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Filthy Rags
“But we are all as an unclean thing. All the good and righteous things we do are as filthy rags, in comparison to God’s holiness and righteousness.
We all fade as leaves, and our sins take us away in the same manner as the wind carries a leaf.” Isaiah 64:6 (Paraphrase mine)
Imagine that!
Regardless of the church you attend, the colour of your skin, the language you speak, the number of dollars you have, the good works you’ve performed, or the good words you have spoken, in and of yourself, you’re still unclean.
How can that be?
How can God call us unclean when man rejoices over our achievements and good works?
There’s a comparison happening, whether or not we realize it.
We’re always being compared to someone else.
One woman gives money to the poor while another shrugs her shoulders and walks away, so we like the giving woman more.
One man takes the time to listen to your problem while another rushes on, needing to be on his way. You’ll seek the first man the next time you need a listening ear. He makes time for you.
One woman can listen to your troubles and keep them to herself, while another gossips to the entire town about your troubles. You will never confide anything to the second woman again because you can no longer trust her.
One man smiles, and greets you, when you see him, while the other looks grumpy and angry and doesn’t respond to your greeting. The next time you won’t even bother greeting the second man because you’ll feel it’s a waste of time.
We’ve compared these women and men, as humans, and find some people lacking in good manners and good relations. Some lack in caring and showing love, while others beam with joy and pride at the sight of us.
However, when God compares us, He doesn’t compare us to fellow humans.
Yes, He knows some people commit intolerable actions.
He knows some people speak negatively most of the time, putting down their co-workers, so-called friends, and family members.
He knows some people can’t be satisfied, regardless of their blessings, always seeking to have more and more.
However, despite His knowledge of these situations, He compares us to One person only-His Son, Jesus Christ, and that’s where we come in lacking, considerably!!!
That’s why He says our righteousness is as filthy rags, unless we’re covered by Jesus’ blood.
Try cleaning with a dirty cloth. Even with soapy water, you won’t get the area as clean as it could be. There will always be some film of dirt, or grease, left behind.
However, place a clean cloth in that bucket of soapy water and it makes a world of difference. You can see there’s been some cleaning done. The area smells fresh and looks brighter.
That’s what it’s like when we compare ourselves to Jesus.
We’re like that dirty cloth which can’t quite do the job. Although we have a clean bucket of soapy water, we taint it. We want to do something good, and we try, but we come out lacking.
However, Jesus is like that clean cloth dipped into the bucket. He cleans, and people notice. There’s no film of dirt, or grease, left behind. Everything looks brand new and smells so nice. People can’t believe the difference He’s made.
Another point God makes in the above verse is that our sins carry us away as the wind takes a leaf and carries it.
Visualize a leaf. It is thin and fragile.
In the summer, the leaf will stand strong. It’s bursting with fresh life and enjoys swaying in the gentle breeze.
However, by the time autumn rolls around, the leaf begins to fade and dreads the cold winds of autumn. The leaf soon falls from the tree- dies- and blows wherever the wind takes it.
We’re comparable to that leaf.
When Jesus comes into our lives, we are bursting with new energy. We have abundant life and feel victorious over everything and everyone that used to bother us. Jesus is on our side and we feel we can conquer the world.
However, as time continues, as the cold winds of autumn settle around us, it is too easy to give up on life. We realize problems still linger. Temptation is still part of daily life, and our spirits begin to fade. We’re not feeling as joyful as we used to. We’re feeling tired, and discouraged.
We give in to temptation and fall from the tree. The wind carries us wherever it may.
However, unlike the leaf, we can be found again. We can be picked up and placed right back on that tree, teaming with new life, again and again.
We can feel joyful and victorious and be reacquainted with our Saviour, because He’s been waiting for us - ever since we fell!
He’s been longing to welcome us back into His fold.
Let’s compare ourselves to God today, not the people around us. If we’re honest, we’ll see ourselves as God sees us-unworthy, unrighteous, and unclean.
However, if we allow Jesus to clean up our lives, God will look at us and deem us righteous. He will recognize Jesus’ blood covering us-protecting us- and know Jesus is cleaning us from the inside.
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Proverbs 8:17
“I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find me.”
Is it easier to love a person who likes you, or hates you?
It depends.
We would all agree it’s easier to get along with someone who likes us. We would also agree that we spend most of our social time with people we like.
But, what about loving people? What is the difference between liking, and loving, a person?
Many people believe you can’t love a person you don’t like, that it’s only a chosen few who have been given the gift of your love.
While there are some people you are closer to than others, you can make a conscious choice to love everyone.
Now you think I’m crazy, right?
Well, let me explain the major difference between liking and loving a person.
Liking a person is based on emotion. You enjoy common interests, goals, and desires. You may laugh at the same jokes. You may admire the way a person reacts to a situation or relates to other people. Various aspects of this person makes your heart delight, and you’re happy when around this person you like so much. You focus on their best attributes.
Loving a person is entirely different. It has more to do with commitment than emotion. It is grounded in fact.
In a loving relationship, you’re dedicated to a person, regardless of his actions, regardless of your emotions.
You will remain faithful to your husband/wife even when he/she makes you angry and frustrated.
You will continue to love your daughter even when she betrays your trust and breaks your heart.
You will love your son despite his decision that he’s had enough of you and walks away from your love.
During these painful moments, you may not even LIKE the person you LOVE, the person you’re committed to. He/She may do, and say, many things you don’t understand, and want no part of.
It may seem everything you had in common vanished like a puff of smoke.
You may wonder why your child turned out the way he/she did. You may wonder whether your spouse even loves you anymore.
Your relationship may have grown so very cold that you shiver, despite the warmth of a room. Perhaps your relationship causes your temper to flare, and you become warm despite the coldness surrounding you.
Whatever the case, there is a solution: Seek God early.
Don’t allow time to pass by without trying your best to restore broken, godly relationships.
Don’t allow grievous wounds to fester and cripple your spirit.
While you have a commitment to love your fellow man, and love his soul, just be thankful you don’t always have to like him, or the things he does and says.
Also, consider this.
God loves you and me and that won’t change, but He wants to like us, too. He wants us to have things in common with Him, even though it can only happen through His shed blood.
He wants us to laugh at the same jokes He would, and turn away from the things He despises.
He wants us to react to situations with a clear head, not becoming overly frustrated whereby we lose control.
He wants us to relate to others in a loving manner, even if they’re people we don’t like, or don’t know.
Basically, He wants us to be His hands, reaching out to others, pointing the way to the cross.
We may not always understand how God operates. We may not understand why He makes some of the decisions He makes. Sometimes we may feel we have nothing in common with Him and may feel we don’t really LIKE Him much...but as long as we LOVE him, follow our commitment to Him, we’ll trust Him.
God always loves us but we draw closer to God, and become more like Him, when we love Him. We will find ourselves part of a LIKE/LOVE relationship with the Almighty.
Isn’t that the only way to go?
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Based upon: Psalm 16:7-8
“I will bless the Lord, who has given me counsel. My reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
The Lord has blessed me in many areas.
There are a number of people in my life whom I treasure; gifts the Lord has given, people I never take for granted.
I have a job which I love, for the most part, and my family lives in a comfortable home.
We’re healthy, we’re fed, we sleep well, and the list goes on.
The Lord gives me counsel, or advice, whenever I’m uncertain how to continue.
Sometimes it comes in the form of a counselling session. I’m made aware of a situation when a hurting person asks for advice. There are times I readily know the advice to pass along...but there are others when the Lord has to give me counsel because I’m just not sure how to answer.
However, most times it is when I feel lost, not knowing which way to turn. Which decision do I make for the best? How many peoples’ lives will my decision make an impact upon? Will the impact be for better or worse?
So many questions...so few answers.
During these times, I pray, asking God to show me His answer...and I ask Him to help me follow His desires when He does give the answer...because His ways and my ways are often different...and, sometimes, even when I know He is right, I want to voice my objection...because His way seems so much harder or more painful than mine.
So, for me, seeking God’s advice comes in two parts.
First, it’s petitioning the Lord for advice.
Second, it’s to pray, asking God to give me a willing heart, to follow His plan rather than my own.
My reins instruct me in the night seasons.
Have you ever ridden a horse? You have to hold the reins just right- not too loose because your horse will think he’s in control, but not too tightly that your horse hurts from trying to follow your lead.
When riding horseback, the reins are everything when it comes to controlling your horse. Hold them properly without applying pressure and your horse moves straight ahead. Move the reins to the right and your horse follows. Move them to the left and that’s where you’re going to go.
Sometimes, though, your horse will get lazy and you may need to kick him to prompt him into action. You can’t kick him in the head or on the neck. You can’t kick his butt, but, there is a perfect spot to kick...just before his hind legs...and you won’t hurt him, yet, he’ll move for you.
When we serve God, sometimes we feel like we’re walking in total darkness because we don’t know where tomorrow will take us. We don’t have the vision God possesses...but, because we trust Him completely, we allow him to place the reins on us to keep us safe.
When we’re going through rough terrain, or travelling through darkness, we keep trotting along, trusting the One who leads us, because He sees when we can’t. We trust our Instructor with our lives.
I have set the Lord always before me.
No matter what I do from one day to the next, life is better when I always keep the Lord in mind. Yes, I may hurt from time to time. Someone may say something which crushes my spirit or do something which cripples me, but it’s only temporary.
When I react to these situations, without leaning on God’s wisdom, the aftermath tends to be much worse than when I grant God complete control of these situations. So, even when things seem rough, on any given day, they could be much worse if I don’t keep the Lord in sight at all times.
I should not make major decisions in haste. I should pray about them and seek God’s input because He truly does know what’s best for me. If He didn’t, He wouldn’t ask me to trust Him so completely. If He didn’t care about me, He wouldn’t have bothered inspiring those men, so many years ago, to write the Bible, which helps me so much today and He certainly wouldn’t have suffered such a cruel death upon the cross!
But, because He has taken the time to demonstrate His love to me, the least I can do is allow Him to control my reins.
Yes, He knows I can be spirited. He knows I’m prone to kicking up a fuss on occasion. He knows that I don’t want to move sometimes, that I’d rather stay where I am.
But, He also knows when I’m tired, when I’ve been treated roughly, when I’ve been abused. He knows when I’m sick and just don’t have the energy to move...and He understands.
He knows how to control me, despite my feelings and circumstances. He won’t push me beyond my capabilities and, most importantly, He will never let go of the reins, leaving me on my own.
He is at my right hand and I shall not be moved.
Sometimes I hear people referring to their “right-hand man.” This man is a person who can be counted on no matter what happens. In an emergency, he is available and willing to act. During times of peace, he relaxes with you. In moments of bliss, he joins you with laughter.
When you get used to having this “right-hand man” beside you, you never want him to leave. He is indispensable and you appreciate him for everything he does, and means, to you.
Jesus is my “right-hand man” and I refuse to move from His side.
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Imagine if you knew everything!
Acts 1:7-8 (paraphrase mine)
And He said unto them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the Father has put in His own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. Ye shall be witnesses unto Me in your hometown, in your province/territory, in your country, and throughout the world.”
God doesn’t want us to know everything, as He does. He wants to spare us the pain and agony of knowing the future, and He wants us to be true to Him.
Consider a few of the following situations.
If you knew you were going to suffer a painful death at the age of 60, you would dread every year that passed, bringing you closer to that terrible time of suffering.
If you knew a loved one would not enter Heaven, you would live with heartache and despair whenever you thought of that person, if you could escape the thought at all.
If you knew your country was going to be at war, you would want to flee and take your family with you. You’d only hope and pray your friends would follow.
If you knew your family would suffer a fatal car accident during summer vacation, you would never leave home.
Get my point?
You’d be miserable and miserable to live with. No one would want to be around you.
Flip the coin and look at the other side.
If you knew you were going to die a terrible death at the age of 60, it’s possible you wouldn’t live as you do now. Perhaps, you’d be wasting your life and waiting until you were almost 60 before committing your life to God. He wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much work through you because you would have given Him only the ashes of your life.
If you knew a loved one was going to Hell, perhaps you wouldn’t draw close to the person now. You may try to prepare yourself for eternal separation. You’d likely miss out on a wonderful relationship and miss opportunities to witness. Worse again, perhaps you’d feel it would be useless to witness about Christ.
If you knew your family would suffer a fatal car accident during summer vacation, you’d stay home and miss the annual bonding trips. You’d miss out on all the fun and excitement of visiting and exploring new places, meeting new people, and trying new things.
We’d lose so much more if we knew everything, and these are only a few examples!
We’re more careful when we don’t know as much.
Think of a new job. You’re so cautious-afraid to make a mistake. You pay close attention to detail, desiring to learn and complete your job properly.
After you’ve mastered it, it can become tedious and boring. It becomes routine. The challenge has gone. Often, you want something more exciting and fulfilling...and you may begin to take unnecessary risks.
So there are some things God keeps to Himself
-to spare us pain and heartache
-to keep life exciting
-to keep us on our toes
However, there are some things we know and should NEVER forget:
-we know we must witness to the lost
-we know every soul will spend eternity in one of two places: Heaven or Hell
-we know the choices we make today will have a lasting impact upon our eternal destination, as well as that of others.
-we know it’s the Holy Spirit that gives us the power and the boldness to witness.
-we know Jesus wants us to witness to people everywhere.
Every soul is important.
Don't forget it, even if you don't like the person you're supposed to witness to!
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Tapping into God's Power
Luke 10:19-20 (paraphrase mine)
“Behold, I give unto you, power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
But, don’t rejoice because the spirits are subject unto you- rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.”
Imagine the power available to us to tread all over the evil one and not be hurt!
The mere thought of seeing a snake makes you want to run from it, instead of tread on it. The same is true of a scorpion. We don’t want to face them. We’d rather come face to face with a puppy or a kitten, which we can take in our arms and cuddle...creatures which embrace instead of harm.
Yet, verse 19 above says, we have power to tread on these things and not be hurt!
We’ve looked at the physical context of the verse, but let’s take a moment to examine the spiritual context.
First, we don’t acquire this power on our own. This power comes from one source- God. God is the only One capable of treading on the enemy, and defeating him, and He gives us this power, no strings or conditions attached, and He expects us to take advantage of His power.
Second, spiritually speaking, serpents and scorpions can refer to a number of issues we struggle with, on a daily basis, ranging from substance abuse to learning to control our hormones. God gives us the power to have victory over sin, so we won’t be held in bondage by it.
Third, the enemy has a lot of power. Sometimes he sneaks upon us when we least expect it. We’re having a wonderful day, then boom! Something happens, which puts us all out of sorts, and we’re not sure what to do, or say, next.
God can give us victory over these surprises as well! Yes, He can! He has told us He would give us total power over the enemy...not just enough power to be victorious over the sins in our lives. God knew the enemy would keep working on us, creating new schemes, hoping to tear us away from our relationship with God...and he succeeds when we don’t turn our eyes upon God and tap into the great source of power He has supplied for us!
Fourth, nothing will hurt us in any way. Chances are if you’re in a desert and come across a snake, he’ll bite. Depending upon the type of snake, you may be poisoned. Depending upon divine intervention or medical attention, you may suffer and die.
However, I believe this verse has a spiritual connotation attached to it. The enemy may strike you at any hour of the day or night. He may throw you for a loop, so to speak. However, if you are tapped into God’s power, the power He has over the enemy, your soul will not be harmed...your eternal destination will not be affected.
However, in verse 20, we’re cautioned against rejoicing in the wrong things.
If we rejoice in the power we have over the enemy, we may become proud, and believe nothing can affect us. We may begin to forget about God. Our defences will weaken giving the enemy room to sneak in and attack us, when we least expect it.
Yet, if we rejoice for the proper reason, that our names are written in Heaven, it keeps our focus on God and removes it from ourselves. We don’t want to do anything which may cause God to blot our names from His book...so we keep tapping into His power, keeping our focus on Him, while attacking and defeating the enemy in whichever direction we turn.
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Nov.14/2004
Matthew 5:1-12
The Beatitudes
(paraphrase mine)
(Verses 1 and 2)
Jesus saw the multitudes of people. He knew He couldn’t escape them, but He needed to spend time teaching His disciples...so He went up into a mountain to prepare. When He was ready, His disciples came to Him and He began to teach.
(Verse 3)
Blessed are the poor in spirit
- those who don’t have a lot, physically, to look forward to
- those who don’t seem to have much reason to feel joy
because the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.
What is the kingdom of Heaven? Does it refer to Heaven itself or a state of experiencing Heaven on Earth? In either case, it is a promise, a platitude, to ease one’s soul, granting the poor in spirit hope for the future.
(Verse 4)
Blessed are they that mourn
- those who are heart-broken over the loss of a loved one
- those who shed tears of agony over broken relationships, though no death has occurred.
- those who grieve the loss of their jobs, homes, or sense of security
for they shall, indeed, be comforted.
(Verse 5)
Blessed are the meek
- those who are humble, esteeming others better than himself
for the earth shall belong to them.
A humble person will prosper. He won’t be abased, or put down, because, in his mind, he’s already at the bottom rung of the ladder.
(Verse 6)
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
- those who can’t seem to get enough of God
- those who feed from God’s Word and, diligently, pray to Him daily
- those who wake up thinking of God and go to sleep thinking about Him
- those who welcome God into all areas of their lives
for they shall be filled.
(Verse 7)
Blessed are the merciful
- those who forgive others no matter how difficult
- those who exercise compassion towards the financial, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of others
for they shall find mercy. They shall be rewarded with forgiveness and compassion.
(Verse 8)
Blessed are the pure in heart
- those whose hearts are untainted, spotless, faultless, simple, innocent
for they shall see God.
We can’t achieve purity on our own merits, that’s for sure. The only way we can be purified is through Jesus’ shed blood.
Flesh can never be pure, thus our flesh will not enter Heaven.
However, our souls (spirits) can be without blemish or spot, faultless, and untainted, if covered by the blood of Jesus.
Only when this happens can God look upon us in favour, because He sees the blood of His Son who was willing to lay down His life for ours.
As a result, when our flesh dies, our souls will take up residence in glorified (eternal) bodies, which can never grow old nor decay.
However, only the souls of those who are pure before God will live with Him forever in the place He has prepared, a place of joy and love. All other souls will perish.
(Verse 9)
Blessed are the peacemakers
- those who desire to live in quiet surroundings
- those who desire to live in harmony
for they shall be called the children of God.
As humans, we prefer to have our children living in peace and striving for peace. Why should God feel any differently?
God works wonders in peaceful environments. Of course, God works wonders in any environment, when we allow Him room to move, and breathe, in our lives.
Compare war to harmony.
Which environment would you rather be a part? Which environment would you choose for your children?
(Verse 10)
Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
If you commit murder and go to prison, regardless of how much you’re persecuted, it isn’t for the sake of righteousness. It’s because you committed a crime.
If you get caught stealing from your employer, and are persecuted by losing your job and facing criminal charges, it didn’t result from righteous actions.
If you crash into twin towers, and the terrorized country retaliates on your country, it didn’t arise because of a righteous act, on your country’s part. Your country suffers persecution because of a grave injustice they inflicted on another.
On another note...
If you lose your job because you talk to someone about Jesus, you’re being ill-treated for righteousness’ sake.
If you preach about Jesus to souls who are lost, you may pay the price with your life. If so, it will have been for righteousness’ sake.
What is righteousness?
It’s someone/something who/which is just, upright, Godly, virtuous, good , and honest.
In other words, it’s Jesus (in its most perfect sense) and those who follow Jesus (in its broader sense).
Verse 10 could be paraphrased as, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for JESUS’ sake...”
(Verse 11 and 12)
Blessed are ye when men shall abuse and scorn you, mistreat you and say all kinds of evil things about you, falsely, for My (Jesus’) name sake.
Rejoice, and be overflowing with gladness because you’ll have a great reward in Heaven. The prophets before you were persecuted, too.
If you abuse others and others label you an abuser, they’re telling the truth.
If you’re mean and people call you grumpy, nasty, or selfish, they’re right.
If you drink too much and someone calls you an alcoholic, chances are he sees something you don’t.
If a buddy calls you to pick him up from a nightclub, and you have to go in and help him out to your car, people you know (who hears about it) will likely make up stories about you- misinterpreting what they saw, or embellishing the truth to make you look bad, to make you look like a sinner.
If a lady’s car breaks down, and a married man stops to give her a ride, chances are people will make assumptions and, likely, share them with others. You could be accused of having an affair-something you hadn’t even dreamed of, especially as a Christian.
If someone lies-using you as a scapegoat to get themselves out of trouble- you will likely face ridicule by your peers, co-workers, and possibly even your family members, though you didn’t deserve it. It will hurt you knowing people around you will wonder why you even bother calling yourself a Christian.
Guess what Jesus says about this?
He says to be encouraged.
He mentions others who suffered persecution because they served Him. In fact, Jesus suffered persecution, too, because of His love mankind. It’s only because He loved man so much that He chose to die on the cross.
Knowing others suffered before you, including Jesus, do you really think you should be exempt from persecution?
After all, if you want to walk and talk like Jesus, you must learn to deal with persecution. Besides, persecution refines you. It builds you up and makes you stronger. It draws you closer to Jesus, if you allow it.
Imagine! Jesus says to be overflowing with gladness when we’re being abused and mistreated.
I know I’ve fallen far short of His glory in this area. I’m more prone to ask, “How much longer, Lord?”
But...we’ll be rewarded in Heaven. We’ll be blessed beyond anything we can imagine. Isn’t that blessing enough?
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