Within this Christian walk there arises questions, questions regarding my own inadequacy to always "get this right" and questions regarding what is the right thing to do. My heart is set upon Christ, my desire is to bring glory to His name; yet there are times that my best efforts fail. Many a well meaning Christian would have us live once more under the old testament law. So often in my own life my hope and joy further destroyed by such a Christian friend who would tell me that all my trials and sufferings are a result of my own sin. Yet, my heart was seeking after Christ and I so desperately wanted to please Him; why, did I so miserably fail at times and could God still love me? Can there be any hope for you and for me? Let’s look once more at what God has said.
2 Corinthians 4:
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The treasure of the gospel of Christ is given in earthen vessels which of their own right have no beauty and are fragile, breakable. Just clay pots with nothing special except for the life giving water which they hold within them. Sometimes we may be broken or chipped so that the life giving water is poured out upon someone else in our pathway. Our salvation, thank God, is not dependent upon our ability to keep the law perfectly; but is dependent upon the finished work of Christ on the cross. That is not a license to turn our backs on God, lay down the sword as it would be and stop battling against our own sin nature; because I daresay you don’t know Him if that were the case. We, who know Him, seek Him, and love Him desire to honor Him in all that we say or do. They are times; however, that as David–I would want to run and hide in silence because my foot slipped and I then feel that I could never tell you how to walk this Christian walk. If indeed I slipped; how can I teach you anything?
Psalm 94: 17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
Oh, but perhaps that is the answer and why I must keep writing and must keep speaking. It has nothing to do with me. God can use us broken vessels to proclaim His Glory and His might, if we surrender and allow Him to. There is no Child so far astray; that God cannot use. That is, if you are His Child adopted through faith into His family because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Do you fall before Him in awe of His magnificent Grace, His Glory, His Righteousness, His Justice, and His love? Do you seek Him with all your heart and your soul? If so, keep speaking for Christ and keep putting on your armor to battle for the Joy that is only found in Him. Cast aside all the counterfeit joy to follow after Him. Then stop worrying and laying such guilt upon yourself.
Psalm 103: 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
Isaiah 43: But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour
Certainly, along this journey we will be washed by the waters and purified by fire as God continues His work within us; yet, He will never let go of His Child’s hand. That is a promise you can be certain of. As I look back over the years of my life, I see along the road the rubbish of my own failures; yet, amazingly I have run into people who knew me then and they say I changed their life and because of something I said or did they found Christ. How amazing is that!!! I see failure; yet, God used my life to His Glory–that the excellency of the power may be His.
Let me end this with a song I wrote in 1987. All of the artwork is that of Ronald Barba, my son.