romanseight

"How great is our God. Sing with me, how great is our God. All will see how great, how great, is our God." This is a rather common church worship song, but do we ever really think about what we are saying? How great is our God! He is, is He not? But do we ever think about the depth of that statement. Think of how big our own world is. It's huge. There are approximately 7 billion people on the earth right now. According to Louie Giglio, you could put 960,000 earths into the area of the sun. Psalm 33 says that "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth" (vs. 6). So God breathed into existence something that big, and yet it is one of the smallest stars in the universe. So basically, God is so great that He created an entire universe that He can fit in His hand. How's that for great?

Sometimes, when I think about the greatness of God, I feel so little. Why would He create me? I feel like an ant trying to bring more greatness to a tree (lame analogy I know, but bear with me). To an ant, the tree is so big and the ant is so small...what could the ant possibly to do make the tree bigger. I have done so many wrong things and continue to fail in so many areas, my weak spots are great. And yet God still chose to create me. Psalm 139 says that "all your days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be". God knew all that I was going to do, all the wrong and right I would do, before He even made me. So in my human mind, I often wonder why He made me. Why would He use someone like me after all I've done and failed to do. It just doesn't make a lot of sense. 

When I was talking to a friend about this a bit ago, he reminded me of a verse in Romans. The verse is this: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (8:1). For those who are in Christ, there is no condemnation for the past. God has set us free. This concept of freedom is actually something that God just revealed to me recently. I live with a lot of regret, and He has been reminding me that I am set free in Him. We are set free in Him. We do not need to worry about our past, He has forgiven us. Paul goes on to write in verse 2, "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death". That is what Christ came to do, set us free from our sin in Him.

However, that was not really what jumped out to me about this passage. Verse 1, in and of itself, is pretty mind blowing. It points out that we are free in Him, we are not being condemned or judged for our sin rather we are free. But its a couple verses later that really hit me. 

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (8:5-8)

*kick in the stomach*

Paul uses harsh language here. First, he begins with a clarification. Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh. Makes sense, ya? And that those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. So basically what you value is what you fight for. You can't mix the two however. This was one kick. You cannot set your mind on things of the Spirit if you live by things of the flesh. It just isn't possible. It's like trying to ask for an olive from a grape tree....impossible, improbable, not likely. I realized that I often live by things of the flesh (laziness, grumpiness, attention, self-gain, pleasure) yet expect to have my mind set on things of the Spirit. Paul makes it extremely clear here that that is not possible. If you want to have your mind set on things of the Spirit, you need to live by the Spirit. 

If that wasn't harsh enough, he goes farther. He continues to say that "to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." So therefore, if you choose to live by the flesh, you set your mind on the flesh, which then in turn leads to death. However if you choose to live by the Spirit and set your mind on the Spirit, that leads to life and peace. It's interesting how it is not just life you gain but peace as well. Peace cannot be obtained by living by the flesh. Sometimes we get this idea that if we just do ______ enough, then we will have true peace. No. Peace cannot be obtained apart from God. 

Paul closes out with his harshest words of all. "for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. those who are in the flesh cannot please God". Paul does not mix the two. You either live by the flesh or you live by the Spirit. You cannot live mostly by the Spirit and only a little by the flesh. The idea of "oh, well I'll go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays and volunteer there Thursdays and Saturdays and read my Bible ever day and run three Bible studies and help out at my daughter's school, and every once in a while go to a bar and get wasted...but that's only like once a month". Yeah no, that once a month is still living a little bit by the flesh, and Paul clearly states here that those who live by the flesh cannot please God. Cannot. C-a-n-n-o-t. You are either all for Jesus or don't waste your time. If you are half in, half out, He will spit you out of His mouth (said somewhere in the gospels).

I'm not writing this to be a downer. I'm honestly writing this to share what I learned tonight, or what God revealed to me tonight. I struggle with this so much. I like to hold on to my little things, the things of the flesh that I'm too scared to let go. And I argue with God all the time that it's only a little thing. I've already given Him everything else, what's wrong with the little thing I'm keeping? But, as He so clearly reminded me tonight, I need to go all in or don't waste my time. Because He will spit the luke-warmer-ers out of His mouth. He's offering me complete freedom in Him in exchange for my flesh, which usually just causes problems anyways.

So it begs the question: why aren't I jumping all in? God, who created the entire universe and holds it all in His hand, is offering to redeem my life and use it for His glory, and I have reservations? "No God, you aren't good enough for me" Wow, how selfish and stupid and arrogant. Just sayin.