And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
Were.
It reminds me of what I was. A sinner. Condemned. Unclean. Unworthy. Under wrath. Damned. Doomed. Dead.
It reminds me of what I am. A saint. Pardoned. Washed. Accepted. Forgiven. Freed. Hopeful. Alive.
It reminds me of why. Jesus.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)
You've seen it in the news, I know. The Iowa Supremes and then the Vermont Legislator. The two newest states in which homosexual marriages are legal. I have struggled these last days over a response to the continuing success of the homosexual agenda in our culture. I have struggled with the response, not the facts.
The Biblical fact is that God made male and female with the intent that they procreate.(Genesis 1:27-28) Homosexuality is a perversion of God's created intent. It is a departure from the natural desire God put in man and woman. It is unseemly. It is wrong. It is sin. (Romans 1:27)
On a cultural scale, the departure from God's created intent between man and woman is evidence of man's departure from God. The continued embrace of homosexuality as an acceptable alternative lifestyle is not a new step away from God but rather evidence that the step has already been taken. (Romans 1:18-32) God gives people over to behavior that will ultimately consume and destroy them expressly because they want nothing to do with God in the first place.
The problem then is not merely political, though we most certainly need politicians who will stand for Biblical moral truth. The problem is not merely cultural, though culture does reflect the hearts of those within it. And certainly in our republic we will engage moral issues politically and encounter the culture Biblically.
But the problem is sin. And the only answer for sin is the Savior.
When I pick up the paper and see pictures of homosexual couples embracing in joyful tears over the decisions of courts and state houses, my heart breaks for them as surely as it does for drug addicts and adulterers and rebellious teens. For all of us who seek satisfaction through the cravings of the flesh ultimately destroy ourselves. And it is such needless destruction.
In our haste to "save America" let us not forget that Jesus came to save sinners. And while we draw clear Biblical lines in the sands of our culture, let us with the hands of Christ reach compassionately across those lines to pull sinners out of their sin and into the joy of Christ by His gospel.
Newest data on economy a jumble
Headline from the Business and Farm section of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette on April 2, 2009
The news breeds a lot of hope, doesn't it? (typed with tongue in cheek) "Jumble" is not a word that promotes confidence. But alas it is the best the pundits can do.
"Jumble" may describe your world today. Your economic world may be jumbled. Your family may be jumbled. Your health may be jumbled. Clear and concise answers are elusive and you are left wondering what will become of you.
In the midst of this jumbled world, we who know Christ can live with certainty. No matter the confusion that may reign in our earthly circumstances, we clearly hear the voice of Jesus, are known by Jesus and are forever secure in Jesus. Listen to the words of Jesus:
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." (John 10:27-30)
As you work your way through the daily Jumble, listen to the voice of Jesus. Be at ease in His hand. Be confident in His care.
