Torn between two…

Torn between two… Talking of our great and might Jesus or of this sinner saved only by HIS grace.

Last evening my wife (Lynda) and I met with two pastors/elders (Scott and Smedly) to pray. A thoughtful friend of mine, (James), and somewhat brother because his folks became the masters of our dog, Gilbert, sent a text to me the day before:

James 5:13-16, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing Psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

In this passage we are instructed on how to deal with the various issues in life here on earth: Suffering-pray, Cheerful-sing psalms, sick-call elders, pray and anoint, sins-forgiveness, trespasses-confession, pray, because the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

So our dear elders wanted to pray and started off by re-reading this passage and then turned to me and in humility asked if there was any sin that I needed to confess that brought about this sickness? Wow, any sin(s) that I needed to confess?

Somehow the conversation turned to other things among us all but as the others were talking, I had to bow my head and pray. “Lord what do you want me to say about my sin? We could be here all night and for days if I have to confess my sin to my dear brothers in Christ.”

I am not quite sure how we got back to the question first asked, but I must confess – “this cancer, possible death… is it a result of a sin or many sins? This sin(s), is God going to discipline? This sin, does God have an extreme hatred for? This sin, whether one or many, does it not bare consequences way beyond this man who has committed the transgressions? This sin(s), is it not something that the word of God continues to warn us about but we turn a deaf ear to at times? This sin…, if only one sin (and you must all know it is not just one) and only one sin in my whole life, if not dealt with by our Great God and Savior Jesus would cast me away from His everlasting presence forever. This sin, if only one sin would never be resolved or removed by this man who has committed it, nor by any mere man on the face of this earth. This man sitting before these godly saints had to humbly and quickly acknowledge all the above in his soul and then remember Hebrews 12:5…”My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives.”

Where do I begin with these dear men? Well I recounted to them that my wife knows of every sin I have committed. I have confessed to her and will continue to humbly confess to her all that the Lord is dealing with this sinful man saved by grace. My wife and I have confessed our sins to our daughters who we know inherit this from us and continue to confess our sins to our son-in-law and maybe … (that is another thought). We have confessed our sins to friends and family as we go along the way. We are an open book and in humility are willing to disclose any and all the wrong we have done.

But how much more should I mention of that which I shamefully have done against my great and mighty Savior in comparison to speaking about all that He has forgiven and will continue to forgive. In a nutshell, while we are one this earth we will be torn between talking of our great and might Jesus or of this sinner’s sin that can only be resolved by the one who we so much want to make most of. This is why I hate sin so much. I hate any time that we have to take attention off of Him who is the sinless, spotless Lamb and place attention on this fallen short, rebellious, and hardhearted person that God has committed Himself to saving and is commanding to be holy as He is.

So, elders at Grace Bible Church, this is what you have so lovingly accepted in your midst. I say to my heavenly Father who has placed every sin upon His one and only Son – “please have mercy on our dear church for the sin(s) I have committed for one look at my suffering savior on the cross reminds me that sin affects way more than this one who has transgressed will ever imagine and that my sin has already done the most hideous act known to man. (Christ died for the unjust, the just for the unjust.)

But thank you Lord Jesus, that not just one sin (as the one sin committed in the garden which has and is still affecting every generation that breathes it’s first breath on earth) has been paid for but that “YOU ARE THE LAMB OF GOD THAT TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!” And during one of the elder’s prayer, he said, “Lord, if you can deal with the sin of the world, what is cancer – it’s child’s play to you.”

I love you Lord and we have only a short moment here on earth to lay a side the sin and the weights that so easily side track us and to fix our eyes on JESUS the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb. 12:1-2) And then we have all of eternity to thank Him for what great things He has done in such short time here on earth.