Not perfect...but graced!

I once stated in one of my posts that I don't like to get too personal on any social media. I value my privacy a lot...and I'm fully aware that once you put your personal business out there, it becomes every body's business. The few times I share personal life experiences, it is because such are relevant to whatever I may be blogging about at that precise moment.

This blog is not a diary of my personal life, neither is it an autobiography-type page. I started this blog as an outlet to share my views about faith in God, everyday life issues dealing with love and relationships and so much more.

However, inasmuch as I may write encouraging words, I have never claimed to be perfect, devoid of any weakness or short comings. For crying out loud, I am human...and therefore I am bound to err every now and then. I surely have made decisions I'm not too proud of. I have most certainly offended people along the way. There are people who may view me as their enemy...just like I view some as mine too. I've without a doubt hurt people I shouldn't have (knowingly or otherwise).

I have a past that is laden with messes and even mistakes...but we all have such, right?. The problem is that most times, we seem to think that some sins/weaknesses are better than others...therefore we have this prideful notion that some Christians are more "righteous" than others. There is no such thing. These are doctrines of men. My Bible tells me that all true believers are the righteousness of God in Christ. God declares us righteous by reason of our faith in His son Jesus, not because we are good. Also, God doesn't  categorize/qualify sin. Jesus Himself admonished us to remove the LOG in our own eye, before we can see clearly to take out the speck in our brother's eye (Matthew 7:3-5). Now tell me...a log or a speck...which is larger? When we point a finger at someone, three are pointing back at us. We all have faults, weaknesses and stuff we need God's help in overcoming. Hence, we all must repent before God every time the need arises, even as believers. This is a hard lesson God personally taught me quite recently; and I had to repent of stuff that I realized were unbecoming of me.

I can say boldly that although I'm a  born-again Christian, though my spirit has been renewed in Jesus, I still fall short sometimes, and I make mistakes. This is because my reborn spirit still resides in a mortal, corruptible flesh. I stumbled on a teaching from Bill Winston some days ago where he put it so clearly that as believers, we have to retrain our minds to think in accordance with the new nature of Christ we received. Paul said aptly that, we must die daily to our flesh (1Cor 15:31). We must kill its desires and learn to walk according to the leading of the Spirit of God. This is a mandate for all true Christians. I'm learning to do this in my personal journey with God too. We however can only do this with the aid of the perfect grace of God, the Holy Spirit and the word of God.

Having said all this, nothing takes away the fact that I am a child of God. I am redeemed by His perfect blood. Most importantly, in Him, I'm a new creature...old things have passed away. And this is not on account of my good works...I'm simply a product of God's gift of grace. I may not be where I should be, but I'm long gone from where I used to be. I may not be perfect, but I am graced! I'm learning to make such confessions to myself...whenever moments/thoughts of doubt creep in.

I'm so thankful for this grace, everyday of my life. I don't deserve it, God knows; no one does. But God is good and His mercy toward us endureth forever.

I'm sharing this to encourage any Christian who may be feeling defeated. Know that as far as you're in Christ, absolutely no one, and especially not the devil...has got anything on you. God's got you in His palm, and Jesus your great High Priest is always interceding for you. His death on the cross & resurrection wasn't to futility. Be assured that He loves you...don't ever doubt His love.

If we can keep our focus on Him, on that wondrous cross that saved us and on His word...He will help us be better everyday. That is the work of His unending grace.

Remember Proverbs 4:18 states that, "...the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day." That perfect day is when Jesus will come and take us to heaven!

The greatest is love...

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love," 1Corinthians 13:13

The entirety of our Christian-walk is based on the three things mentioned above: faith, hope and love. We are Christians because of our faith in God, in Jesus as His son and in His finished works on the cross of Calvary. We also have faith that every promise God has made concerning us will come to pass. We have hope that the good things we expect (which we don't yet see) will be manifested because God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

However, as I read through the entirety of 1 Corinthians 13, something began to dawn on me as I got to verse 13. Many of us are so caught up in maintaining our faith and hope for better things, that we overlook the most important precept of all...LOVE. Love is greater than faith and hope. At the beginning of the chapter, Paul wrote, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing," (1Cor 13:1-4)

We are nothing as Christians, if we do not have the love of God in us. Love is the very nature of God. And if we profess to be in Christ,then we have the nature of God...so we should express the love of God in our character and behavior. While Jesus walked this earth as the Son of man, He had love and compassion for everyone. As Christians, we ought to do same. It is of no consequence to have faith that can move mountains, if we lack the love of Christ in our hearts.

One of the reasons Jesus attacked the Pharisees as much as He did is because they didn't walk in love. Sadly, we find that this hypocrisy is very much alive in the body of Christ today. We even talk, and preach about God's love...but we do not practice it.
Everyday, many Christians pass up opportunities to do something good for someone else. Amazingly and ironically too, such are so full of expectation for good things to happen to them.

Truth is that we should not even profess to love God if we don't love others. Infact, the love we show others is proof that we love God. Love is the fulfillment of the law. As Christians we must love God will all our heart, soul, and might...and love our neighbors as our self (In order to know what God's definition of love is, read verses 4-7 of this same scripture). If we are not walking in love, how can we be a witness to unbelievers about Jesus?

As I end this piece, I urge you to take some moments of solitude and examine your heart. Is the love of God truly resident in you? Is this love evident in the way you behave towards others?

There's no need to despair if you have fallen short in this area. God Himself will help you fulfill this aspect of your Christian-walk. If you can truly surrender your shortcomings to God, because He does love you, He will help you be the Christian that you ought to be.

I'll definitely pray this prayer for myself too because...I do know I fall short, everyday.