1-3 NKJV

*"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Isaiah I:18 NET

*Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 NIV

31 Days of December #3 - a guest post: Humility

This guest post made me think and the first photo made me smile. A beautiful start to life together.

My name is Jacob Von Kuhn. I am a newlywed, theological enthusiast, and aspiring ski bum (God willing). Photos from my FB albums.

“I can’t believe it’s not humility.”

With my bride Whitney

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Failure is a part of life. We do it daily, although many of us would cringe at the confession. So then why is failure so difficult for some to handle? On the contrary, why are some more wrecked by failure than others? Pride.

Being married has pointed out a lot of flaws in my life but it has also brought light to dark places I would have never seen before. Humility has always been one of those undistinguishable virtues without constant form or consistent characteristics; once you think you have your head wrapped around it you are too late. I think there are aspects of humility which are hardly discussed from the pulpit of which can lead to be misconstrued and an extremely fragile façade of false humility.

Dependence on friends along the way

“One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” Proverbs 29:23, ESV

No one ever wants to confront a person on being too hard on themselves. Nor would it seem proper to confront that person about having pride issues. But that is just it; pride is our inability to recognize our absolute dependence on God’s grace and provision.

The irony to humility is the longer we stay knocked down, the more pride we have yet to deal with. We linger on our failure because our pride has been pushed to an unbelievable breaking point and, instead of fighting the giant face to face, we would rather reminisce in our self-inflated pride. Christianity can surely talk the talk, but pride is our biggest obstacle when we go to walk the walk. Instead, we should recognize that we fail because we strive for perfection, because we strive to be like Christ.

Advice from good friends

So next time you receive advice, receive it with joy. Next time you miss the expectations, take heart. If you are offended and feel every right in the world to wallow in your sorrow and self-pity, remember The Cross.

“Count it all joy, my brothers,^b when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 1 James 1:2-4