Dead tired?

the past few days have been tough ones. Not because anything necessarily difficult has happened. It just seems that the weight of ministry, the burden of life, coupled with the fact that I have not "felt" good (been sick) have made living and moving tiresome. Whether just walking to the kitchen (which causes me to HURT all over), Counseling those in need, teaching or just dealing with life, I have struggled to put one foot in front of the other.

I am not whining or complaining, just being honest about where I am today. The strain of ministry is heavy and the burdens that we bear often weight us down. I feel DEAD tired.

Funny, as I thought about those words....the Father reminded me that Dead people don't get tired. For they are dead. It is those who are "doing the deal"/working at it in life that get tired. How is it that I forget the basic lessons of my faith and retain the tidbits of tiny details that don't really apply to life? Today, I felt like a dead man walking....and the Father....simply states that I am! I am called to die to self, to crucify flesh, to be dead-so that Christ in me can breathe life. Somewhere in the last few days, I forgot to breathe...to inhale Him. Not because I wasn't in the Word or praying....Not because I wasn't seeking. But somewhere in the journey my flesh arose and I began walking in my own "trying" ways. Trying to do everything, to be everything, to carry everything. Instead of dying to self and allow Christ in me to be, carry and do all things.

Tonight, I am dead tired....tomorrow....I will just be dead...for I WILL die to self and my trying....Good night self...Hello, dead man walking....IN YOU!
For in HIM, I live and move and have my being....may I die that you may LIVE....

ALL FOR YOU

Obedience

We must obey God rather than man. Sometimes that is a hard one. It shouldn't be, but the truth is that we often desire to please other people more than we desire to please God. Obedience comes from a heart that longs to please God ONLY. If we do not desire to obey Him in ALL things, we will certainly end up pleasing man-thus making man god in our lives for that moment.
Acts tells us that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey. We know that the Holy Spirit is given to believers at the point of conversion. But the proof of conversion would be obedience.
I have been spending a lot of time thinking about conversion. It's picture is found in Romands 12:1-2. In view of the mercy of God-because we understand the mercy of God and all He has done for us, we lay ourselves on the altar as a Consecration offering to God-for God. He consumes all of what we are and calls us to NOT be conformed to the world but to be conformed to the image of His beloved Son. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, proving the will of God is good, acceptable and perfect.
Salvation is here...Isaiah 46 says. But it is not found in simple statements of faith, confessions of lips or acknowledgements of truth. For many praise Him with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him, serving Him from rote and tradition. Salvation is found in NO other. But salvation does NOT look like the easy gospel that is preached to so many, deceiving them, lulling them into a false sense of security.

Salvation (according to Scripture) is
Consecration-being set apart by God and for God and totally consumed by Him alone.
Non-conformation to the world, but conformation to Jesus and His cross.
Transformation-CHANGE through the power of the Word

All of these things are marked by OBEDIENCE.
Obedience is state of the heart, not just a way to walk. It is a heart that screams-I must obey God, rather than man! It is a heart consumed by God and the Holy Spirit, who CAUSES you to walk in HIS ways. It is being transformed into HIS likeness instead of being pressed into the mold of the world.
Salvation is here....NOW WALK in these things.


ALL FOR YOU

Circumcision

Yes, I know...that is a weird title, but stay with me long enough to see the truth that is behind it. I have been studying in Colossians and was reminded today of truth about Christ that I believe has been dismissed and neglected.
It says: (col 2:11) and IN HIM you were also circumcised with a cirumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Romans 6:6 enlightens us to this truth by stating that "our old self was crucified with Him in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin."
Deut 30:6 says the Lord you God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord Your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live!"
And Gal 5:24 says "those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

Circumcision is a cutting away of the flesh and in Biblical terms it is no different. Christ has removed our body of flesh. It was crucified with Him in order that our flesh might be done away with and we might walk in the Spirit of God that now lives within us, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, but free to walk in Him. God has cut away the flesh of our hearts and Ezekiel takes it a step further to say that he removed our heart of stone and gave us a new heart. Our flesh lives no more if we have died with Him, raised to walk in new life. This means our fleshly desires and passions do not control us.
So why do we live as if they do? Because we have not "considered the members of our earthly body as dead" to these things!

God has cut away our flesh...at the cross. Old things have passed away, all things are new. He has circumcised our hearts! So quit living as if the old person is still alive.
For me, it means remembering to die everyday, every minute, that Christ in me might be glorified and exalted. I am not to be controlled by my flesh, my desires or my passions, but by the Spirit of God, by Christ Himself, living in ME! That is the mystery of this age...Christ in me, the hope of Glory!

ALL FOR YOU

WHY

Have you ever wondered why God does things? I mean, let's be honest. Some of the things God does-I don't understand. That is until I finally figured out the context of why God does everything.
To the human eye and heart, we would question why God let's children get sick or die? Why houses burn to the ground? Why good people are killed in car wrecks? Why tornados, hurricanes and drought? Why tsunami's or famine?
Then I began to understood that the whole reason anything exists at all is for the GLORY of God. I know there are many who struggle with this thought, because it makes God sound all about God. For some, that is a hard concept, because we want God to be all about us. But if God is all about us, then He isn't really God-we become god to God. For whatever you are most passionate about, most focussed on, whatever you love the most, is the priority of life-that is your God. So for God...it must be God, or He ceases to be. He has no other choice. There is no one like HIM, none to be worshipped or adored. None to be glorified.
Therefore, we exist to glorify God-it is the chief end of man. And Scripture confirms it. Isaiah 43 says we were created for His glory. All throughout Scripture, God affirms it by saying that what He has done, He did for His name's sake-for His glory, that the world may know Him.
I was reading in Isaiah 41 this morning and was reminded once again that the world does not revolve around me or what I want. It revolves around HIM getting glory.

V20 reads:
That they may see and recognize and consider and gain insight as well, that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

All He has done, is so that we may see, recognize, consider and gain insight into Him. Knowing HIM and Making HIM known!
ALL FOR YOU

Who is this Jesus?

in whom we have redemption, forgiveness of sin.
the image of the invisible God
the first born of all creation
All things were created by Him and for Him. ALL THINGS!
He is before all things and in Him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning.
the firstborn of the dead.
Firstplace in ALL Things.
All the fulness dwells in Him
through Him reconciles all things.
through His blood, peace is made.
through His death, we are presented holy, blameless and beyond reproach.

He is our only hope-of Glory.
Christ in us....the Hope of Glory.
How then can we not live and breathe and move in Him?
It is in Him that we live and move and have our being.
How then can we choose not to die to self?
For to live is Christ and to die is gain.
How then can we live....only in ALL things by Him and for Him.
ALL FOR YOU

Will of God?

Have you ever been seeking the Will of God and wondering what it is? Sometimes that is an easy one. I mean I know the will of God for my life is NOT to live in sin, to walk in disobedience or to live like the world. But what if you are making choices between a good thing and another good thing...how do you know which to choose? How do you know what the WILL of God is in those kinds of situations?
I was reading in Colossians this week. It says that Paul did not cease to pray for the church to be filled with the knowledge of HIS WILL in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Wow...Paul understood our struggles. He understood that we needed to be filled with the knowledge of HIS WILL. So, I began asking the Lord what HIS WILL was and to fill me with that. Romans 12:2 says that we are not to be conformed to this world, but TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our mind, so that you may prove what the WILL OF GOD IS. His will is good, acceptable and perfect.
So what is the Will of God in a nutshell-to be transformed. The process of transformation is not just a one time thing either. It is a process of continually being changed into the Image of the Invisible God-this is His will, good, acceptable and perfect. In fact, Colossians goes on to say that in order to walk in a manner worthy, we must be filled with the knowledge of His Will (transformation!)
A pretty powerful thought when you stop long enought to chew on it.
So, may you be filled with the knowledge of His will (be transformed) with all spiritual Wisdom (the ability to flesh out or apply what you know-not just knowledge) and understanding (the ability to take what you know and mentally understand how it applies to all areas of life.)This is the Will of God for us all! So when choosing between 2 good things, ask....which will bring about transformation through wisdom and understanding and choose that! ALL FOR YOU

Faith, courage and fear

Today....I was reading Mcmanus, by the pool...and was so challenged by his assessment of Faith. That in order to walk by Faith you must be willing to face your fears. God calls us to great dreams and to have the courage to live them out. Great dreams require great courage. We are seldom afraid when the dream is smaller than us, when we can manage it. But this is not life by faith-but a way to manage our fears. One way to deal with our fears is to surround ourselves with security and predictability-we minimize risk. Whenever God calls us to something, it requires faith...but it also brings fear-because He is summoning us to something bigger than ourselves. And yet God is in the business of transforming the hearts of cowards and calling them to face their fears, by faith and walk out the dream. This requires courage and is why the Lord told Joshua when entering the promised land...be strong-take courage, be courageous, do not be afraid-have faith-I will be with you. Without courage we cannot live the life God wants for us, instead we relinquish life to choose the path of least resistance or ease. Would I rather exist in the now or walk into God's dream for the future. It means facing fears, walking by faith and finding the courage to risk it all. God chooses desperate followers to be leaders. May I be one of those-facing fear, walking by faith, strong and courageous-risking it all. ALL FOR YOU

IN PROCESS

Over recent months, the Lord has continued to stir in my heart a phrase that if you stay around me long enough, will eventually be something you will hear me say over and over again. Why is that? Because I am all about STAYING IN THE PROCESS. I have come to realize that we are ALL IN PROCESS. None of us have arrived and none of us are good. None of us are righteous and not one of us has any worth apart from God-the hope of Glory living in us. We are all in process. Which means most of us are just one big mess and the Lord is at work to conform us more to His Image everyday. It is a PROCESS that the Bible calls Sanctification. God is all about TRANSFORMING who we are into His likeness. But He will not force us. So, our job is to make sure that we stay in the PROCESS. That we don't step out and chase after sin or something else. In order to STAY IN THE PROCESS, we must be willing to lay down our lives that He might live in us. In order to have our mess cleaned up, we must be willing to sacrifice it all for His names sake, for His glory.
The problem is...many of us step out of the process. We start the journey, but we don't finish well. Paul challenges us to finish the race, to run well and to be a finisher...not just a starter. He challenges us to STAY in the PROCESS. For most of us, this is the hard part. Because somewhere along the way, there is something that tempts us to step out of the PROCESS. Although, we can't stay there....God understands. That is why He has given us His Word which is profitable for showing us the process, showing us where we get out of the process, showing us how to get back in the process, and showing us how to stay in the process. (2Tim 3:16)
So, I am thinking all this through....dwelling on the fact that my job is stay in the PROCESS and to help others on the journey to do the same. So, I am walking into Starbucks....and I see the sign. AMAZING....even Starbucks gets the whole idea of the process. So why is that so many in the Kingdom don't? Maybe it is time to have a cup of joe and consider where you are in the PROCESS-in it, on it, off it, need some help back to it? I think if Starbucks can get it....so can you.
Pardon the mess....but we are all in PROCESS!
ALL FOR YOU

THIRSTY

When you are ready for a drink, there is no other way to describe it but THIRSTY. Sometimes being thirsty is great. Because it is when you are thirsty and you get that long, cool, refreshing drink that you realize just how thirsty you were and how to have that thirst quenched. It is in the long, hard drink that you realize that you have been missing the nourishment that you need. Even if for a short time.
We all need times of refreshing, time to get away, get some down time and take a long drink from the fountain. Especially if you have been burning it off faster than you take it in.
Recently, I found my soul was thirsty. I have been burning it at both ends and I needed some time to just taste, see, drink and have my soul satisfied by the only one who can...the Living Water. I took a long, cool, refreshing, revitalizing drink from the fountain and realized-just how THIRSTY I was. It was so renewing to have my soul nourished and revived after much output. It was awesome to sit in the presence of the Holy God and to worship, listen and respond-to drink deeply and to be filled.
It is not as if I don't drink on a regular basis, but it is nice to just step aside and refuel for the journey ahead. It isn't until you step off that you realize just how thirsty you are!
Maybe you are thirsty too....maybe you are longing for that drink. It is offered to all, available to everyone, but it is our choice to drink...all we have to do is come to the water all who thirst...and be filled.
ALL FOR YOU

Hard Things

Sometimes being obedient is a hard thing. why? because sometimes God asks you to do things that are outside of our comfort zone, that require taking a risk or mean that we must sacrifice of ourselves for another.
Obedience is a MARK of the believer. A true believer is one who has enslaved their life to the Father and is obedient to His bidding no matter what is asked...even if it is a hard thing, a risk thing, a sacrifice thing. Obedience is where the truth of our faith is seen-whether it is a mere facade or mask that we wear or the evidence of a heart fully changed and transformed by the Father.
The question of the Father is not what do you want, what do you think or does this make sense. The question of the Father is what have I said and will you obey? Obedience is hard because sometimes it requires us to walk in contrast to our own desires and opinions. However, choosing to disobey when confronted with truth is evidence that you are not on the path that God has for you.
I am so glad that the Father is patient with me concerning these things, because there are days obedience is just hard. But that doesn't mean I don't have to choose to obey.

Isa 14:24-27
24 The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, "Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,
27 "For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate {it} And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?"

His plan will not be thwarted or changed. We are not going to it back or frustrate it. So we might as well obey and get in on God's deal, because He isn't going to join ours. HIS deal, His plan will stand-not matter what.
So leave your mark.....OBEY!

ALL FOR YOU

tuning up

Have you ever thought about what it takes to make harmony. It means everything must be in tune in order for the harmony to produce beautiful music. In fact, all it takes is one string, one person, one harmonic to be out of tune to ruin the entire masterpiece that is being played.
Just think if one string on the piano was out of tune. No matter what you played, it would effect the sound. Just think of one string on the guitar being out of tune. No matter how hard you strum, the music will not be beautiful. Just think if one voice sings off key in a choir, the whole sound of the choir is effected to the negative. All it takes is for one instrument in the orchestra to be out of tune for the sound to be off.
It is that way for us in life as well. Whether we want to believe it or not, we all effect one another. We are not islands, that only effect ourselves. What we do, how we live and what we say all effect one another. We are made to be an orchestra, all sounding together to make beautiful music that reflects the glory of God. But when one person is off...it effects all of us.
All it takes is one hypocrite, one person in sin, one bad attitude, one gripe or complain to effect the whole sound that is coming forth.
This is why when God created the body of Christ, He meant for us work together, hold one another accountable, to disciple and mentor one another. We are to help one another stay on course...because all it takes is one Christian walking outside the lines to effect the whole idea of who and what Christians are. The church has abdicated this role, not wanting to help one another, to hold one another accountable, to get our hands dirty...and thus the whole has been effected by the ones that are out of tune.
But the beauty of it is...that when we tune up...we get involved, help people and hold each other accountable, we tune up and harmony becomes beautiful...that is if we are tunable.
Don't fight the fine tuning...it is what makes life worth living. ALL FOR YOU

friendship

True friends love the friend more than the friendship.
What does that mean? It means they will ask the hard questions and broach the hard subjects despite what it might do to the friendship in order to help the friend. It means they will take the risk to say hard things and get messy in someone else's business in order to help the friend despite what it might do to the friendship. For me, I have some friends like this and I want to be a friend like this. I want to be the friend that loves the person more than the friendship.
I am a friend of God as well. I am so glad that He loves me that way. God loves me more than He loves being a friend to me. This is why He will say tough stuff, discipline me, question my heart and ask the hard questions-because He loves me more than a relationship with me.
I want to be that kind of friend-one that loves the friend more than the friendship. ALL FOR YOU

mission statements

for the last 5 days, I have been carrying around in my pocket a receipt for my lunch from Zaxby's. Zaxby's has great chicken and we love to eat there. In fact, I know we have eaten there probably 50 times in the couple of years. I don't know why I never noticed it before, but this time something caught my eye on my receipt that I had never noticed. It was their mission statement. Usually, I am not even interested in those things, but this one is different. It is strong. It makes a statement. It made me stop in my tracks and really think hard.
It reads, "CONSISTENTLY create ENCORE experiences that ENRICH lives one person at a time."
Wow...Now, that's a mission statement. And then I thought...wait a minute. This isn't a ministry, a church, a discipleship group. This is CHICKEN for crying out loud. This place that does chicken has at it's very core the mission to CONSISTENTLY create ENCORE experiences that ENRICH lives one person at a time. Chicken...
Made me think....maybe if the church(body of Christ)listened to the chicken place...we might actually get something right for a change. I mean, after all, I keep coming back for more chicken.
What if the church had at it's core a desire to be CONSISTENT-instead of inconsistent at how we live, what we do, how we love, our walks with the Lord?
What if the church had in it's heart to create ENCORE experiences-experiences that made people want to come back instead of running them off?
What if the church's backbone became to enrich the lives of others one person at a time-returned to the idea of accountability, discipleship and mentoring?
What if the church learned from the chicken place about what it's mission should be?
Maybe we should be begin to consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time.....
I will carry this receipt with me for awhile...to help me remember that as Believer it is our lives goal to disciple, mentor and help hold accountable one another so that we might consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time. (have I said that enough-maybe we will remember it.)
ALL FOR YOU

lead?

the Lord continues to ring a in my heart the truth that "you can not lead someone to a place you have not been." Or at least a place you don't have directions for. God continues to remind me that as a leader, you can't take people to a place you have't been. You can't take people to the throne room, until you have been there yourself. You can't lead people to the cross, until you have been there yourself. You can't help people journey in faith, unless you are going yourself.
As leaders, we often want to challenge people to do great things for God. Great challenges....but we can't lead people to places we are not going ourselves. If you want to see faith increased, let it begin in you. If you want to see grace increase, let start in your heart. If you want to see people go further and higher, than lead the way-by going there yourself.
the problem seems to be that we want to challenge people to do great things without ever doing them ourself. And God's heart is that it would begin in you and in me. If we want others to see God....then be in His presence so that you know how to take others there. As leaders, we can't take people to places we have not been. So "move it, move it, move it." others will only go as far as you lead them and you can only lead as far as you have been!ALL FOR YOU

intimacy

Intimacy is found in coming together, whether it be between man and woman or just friends. Intimacy is NOT found in being apart, but in time spent and invested in one another. We all long for intimacy. The ability to be totaly bare before another and unashamed. It was what Adam and Eve had in the garden. It is what comes from the union between man and woman. But it is also found in laying down the masks with one another. To have an intimate friendship is to be able to share eveything because no shame or vulnerablity exists. Intimacy with God is found in coming together with Him and laying it all out there. The world is longing for intimacy...and so are we. But it takes risk to have intimate spouses, friends and relationships with God. You can't hold back...you must lay it all out there. It is a scarry place to live, but the only place intimacy is found. I want intimacy...with God and with man. I want more than just the facade of relationships. I want depth. I want to be able to be vulnerable and transparent-without fear. I want more than just the average, status quo...I want to come together with others in REAL, authentic, intimate relationships for the glory of God. Could it be that others are looking for the same....?ALL FOR YOU

risk

I have come to believe that most of Christendom does not like getting involved in other peoples lives because it is messy, time consuming and requires a measure of risk. It means you have to decide you love the friend more than the frienship. It requires that you are willing to sacrifice your time and be vulnerable to being hurt yourself in order to reach out and help someone else. However, most of us have decided to live life with our hands in our pockets, never risking, never getting involved because it will cost us and there is risk; rejection is possible, fear is prevalent, and it might bring loss to our own lives. And yet, Jesus was all about sacrificing His life for the sake of others. He did not come so that we could be safe, free from risk or worry. He desires that we extend life to those who are drowning, to get involved in others lives. I am so glad He got involved in mine!
But that means we have to be willing to deal with our own mess...AND that we don't get so caught up in our own mess that we neglect those around us who are struggling as well.
So take a risk....deal with your stuff...and then reach out to someone else who is drowning in a sea of hurt. Sure, you might get rejected, you might lose a friend...but are you a true friend if you don't risk anything?. If you care more about the friendship than the friend-is that a real friend? Sacrifice....and show them you love them!@
Isn't it time we journey together instead of apart?
ALL FOR YOU

christian OLYMPIANS

It is rare in life to be an Olympian. Only the cream of the crop, the best of the best are ever recognized and able to compete for the prize. And only a small few of those that get to compete actually win the prize. Nevertheless, there are many in training-as early as 2 years of age, planning, preparing, practicing for a chance to be an Olympian. They work long hours, push themselves to extreme lengths, spend outrageous amounts of money, sacrifice everything, simply for the chance to compete. All of this for a piece of gold to hang around their necks.
What if there were some Christians that chose to train as if we were headed for the Olympics...truly trying to compete for the gold. What if we started training early, planning, preparing, practicing. What if we worked long hours, pushed ourselves to extreme, radical lengths and spent our money on and for things of the KINGDOM of Heaven instead of our kingdoms here on earth? What if we sacrificed it all, simply for the CHANCE to compete...to be a Christian that was unleashed, untamed and barbaric? What if we abandoned other things for the call to follow Christ and treated it as if we were training for the Olympics-instead of the half hearted effort most of give?
And the reward is much greater than gold around our necks, trophies on a shelf or crowns on our heads. Our reward-to run the streets of Gold, knowing we have no need to be ashamed because we buffeted our body in such a way that we attained the prize-the high calling of Jesus Christ, to walk in a manner worthy of Him, pleasing Him in all respect, bearing fruit in EVERY deed, increasing in the knowledge of Him, strengthed with all power, giving thanks and knowing that we are truly the champions!
ALL FOR YOU

Passion lives here

I have been watching the Olympics. It has been incredible to watch the competition between countries and competitors and to see the spirit in which the competition is played. It has been both inspiring and motivating to watch atheletes compete for the gold with their whole heart. In the midst of it all, no matter what venue you are watching, there is a sign that is the theme of the Torino Olympics. It reads PASSION LIVES HERE. I love that sign, but I love the message even more. And it is true. It is evident that those who are there indeed have passion within them for what they do. No one has called into question their passion or their quest for gold.
I wonder if the same could be said for us as believers and church members. PASSION LIVES HERE? might be a better way of reading the sign for us. We might declare that as a fact, but people watching would question that truth in many of us. Why? because there is no PASSION for what we are doing seen in how we live. We do not compete as if we were striving for gold, motivated to win with a passion for glory (God's) so great that it pushes us beyond the natural boundaries of human frailities, fears and acceptance. We say there is passion, but we are not inspiring and motivating to others-in hopes of drawing them into the competition. We do not strive for excellence. We are comfortable and lazy. And we will never be an Olympian-in this world or for the Kingdom.
This is not a competition you say? I beg to differ with you. We are in a battle for the souls of men. And if our enemy/our competitor can convince us not to compete or to have a lack of passion, motivation and inspiration-he wins.
I want the sign at my house, my church, for my family to read....PASSION LIVES HERE!!!!! OH YEAH!!! I don't want there to be any doubt as to whether I am passionate about what I do for the glory of the Lord. I don't want there to be any doubt that I AM a COMPETITOR. I don't want there to be any doubt about the passion that lives within me and I want to inspire, motivate and challenge others-so that the world look at our sign not with a question mark, but with an exclamation mark. I am on a quest for gold. I will not sit on the couch, be comfortable or lazy. I will press on towards the call of Christ Jesus. I will buffet my body and run in such a way that the prize is won. I will....because PASSION LIVES HERE. ALL FOR YOU

In need of rest

Today I find myself exhausted. I am need of rest. Sleep. Downtime. And yet, who has time for that. I push and push until I crash and burn. Rest....I need of rest.
As I dwelt on that thought, I was so thankful for my husband who recognized that need and provided extra time for me today. I was reminded how Christ loves the church and gave Himself up for her-even though she was underserving. I am so thankful for a VALENTINE who loves me as Christ loves the church. I am so thankful for a God that is not just concerned about the things I do, but is also concerned about things I need to stop doing so that I can rest. Discipline is a good thing, but there should also be times of rest. Sometimes I forget that. I am so wrapped up in the idea that there is no retirement in the time of war-that I forget that tired soldiers make dumb mistakes. So today....I shall rest with VALENTINE...in Him. For He is good-both of them! Thanks honey....for being my VALENTINE and for giving your all for me. What an example of Jesus you are to me! ALL FOR YOU

infected

Over the weekend, my computer caught a virus. At first, we thought we had stopped it by simply removing the program. But over the next couple of days, we realized it was slowly eating through my hard drive. It was nasty and a huge problem. The frustration came because I got it from someone else-who sent it to me. So for the past couple of days, I have thought a lot about what it means to be infected with a virus that is passed on from someone else and the idea of how that affected me.
Infected....we all are infected. Maybe not with a computer virus, but most definately with sin. we are born with it. Just like the computer virus, the sin of one affects us all. And when you are infected, it stops you dead in tracks until you deal.
Miriam understood that. For it was her sin and her leprosy that stopped the forward progression of God's people. Her sin/infection kept everyone from moving forward-until she dealt with it. It is the same for us today-sin in the camp stops the forward progression of God's people. If one of us is infected and we do not deal-it will affect all of us. Just like a computer virus....it may not be my sin-but we all crash and burn if it isn't dealt with.
So I want to be sure my sin is dealt with...but I also want to be sure that those who affect me are dealing as well-so that the forward progession of God's people is not stopped and we don't all crash and burn. ALL FOR YOU