Search

As I trudge closer and closer to the magical number 40 I've come to the conclusion that going to the doctor is not as carefree as it was when I was 20, 25 or even 30. For the most part I've been very fortunate to have good health, even though I've not fueled or exercised my body very well, that is until recently. In matters pertaining to a visit to the MD I had no fear of saying, "Search me", in my youth.

To say, "Search Me" at this stage in life comes with some trepidation. It's not that I feel as though anything is wrong, in fact I feel stronger now than I ever have but, I am becoming very aware of the fact that these bodies were only meant to last so long. Guess what 25 year-old Todd, despite how much this may shock you, you're not indestructible!

For those of my friends who are reading this that are in their 50's, 60's and beyond I can almost see the Grinch-like smile creeping up on your faces and I can hear the sarcastic tone of, "Oh you just wait Mr. Todd, 40 is a dream compared to??? To you I say, hang with me, because this blog entry is about more than me wallowing in fleeting images of my youth.

Far beyond the apprehension I might have of the coldest stethoscope, sharpest scalpel and yes, even the most flexible fiber optic camera, is the apprehension I have in allowing the Lord, the God of the Universe, to search me.

"Search Me, God" was the plea of David, Psalm 139:23. It wasn't the first time David said something like this. In Psalm 26:2 David said, "Test me and try me, examine my heart and my mind". Even in the broken self-realization of the gravity of his transgressions of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband upon the confession of his sin David ask of the Lord in Psalm 51:10 to, "Create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Imagine, Imagine asking the creator of the heavens and the earth to "Search You". Daunting isn't it? I truly believe that there are seasons in life where we must ask God to search us. Search me God, search me and point out EVERYTHING that should not be there. Search me God, do some cleaning!  Even if the process is difficult, uncomfortable, maybe even painful the end results are always a deeper, more intimate relationship with God.

The Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. A key step in our sanctification process is being bold and asking God, like David, to "Search Me!" I have no idea where you, the reader, are in your walk. But, if you want to shake things up, ask God to search you. Of course there is a good chance that asking God to search you may cause some discomfort, but if you follow through and persevere, the result will be blessed! God will meet you. He will give you all the tools and strength you need for growth and transformation!    

Wanderer

"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love"...

The lyrics you've just read were originally written in 1757 by hymnist Robert Roberson. Roberson was only 22 years old when he penned these now famous words. The words are just as powerful today!

As I was driving to the office this morning, the above mentioned song, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing came on. I instantly tuned in and began to sing and worship along with the artist. My favorite version is by the O.C. Supertones. As I sang..."Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love."

I was instantly catapulted to a scripture. In Romans 7 we find the apostle Paul in a very transparent, fragile state. Paul is talking about how he has been struggling with sin. In Romans 7:21-23 Paul states:

   

"I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. 

But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. 

This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me." 

I can so resonate with Paul as he shares his heart! He is venting his personal frustrations with his own sinful tendencies. Paul is saying and I paraphrase..."WOW, I call myself a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ? I'm supposed to be a teacher and a leader...Oh if they only knew!" Paul is dealing with a crisis!

I think we can all understand Paul's heart. It's so frustrating when we've been walking with the Lord for several years, maybe even decades, and that old pet sin rears its ugly head and we feel deflated and defeated. We say to ourselves...

"Lord I thought I was SO further along than this!"

It happens to each of us. It's called the crisis of our sanctification. God is working through us! The great vinedresser is doing some necessary pruning and guess what? It can hurt from time to time!

We say to ourselves...

"Lord, I'm prone to wander, Lord I prone to leave You!" This realization beckons us to action. When faced with the crisis of his sinful nature Paul states in verse 24 "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?"

Paul is literally crushed my his sinfulness. He is the wanderer described in Come Thou Fount. And guess what? So am! So are you! No matter how long each one of us has been walking with the Lord, sin issues surface and often they floor us and we say just like Paul, "Oh what a miserable person I am"!

I truly believe that if this was where the story ended, for the Apostle Paul or for any of us, the Christian life would be unbearable. It would be a life of heavy burdens. One of the very attractive benefits of being a follower of Jesus is the loosening of burdens and strongholds, not creating heavier burdens!

In Matthew 11:30 Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and by burden is light". If Paul's or our Christian existence was always hard and heavy we would most assuredly give up. But look at what Paul says in Romans 7:25:

"Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

Hallelujah, Jesus reigns! Hallelujah, we are not trapped with a heavy yoke or endless burdens! Yes, as Christians we sin...we wander from the God we love. The beauty is this: God loves us despite of us! He does not allow us to stay trapped in our sins. He uses our sins to point out that we have NOT arrived quite yet. He uses our sins to increase our awareness of our constant need of Him to sanctify us daily!

A greater dependence on Him over a period of time does indeed change us, Praise God! Of course some people change more quickly. But the truth of Romans 7 is this...God IS sanctify ALL of those who submit to HIM! Sanctifying each of us according to His own personal, sovereign  plan for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11)!

So, do you wander from time to time? Do you ever say to yourself after you've wander..."Wow, really, I thought I was a lot further along than this!" Have peace, the Lord of heaven and earth is working in you and through you! He loves you, even in your sins. He will these crises in our sanctification for our growth. Every time we successfully deal with a sin issue (confess, ask for forgiveness and repent)we will ended up an more sanctified follower of Jesus!

Next time we will be quicker to notice the oncoming symptoms of our old sin nature and are better prepared to flee from the temptation before we sin. Remember, God always provides and escape, 1 Corinthians 10:13. Jesus did all the work on the cross for us. He provided the way for our salvation, He provided the way for our healing, He provided the way for our sanctification and someday He will return and sanctify us through and through so we are no longer prone to wander and leave the God we love!              

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing