Walking With Christ

I saw a quote on TikTok that hit me pretty hard. Hat tip: Jonah Wily (the bible teacher). “Their sin will either be forgiven, or judged, but both by Me” – God

Why do we stumble? The quick answer is “our sin nature”. Let’s not be so hasty to blame all of our flaws on that, though.

First, we know that only God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are perfect. Note the intentional use of “are” instead of the standard “is” to denote multiple people represented by the trinity. Second, knowing that none outside of God can be perfect, we have to ask the question of why? There are some deep theological implications behind that question. Job, for example, lived a nearly sinless life. In fact, he had been sinless until the Lord allowed him to be tested by the enemy who had challenged the word of God by saying that everyone would sin. Thirdly, we know that it is because of sin that we are separated from God and need salvation through the blood of our savior, Jesus, who paid that debt for us.

Our creator, our God, Father, Lord, master, teacher, healer, shepherd, and friend could have easily designed us to be perfect and complete. We could have been made to never sin. God could have created a perfect utopia where there was no such thing as pain, hunger, sadness, loss, etc. So, why did He create this dumpster fire we are all trying to live through?

Let me shift gears for a moment to help illustrate my thought process here. Stay with me.

We all have those friends or family who only call when they need something. I’m sure that each of us has been there a time or two ourselves. No stones in glass houses. There have been times when I would think to call someone just because I found myself in need and I just knew that they would be able to help me out. If I hadn’t been in need, it’s possible that I would have gone many more months without talking to them. I know, shame. I hate being like that. I try to be very intentional about maintaining many relationships. It’s not about what they can do for me. It’s about keeping people in my life.

If God had created us all as perfect beings who were completely self-sufficient in every way, then would we willingly have a relationship with Him? I’d bet that most would not. Being complete means not having to trust or rely on anyone or anything outside of yourself. God does not need a relationship with us. He is perfect and complete as He is. He does not need for anything. However, He does want.

The first miracle of Jesus was for wine at a wedding party. It was a want not a need. I think, pure conjecture on my part, that Jesus did this to show that He cares for wants as well as needs because God, the Father, has no needs but does have wants. If Jesus had only been concerned with the needs of the people that would have ignored the heart of the Father and thus would have been a lie. Since we know that Jesus never sinned, we also know He could never tell a lie. It is through His words and deeds that we have our best image of who the Father is.

Let’s take a look at human nature for a moment. Most Christians, and non-Christians, turn to God when things are bad. We pray and beg for Him to work miracles and wonders to help us overcome the weight of our own bad decisions, in many cases, or to help shoulder the weight of the world when it gets to be too much for us. Many of us, looking in the mirror here, forget to call on Him in praise when times are good. We forget to praise Him when we are standing tall and things are going well.

If we were created to be perfect, times would always be going well because we would never make decisions that would lead to unfulfilled needs. We also wouldn’t have reason to praise Him for those good times because we would be able to boast in ourselves that we made that happen.

Why do we stumble? To cause us to throw out our hands and reach for the One who Saves. We stumble to remind us that we are not alone. We are not complete. We are not all knowing so we have to make perfect decisions based on imperfect information. We are not all powerful so we have to be smart and resourceful to get the most out of the power that we do have. We are not immortal so we have to treasure every second that we have. We have to set priorities and adjust those to fill our needs to the best of our ability. We stumble because God wants us to have a relationship with Him for all of eternity. That relationship would exist if we were all perfect, but it would not be appreciated as the gift it truly is without the trials and tribulations that come with living as imperfect beings in an imperfect world. We can’t appreciate the light until we have been in the dark. We cannot appreciate what it means to have something until we know what it means to do without. We stumble so that we may know and fully understand. We stumble so that we won’t take His presence and His gifts for granted.

Since we are not immortal, the time we use to build and maintain relationships that aren’t just for utility is a gift. It’s a gift not only to that person and those who benefit from it, but it’s a gift to ourselves because we will ultimately find ourselves enriched by the effort taken. Nobody likes having a “friend” or family member who only calls when they need something. That isn’t a relationship. That’s a free service. We all have had those relationships and have had to determine if they were a good thing to have or not. We have judged the relationships based on their merits.

It’s the relationships that we spend the most time on that are the strongest. When we all stand together before the great white throne of judgement, we will see the threads of our lives that are the thickest. The thicker the thread, the more time we have spent building up that relationship. I would hazard to say that if the relationship we have with God isn’t the thickest thread we have on that day then we might have some explaining to do. It’s possible, on that day, that we will find that we lived our lives by putting someone or something before God which would make that person or thing and idol that we place above God. God will judge our relationship with Him. If we only call on Him when we need Him then we are treating Him like a prayer vending machine. God has a servants heart. We see that through the entire life of Jesus. That doesn’t mean He is a free service. He wants a relationship, which is why so many will here those frightening words in Matthew 7:23.

Matthew 7:23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’(ESV)

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.(ESV)

Father,
Thank You for always having Your hand out to catch us when we fall. Thank You for leaving the voids in our lives that leave us wanting. Thank You for those, sometimes huge, gaps in our lives that force us to seek beyond ourselves and often beyond our own means and comfort level to be complete. Thank You, Lord, for filling in those gaps with Your spirit and Your word for those who are willing. Thank You for being a God who wants. We know that You need for nothing, but we also know that You want a deep and personal relationship with each and every one of us. We thank You for making a way for that to happen. We ask, that You continue to work in and through each of us for the glory of Your kingdom. Make us sensitive to Your will and Your heart for those around us. Open our eyes to the truth of the world. Let us see clearly the world as You see it. Let our hearts want what You want so that we can love how You love.

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!