A Lesson Learned in March

In class yesterday, when my professor was speaking on the subject of fasting, from Matthew 6, he pointed out the promise that God will repay us for our faithfulness in fasting. Then he added, "And none of the blessings of God are worthless." This statement speared me right to the heart. How often I take God's blessings for granted! A friend reminded me the other day that life is made up of the small everyday things that happen to us. There are few "big things" that happen in life. So I realized today that I have been sitting around waiting for some big event to happen in my life all the while ignoring the small things that happen everyday as a result of God's love and providence. These "small things" are actually pretty amazing: I'm alive, I'm forgiven, I'm in seminary, I'm provided for, I have friends (and no I don't pay them) and the list could go on. To make this even more ridiculous, I don't even know what the big thing is that I've been waiting for! Then tonight as I was praying, I realized that I and everyone I know needs to be convicted of two things: sin and hope. We need to be convicted of our sin. We often say we are, but how often do we realize the severity and horrible nature of sin? Our righteousness stinks to God. How much more our sin! We are corrupt, fallen. And we live in a corrupt fallen world. As I write this, someone is being murdered, a husband is being cheated on, a woman is being raped, a person in despair is contemplating suicide. But yet in the midst of all this there is hope! I am convinced that just as we need to be convicted of our sin, we need to be convicted of the hope we have in Jesus Christ! The hope that we have in Him is not a light and abstract concept! It is real and it is life-giving. I am prone to one of two extremes. Either I say to myself, "Ok, I'm a Christian so I have to smile and act happy and listen to good music etc" and all the while I'm hiding my pain and fallenness or I swing to the other side and wallow in despair blinding myself to the Light. We all need to stand firm in the hope of the Gospel. On one side is darkness, death, blood and guilt on the other is life, light, and forgiveness. Where we live is where these two meet and the Gospel is the only way to maintain our sanity and our godliness. The Gospel affirms the horror of sin and gives us proof of God's overwhelming love and mercy. So, let us not be fake and act as if nothing is wrong with us or the world. Let us be real and transparent. But also, let us not sink in despair and hopelessness. Remember forever that we are weak and sinful. But Jesus will save those who call upon His name and bless them with hope.