yet GOD worked in his life…

look at the men of the bible.  every one of them, their area of greatest weakness, GOD turned it around and used it in their lives.  abraham is known as the father of faith.  and we think of abraham as being the great champion of faith.  abraham had so much faith that twice, when he was in a tight situation, he told his wife to lie and say, “you tell that enemy that’s coming over that you’re my sister so they won’t kill me to take you.”  that showed faith!  it was total unbelief.  you can go through abraham’s life and see time after time where he blew it in terms of unbelief.  yet he’s known as the father of faith. 

david, a man after GOD’s own heart and yet where was his biggest area of sin?  he committed adultery with a woman and murdered her husband.  yet GOD worked in his life.  david repented of it and turned around and GOD said, “he’s a man after my own heart.”

moses.  there are only two people in the bible that are called meek.  JESUS and moses.  yet what was moses’ biggest problem?  it was his anger.  he was always getting angry.  he got angry and killed the egyptian.  he got angry and struck the rock.  it was anger that kept him out of the promised land, yet he is the only other person in the bible besides JESUS called meek. 

john who wrote the book of john.  he’s called “the beloved apostle... the apostle of love” yet before JESUS CHRIST got hold of him, his nickname was “the son of thunder”.  he had so much love that one day he said, “LORD, why don’t you just call down hell fire on those people over there!”  great! that’s love! 

peter.  peter means “rock... stability”.  if anybody ought to be stable, it’s somebody with the name of “rock”.  yet what was peter’s weakness?  he was wishy-washy.  he was always running around, putting his foot in his mouth.  he’s the impulsive one who jumps out of the boat and then starts to sink.  he’s the one who says, “LORD, i’ll never deny you” and then does it!  very impulsive.  yet he is the one JESUS said, “you will be a rock.” 

the CHRISTian life, in summary, is character development.  not our own power, not by the paralysis of perfectionism, trying harder to change all the habits and things i don’t like about myself.  the CHRISTian life is a matter of appropriating the grace of GOD in my life and letting HIM use that and change me and changing the things i cannot change on my own. 

paul says, “CHRIST has set you free.”  now don’t go back and be burdened again by making up a bunch of legalistic codes and trying to earn GOD’s pleasure because you can’t earn it.  HE’s already given it.

just a thought from the front porch…