Being reconciled to Christ

I always start a new blog and I fail to keep up with it. I, recently, however have wanted to truly share my thoughts on what I’m learning as I devour the scriptures. On this first day of February, 2020 I sat here doing my scripture writing, looked back in my notebook, and realized it had been one full year since I started scripture journaling. And I realized, too, I have a lot of thoughts.

So here goes.

My prayer is someone will come upon this blog and be encouraged.

In the last year I’ve been so off and on about being in Gods word and truly learning from Him. I’ve gone back and forth between doing well with devouring scripture and not falling into perpetual sin, to backsliding and not being in His word and falling into sin habits that should’ve disappeared a long time ago, so I thought.

But I’m human. I’m a sinner. We all are. What I HAVE learned from this is that when we are so deep in Gods word, and so saturated by what He has to say to us, we don’t have time or the desire to fall into our same sin patterns. I’ve seen this in myself even in the last month. I’ve been in the word every day since the new year started. But there’s a difference between being in the word and truly listening to God. I can read scripture all day long, but if my heart is not open to what God has to say, then my reading is worthless.

I praise God he has placed people in my life who hold me accountable and who I can’t help but be honest with. Transparency is so beautiful in the body of believers. When we are transparent and honest with each other, accountability comes in and strips us of pride. So in the midst of reading scripture I’ve still fallen into sin. Which is where my community comes in.

In the midst of church and sermons and Bible Study Fellowship there’s been a reoccurring theme. Community. It’s pertinent to our walks as Christians. God did not create us to be alone. In community we hold each other up. We share with each other. We point each other to scripture and we keep each other safe from harm. Praise God for the community He’s given me. Within this community I can’t help but be transparent and my transparency has led me to a Puritan book from the 1600’s. The unabridged version of “the mortification of sin” by John Owen.
This is not just a leisurely read, but it’s something you have to chunk and chew on.
In this book John Owen speaks of sin in such a way that it is something that must be killed in our lives. We have to stop leaning on ourselves and our desires and we have to start leaning on Christ and ridding ourselves of the things that kill our soul.
Instead of allowing sin to kill us slowly, we must kill sin.
“Mortification from a self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, to the end of a self-righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.”

Self.

We are led into sin by temptation and by reliance on self rather than God.

The Bible tells us we must die to ourselves. Maybe it’s not just about the mortification of sin, but also the mortification of self.

So as I read this book I’m reminded to be in the word. To mortify the underlying power of sin in my life. To be transparent.

I’m falling in love all over again with who God is. By diving into His word and saturating myself with its truth. By being reminded that sin and self must die. I’m desiring Gods perfect and holy will in my life, but I’m also desiring it for others in my life. I’m journaling my prayers and lifting up my community in such as way that I desire for them to be overcome by Gods good and perfect will in their own lives.

But this is not about me and what Gods doing for me. Rather it’s about Christ and what I can do for Him as I spend time learning from Him.

I want this blog to be about God and his healing power and what I’m learning from Him.

I want it to be a place of transparency where as I learn from God I share what I’m learning so others can see His mighty power.

So please, if you come across this blog, share it. Share your thoughts with me. And let’s also build a community of believers here where we can converse about who God is in our lives.