This Thread We Walk

Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. Joshua 2:18

The world is enormous and it is wicked, and her ruler is the evil one, but through it all there runs a scarlet thread. And while it is true that Christians are not of this world, it is upon, yes upon this fine and delicate thread we trek.

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psalm 27:10

For certain this thread is fine, but only in the sense that it is elegant, beautiful, and splendid. It is not paltry, gaunt, or slender. It is only a person’s posture and position that could create such an illusion, imaging ourselves larger than actuality, and being of a distance whereby large things appear small. If this thread seems slight, it’s our vantage point that is askew — we stand afar off thinking we are bigger than we are.

The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him. Psalm 27:14a

Nor is it delicate; it is of the strongest something men will ever know. It cannot be stretched, twisted, or broken. It is immoveable. Neither is it a tightrope whereby we must acquire great agility and balance. It is, as we move closer (acknowledging our smaller stature), an able path, not so broad we lose sight of its borders. It is the thread we tread, narrow yes, but a safe and trustworthy thoroughfare where if we stumble there is no risk of falling off, and where we’ll always find a helping hand to get us back upon our feet. Of course if we desire to exit, it is our choice.

Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. Psalm 27:15

This passage, this scarlet thread, runs through everything we encounter. In the good times it might seem wide and in bad times it may appear slim, but before these occasions we know nothing about it has changed. This route, this path, this Way is of the Lord and all who travel it will make it safely home.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30

It is also upon this thread we are changed. As we begin to move forward upon it we have a strong sense of its difficulty. Others along the way are perceiving the same thing, and they endorse the sensation. It’s not unusual to hear someone say, “Well you know God said in this life there will be trials and tribulations!” This is so true, but it does not (and will never) contradict what Jesus said.

If the word’s of our Lord and Savior our true (His yoke is easy and His burden is light) and we’re not in agreement, then something is wrong with us: we’re walking in our flesh and not by His Spirit. Understand, this errant sensation is supposed to happen. It’s within this occurrence (and upon this path) that Jesus is allowing us to see the weakness of our flesh and simultaneously the strength of the Holy Spirit. So if we sense this walk of faith is difficult and burdensome, that’s great news! Jesus is letting us know that our flesh is still in control. Let us stop saying how hard the walk is and start thanking God for the changes He is making in us. The Christian life is not difficult, but walking in the flesh as a Christian is.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2

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Judge Finds Boston Bomber Not Guilty

The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works…The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. (Psalm 145:17, Isaiah 3:13)

Relax

The title of the blog is a hoax, but let me ask you — what if it were true? Would you have an opinion regarding this judge? What if somebody brutally attacked and killed your loved one, and wound up before this same judge, and what if in his ruling he said,

Because the defendant has done a lot of good things in his life, and he said he was really sorry for killing an innocent person, and because I am a loving and forgiving person myself, I find him not guilty.”

We would never condone this behavior from our judiciary, so why do so many of us believe that our Heavenly Judge rules in this manner? Why are there so many people who believe a ‘loving and forgiving’ God would never send anyone to hell. Why do we believe that if we do enough good, we can tip the scales of justice in our favor when we would never stand for it in our society?

Right-ness

If God is perfectly righteous (and He is), He must find every offender guilty. If God makes any exceptions, His perfection goes right out the window. Either our LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works, or He is not. In God’s courtroom, sin is always ruled sin and the verdict is “Guilty!” a million times out of a million times.

But Wait!

The same God who stands to judge the people is the same God who stands to plead our case. How can our Judge and our Defender be one and the same? It’s at times like these, when our very lives hang in the balance, we should not ask too many questions or perhaps more accurately, not allow our lack of perception stand in the way of redemption. If there is an opportunity to appear guiltless before the Creator of the universe and sidestep the penalty of sin, than we should lunge towards it and grasp at it with both hands! This is not the time to hold onto the false notion that our good deeds will get us out of this jam or hope the judge is inconsistent.

Jesus stands before the Father and pleads the case for His brothers and sisters, essentially saying, “Your Honor, I have taken their guilt upon My shoulders, I bore it to the cross, and I paid the penalty.” If justice has been served; if there was a guilty plea and the punishment was paid, and if the defendant believes in his Advocate, then the Judge must dismiss the case.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

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