The mortification of sin

I've been reminded of what I've known since childhood when I first became a Christ-follower. It's been easy to ignore the basics of Christian life in the busyness and the greedy pursuit of acquisition encouraged by our culture.

John Owen, a Puritan writer from the 1600s wrote a book called "The Mortification of Sin." It hardly seemed interesting when I picked it up, but it shook me.

This is what I remember from reading it this week:

• We are fully redeemed and declared free from sin by Christ's accomplishments. 
• However, we must struggle to put sin to death (mortify it) every day. Otherwise sins will slowly kill our spiritual life.
• We placate ourselves with small victories while ignoring other sins. We are easily satisfied and appeased, declaring peace before we have genuinely repented and turned from all sin ... and before God has declared peace to us.
• This happens because: 

1) We do not recognize that we know little about God. We see only a glimpse of his greatness and mystery. Thus we are satisfied to remake Him in our image - finite, willing to overlook sin, and pliable, easily manipulated by human demands rather than an enduring perfection of Being and Doing.
2) We are not disgusted with the nature of sin, how it separates us from God, destroys our desire for His companionship, and refuses to yield so He can remake us to our full human potential - body, soul/will/emotions, and spirit.
3) We become so calloused by sin and sinful culture that we are no longer appalled by our filthy helplessness. We do not throw ourselves on God's mercy each day but assume we are doing okay because it seems there are no immediate consequences beyond occasional inconveniences when we get "caught" in sin.
4) We enjoy our sins so much that we refuse to believe that lusts of any and every kind (food, drink, sex, pleasures, money, etc.) must be put to death.

Owen suggests the following:

• We must resolve to put sin to death daily = with God's help, not by our selfish efforts or mere human resources. Our tools are spiritual - but they are only tools. Spiritual disciplines are only useful under the Spirit's guidance. We become more bound and discouraged when applying them through our own strength.
• God's Spirit brings us to life, day by day. Only through Jesus' accomplishments and the Spirit's power can we hope to live in freedom from sin. Eagerly, God offers us these wonders to set us free from the law of sin and death.
• God reveals enough of Himself to create our hunger for relationship and our quest for holiness (separation from anything that separates us from Him.) If we seek to please Him above everything else, willing to leave behind EVERY thing that holds us from full humanity in relationship to God, He will answer us with the wisdom and power to mortify (kill) the sin that lies in wait to destroy us.

The book greatly encouraged me. I want to please God. I long for any separation between us to be removed. How about you?

Read more:
*And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Joel 2:28 (NIV)

*Jesus said, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” John 14:26

Moravian Prayer: O God of light, on this the darkest day may our hearts find lightness of being in the gift of your Son and the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who attends to our darkness and who offers a way. Amen.

Running the hurdles

Jump the hurdle. Pause. Run. Jump. Pause. Run. Jump.

Can you imagine an Olympic hurdler taking a break after each jump? Nope. Neither can I. Some of our dear friends from Cambridge are Olympians in scholarly research. Every day they plug away, morning to night, examining the scriptures and studying the latest findings.

I'll happily admit that I'm no Olympian. Yesterday, I safely negotiated one of the big hurdles toward a PhD, my tutorial comps. The committee allowed me an alternate to 12 hours of written exams, an oral "inquisition" defending an article summarizing the dissertation. (Inquisition was their term, and yes, it made us all laugh, and let me relax.) Once again, I'm appreciative of the scholarship of the profs at AGTS, where I'm in the Intercultural Studies program. The questions were not only thoughtful, but they pointed out flaws that are currently written into my dissertation. Lots to fix, that's for sure.

I feel like a plow-horse, let loose on a racetrack, leaping about with great joy, only to stagger past the finish line, gasping. And there are two more races to fun: completing the dissertation and defending it within the next month.

So I took a break yesterday, the Pause no Olympian would consider. My brain felt fried before and after the exam, so I thought it would be healthier going forward, to take a break. Kirsten and I strolled around Molbaks (she in the wheelchair), looking at all the beauty and surprises that plants and art can provide.

The Pause not only gives time to breathe, but it gives us time to reflect on what was accomplished. I fell into bed weary, but it took a while to think about God's generosity and kindness.

• God called me to this program, and each step along the way, has given enough strength for the day. 
• Words of encouragement came my way before and after the test. 
• God answered the prayers of friends and family for good rest the night before. Thanks, everyone!
• Though I was stressed, I sensed the committee cheering me on, as well as making sure I had information in hand. 
• My chief adviser was kind enough to call within the hour with good news, too. Thanks, Dr. Self.

I don't know what the future holds. I don't know why I found this program, 3 weeks before it opened. The degree that was offered seemed to offer little practical application, though it matched my call. It's been one step at a time, the doors opening just as I reached them, including the addition of a degree that meant an extra year of study and more academic difficulty. I have no idea what job opening would fit my qualifications, though I'm closer to knowing what I'd like to do. It's all part of an ongoing adventure in faith and practice.

That's what my whole dissertation is about, actually. The women of the study show how a call to serve, empowered by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, leads us step by step. Ordinary women went to foreign countries with a vague idea of what they would do. But they ended up making huge contributions by doing unexpected jobs or attempting things they'd never dreamed of -- believing in the power of the Spirit for guidance and resources. God did amazing things through them. Miraculous things.

Where has God led you, that seemed a side path or unanticipated challenge? How does that enrich what he has called you to do today and in the future?

Read more:

"'Come, all of you who are gifted craftsmen. Construct everything that the LORD has commanded.' …

So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the LORD. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. They brought to the LORD their offerings of gold—brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers, and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind as a special offering to the LORD." Exodus 35:10, 20–22

*Psalm 17:1-7; Genesis 26; Matthew 9:27-38

*The Lord will send his angel before you. Genesis 24:7

*The angel said to Peter, "Fasten your belt and put on your sandals." He did so. Acts 12:8

*I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.1 Corinthians 1:4-9   NIV

Moravian Prayer: Faithful God, when we feel the weakest, you become our strength. You send your presence through those who come to us - sometimes angels, sometimes each other. Thank you for the nearness we feel this day through your servants. Amen.

31 days of Learning #4: Free indeed

Each of us is born into a family with their own values and wealth. I'm not necessarily talking $ as the measure of wealth. Riches include shelter, kindness, love, food, security, peace, friendship, and other resources. The worst homes may have little "wealth" for its inhabitants. But nearly every group has some collateral that keeps them together, even if the price for cohesion includes suffering or challenges.


Today I read about the freedom that comes from immersing oneself in the plans our Creator has for us: 
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NIV

Our culture understands  that self-improvement makes us better. But we're headed in our own directions, trying to build up our egos, our bodies, our self-importance, with things that have no lasting significance.

• A year of gym workouts? In 2 months without maintenance, it disappears.
• Botox? Call back is 3-4 months.
• A face-lift or liposuction? Give it 5 years, if you have a good doc, and you'll look as wrinkly as ever.
• Eastern-style meditation? Lasts until the next idiot swerves into your lane and almost runs you off the road.
• Self-help courses? Temporary fixes unless underlying character are addressed.

You get the picture.


Yet God offers us glorious freedom from self-absorption. The full understanding of why we were created and what our role is on this lovely planet. A career plan that may be winding and mysterious, yet looking back over a lifetime will bring: "Ah, I was SO wonderfully and beautifully made!"

So, what does absolute freedom cost?

• Adoration. Not of self, but of God who is Beyond Understanding or Comprehension. 
• Love. Willingness to open our hearts, , to live wide open to God and others...no matter that it may hurt sometimes.
• Unconditional obedience to One who is Loving Kindness, yet knows the future and accepts the past. Obedience that means acquiescing to lifelong risks in the footsteps of an Omniscient (all-knowing) God, even when the path is not obvious to us.
• Surrender to beauty and gladness in seasons of joy or pain. (C'est moi in autumn/winter.)
• Loving acceptance of our neighbor as self, no matter how horrid that neighbor may appear. (Does anyone know your "whole story" to judge your actions perfectly?)
• Service. Looking out for the interests of others above our own.

This is what I learned today. I am tied in knots only where I do not live in the glorious freedom of the children of God. 

Oh to adore, love, obey, surrender, accept, and serve, so that the Spirit of the Living God can fall with freshness and freedom to rest on you and me...

Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me. 

Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me. 

Cleanse me, mold me, fill me, use me...

Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me. 

Amen.