23/01/14

Preserve my soul O Lord

Psalm 86: 1,2 - Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.


Two days back I got the same message Psalm 86 and I did not know what to write, my mind was not focused. I was not getting as to what the Lord wanted to say. Today as I sat down making my mind that I will surely write today, things started to flow.

People have a wrong thinking that to be a Christian one has to be a good person, or that all Christian are people who are holy and do not sin or make mistakes.

We need to understand Christians are people who at one time in their live had no hope and had found hope in Christ. They are people who being aware that God is Holy and nothing unholy can dwell before Him in Heaven; therefore to go to Heaven they needed to change their lives and they knew by their own efforts it was impossible to be good or be holy.

Christians are people who know that Christ is the only way by which their lives can change and thus they hold on to Christ and reject the life they have been living. This is not simple thing but a day to day battle where the person does not fight evil but battles to hold on to good.

Other religions all give the call to fight evil to overcome evil. Some will target the evil spirit and others the person who in weak and in whom evil dwells. Christ is the only one who says to overcome evil come to me for I have overcome it. We Christian in spirit actually battle our own selves and not anyone or anything else. When the Bible gives a call to fight evil it does not tell us to go out and hunt where all Satan dwells and to battle him. It tell us to fight him within us and thus to have the light which Christ showed us.

As Christians we have one part which wants to hold on to Christ and to be like Him, and the other part that tells to surrender to the desires of the flesh and to vanity.

We should also not have the crazy idea that Christians are perfect beings the day they are Born-again and start attending Church. Let me put this in picture. Let us imagine 3 white clothes, one which is old or dull white but does not have any stain on it, second cloth which is average white but has a few stains on it, the third bright, shining white but has big, dark, black patches on it.

If we ask any person which of them would they consider clean, the first, second or third? I am sure all would say first even though it may seem a little dull but since it does not have any spots, stains or black patches on it, it would be considered clean compared to the others. And if we ask which is the dirties? It would be the third cloth, for even though part of it shines very bright white, yet the big dark black patches would fail it.

Our good works is the clean brightness and our sins are the stains. Even if we die doing good works yet we would not be considered good for our sins would out do our good works.

God alone has the power to forgive and He does not just write off evil, someone has to pay the prize for sin. God is not man to take back His Word, if He has said it; it has to come to pass. That is why Jesus Christ had to drink the cup of the wrath of God for our sake. He did not fear the suffering He went through in the flesh for these were written in the book of Psalms and Isaiah. As man blessed with wisdom of God He studied them and had a clear understanding of them. That is why He spoke of it many a times before. But when the time came for Him to drink of the cup of God's wrath He trebled. Even though He was perfect and fully able in all things as man yet He Himself could not comprehend the wrath of God, being forsaken by His Heavenly Father therefore struggled in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was His obedience and His love for us that at last caused His to drink of the cup.

Today we Christians can go boldly before God not because of our good works but because Christ has covered our stains with His whiteness and caused us to be without stains. But our baptism in Him our stains are removed and by our baptism in the Holy Spirit we are made white, brighter day by day. No doubt good works are part of our lives but these are not those we take credit for but those which the Spirit of God whom we have received through Jesus Christ, who helps us to do.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, when we heard your voice a desire for life came into us and to love eternally we knew we have to dwell in your Holy presence in Heaven. But Lord our sin became iron chains that bound us and prevented us from coming to You. By your Son, You Lord made a way to set us free from our iron chains and by your Spirit You lead us unto You. We thank You Lord for the sacrifice of your Son and for your Spirit. Let your light shine in us so that others may hear your call and come to You through Jesus Christ your Son...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Ephesians 2:11-22

Mark 14:33-36
33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Luke 22:41-44
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)