So what does one do about it? I mean - If one takes the comment seriously, it can be very honest! At what point do we stop, call it what it is and get out?
When my granddaughter was just over a year old, she loved opening my kitchen cupboards and taking - no - chucking things out. I let her open any cupboard except for the one under the sink, with the trash, dish soaps etc.
I reminded her, "No, Natalie, not that one." I could tell she knew... but she still liked to open the door and have a look. She'd repeatedly close it and then open it, just to make sure the trash hadn't moved. I couldn't understand.
Or do I? Even though she was very cute about it, it reminded me of our human nature. Do we treat sin in the same way? Do we open the door? Even when we know? Or do we, when we feel a sin coming, run . . . as Joseph did.Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of him . . . And though she spoke to him day after day, he refused (her) or to even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties and non of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak ... but he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. Genesis 39:6-12
7 comments:
Oh Anneliese what a good story and a very good lesson!
What a good analogy! In Indonesia English words are often used on clothing and on stickers (for motorbikes). Sometimes the phrases that these "religious" people sport are unbelievable (obviously they have no idea what they say): "Looking For Love" "Bad Boy" "Evil Inside". One "religious" man wore a t-shirt that said "I worship Satan". I am sure he was quite embarrassed when my American friend made him aware of what his shirt said!
Anneliese, I was relaxing on the couch last night leaving you a lenghthy commnet when my computer ran out of battery and it was gone.
I was going to say that Terry pointed out that same T shirt to me in the mall one day. . but he said he could possibly wear it to church. He said that often lately it seems like God has been revealing areas in our lives that need attention. . .kind of like seeing sins we didn't even realize we had. . .it seemd a little funny. .We wouldn't really wear it but you get the jist of what he was saying.
Your little Natalie is just a dear. . .glad to know that you made it through that stage. . .it is my life with two one year olds right now. I have cupboard door latches on the sink one but the other ones. . .well we are learning.
Hmmm....this is a good post and you tied all the elements together well. I have not seen that T-shirt but I am sure I would react the same as you. How sad a comment on today when those very things that would not even have been used or uttered are now done so in jest...and the rest of the world (us) are just supposed to sit back and accept it?
Good verse to quote...I am going to look it up. CAn't say that I even remember that one.
Hi Anneliese,
I finally figured out how to leave a note I'd written a while back under your post "My Song". As I said there, I just love your blog!
You've got me thinking today... buckle up, this may be lengthy! I was reading in Romans 7, Paul's words: "Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law..." I wonder if Natalie would have cared about the trash cupboard had there not been some mysterious commandment that made that cupboard of particular focus. "..Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died." I am so relieved that in my life, I no longer have to struggle with sin. I no longer have to be bound by the curiosity-provoking commandments of "thou shalt not".
In Chapter 8- "Therefore, there is now no condemnation... because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life SET ME FREE from the law of sin..." And back in Chapter 6:2 "...We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" vs. 6 "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be DONE AWAY WITH, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been FREED FROM SIN." What amazing grace is ours! I don't have to live in fear of sinning or disappointing God anymore (I used to for years, even as a Christian), I am just now getting it- that I have been set FREE- free to live in His righteousness, no longer ruled by the focus of sin and fleeing from it. It completely loses its power, its enticement when I look at who I am in Christ. I'm not perfect- I'll make mistakes- but being a sinner doesn't define me. The fight?- it is finished. There's so much peace in not even caring about "a sin coming on". When so much attention & energy is placed on the "no, no's" of life, that's where I tend to want to go, where my curiosity takes me, like baby Natalie. The energy, desire & curiosity of sin completely dissipates when I take what Jesus did on the cross for me in all of its conquering power. I know, without all the hype, that it's only trash on the other side of that cupboard.
Perhaps Joseph wasn't running out of fear of what he might do wrong with that woman, maybe he was running in complete freedom & victory over temptation.
Danielle, I believe you're right about Joseph. He had complete freedom & victory. I wonder what kind of book he would have written, with everyhting he went through. The "no" cupboard is like the tree in the garden. God did tell Adam and Eve they could eat any fruit, except for this one tree. Eve's curiosity got the best of her and the rest is history. It's so freeing when we know that God's commands are for our good. Sin loses it's appeal.
Thanks, Danielle!
I like your excellent analogy. Sometimes we try to see how close we can get to the open pit without falling in, rather than exercise our freedom to staying away from the pit.
Post a Comment