Tiger Woods, golf's legendary player has now formally proven his humanity. He is sinful! His sin was open and witnessed publicly before all. He evidently was involved in an extra-marital affair. So let's say it here....this is sad, sinful, shameful and we all wish it had never happened.
While many gasp and hold their 'sanctified' hand across their mouths, let me rise to defend Tiger. Oh, don't confuse what I just wrote. I do not defend his sin. Sin....all sin will be judged! God has not changed his mind about how much He hates sin, and primarily because it brings separation between a Holy God and a sinful man. He has further promised to pour out His wrath upon all sin. Either it was poured out on vicariously upon Christ when we ask forgiveness....or it will be poured out on the individual who rejects forgiveness and salvation, eternally.
So here now is for Tiger's defense. Why the Tiger attack? We, and the media especially, act as if he is the first person to ever make mistakes. They act as if being a high profile, public figure prevents mistakes and makes one somehow above failure. While we act that way, we all know it is not true. We all fail!
Oh yes we do! WE ALL FAIL!! If this keyboard had a way to emphasize it bigger I would! You, my dear reader...have failed. "All have sinned and come short..." If you put your own life under the microscope, you won't have to travel back many days in your calendar where you thought negative thoughts, looked at something unholy, gossiped, thought about quitting, had a judgmental attitude, felt 'deserving' of something, complained, lusted, coveted, cheated, or felt overly religious for not having cursed when someone pulled out in front of you. If one of these didn't hit you then you probably just sinned because of pride, a sin which God adamantly hates.
Since we are sinners, who gave us the right to jump in the forest of humanity and attack a tiger, or any other of God's creatures? Oh but we do! We attack and judge and condemn and cluck our tongues as if we are a total stranger to sin. It appalls me at how the media flocks like flies to a rotting carcass, when a leader fails. The love it....swill it down....roll in it like a dog does a maggot infested possom skin alongside the road. Yet, the ones behind the tablets, computer screens and television cameras are just as sinful as the tiger they attack.
It is my prayer that Tiger will have more friends to help him up than enemies to pull him down. I believe that one day we will all need, as the song says, '...somebody to lean on!' We'd have a lot better world if we only rejected the people who rejected help...the 100th time. "Oh that's bizarre!" you might say. Well consider that Jesus asked us to practice forgiveness 490 times per day for the same person. (70 x 7) Now that is awesome and it is what will save the world from sin.
In conclusion, I am defending Tiger....the man, the son, the father, the husband, the icon, the individual Christ died for. I do not defend his sin. I only want him to be free from the cannibals that at this point are more dangerous to him than the sin itself. For these kinds of people can push you over the edge and prevent the redemption and restoration that Jesus so willing gave up His precious life to give us.
Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restoration. Show all posts
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Deal is Still On!
Jack Hayford is a face I had seen on TV several times. I guess it is the switch of channels that threw me off. I mean it is hard to go from ESPN or True TV to the voice of Jack Hayford...or so I thought. Jack's voice is soft and he speaks in a low-key manner and consequently, I seldom was captured enough to listen for very long. It must be my ADD kicking in.
Having just come from a conference in Nashville where Dr. Hayford was the speaker, I realize and gladly acknowledge the power, wisdom, and anointing of this gentle giant of a man. He spoke with distinction and as a man who has spent many years laboring over the context of scripture. He is brilliant in the Word. More than that, he is tuned into the Holy Spirit and speaks readily of the Holy Spirit baptism and its effects in the believer's life.
At the aforementioned conference, this dear man of God spoke a Word from the Lord to me directly. He spoke of Abraham's attempt to offer Eliezer as the substitute for the plan of God. God had made a covenant with Abraham that through his seed the earth would be blessed. As it turns out, Abraham had some stumbles along the way. He was filled with doubt and had a son by a handmaid. He fell into the entrapment of deceit by telling his wife, Sarai to lie about being his wife. With all of this in his past it would be easy to see why Abraham would think God had every right to abandon him and the plan to make him the father of a great nation. So, Abe offered Eliezer to the Lord (Gen 15 i think).
Right away God would have nothing to do with it. God's calling for Abraham remained unchanged despite all the failures. God would not accept a substitute for His original plan. Jack Hayford related the story of how he and his wife wanted a piece of furniture from a store that matched what they already had in their home. One Sunday he saw an ad in the paper with the exact piece for sale at significant savings during the week. Due to all of the activities of the week, he and his wife were unable to get down to the furniture sale. So on the following Monday, they went to the store early in the morning to see if they would honor the sale. At first they were not going to do it b/c the sale was officially over. But, after checking their record and finding they had been loyal customers through the years, the manager went ahead and sold the furniture to them at the price of yesterday's sale. In other words, for them....the deal was still on!
This is exactly what God was saying to Abraham. "The deal is still on!" The plans that I have for you remain intact. I haven't changed my mind just because you have jumped the gun....have made miserable mistakes, etc. Isn't that good news? I mean God was really speaking this to me and I am so grateful.
If you are like me, you know the bitter taste of having made mistakes. God knows how to humble us and then, thankfully, He doesn't abandon us...but rather lifts us up and places us back on the original track. Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit say to you this day..."The Deal is Still On!" His gifts and callings are without repentance. Sometimes it requires repentance and restoration to get us back in line with the plan of God. But, if you are willing God certainly is.
Be blessed this day and move ahead in Him. Pick up where you left off and watch God exalt you to where He intended you to be.
Having just come from a conference in Nashville where Dr. Hayford was the speaker, I realize and gladly acknowledge the power, wisdom, and anointing of this gentle giant of a man. He spoke with distinction and as a man who has spent many years laboring over the context of scripture. He is brilliant in the Word. More than that, he is tuned into the Holy Spirit and speaks readily of the Holy Spirit baptism and its effects in the believer's life.
At the aforementioned conference, this dear man of God spoke a Word from the Lord to me directly. He spoke of Abraham's attempt to offer Eliezer as the substitute for the plan of God. God had made a covenant with Abraham that through his seed the earth would be blessed. As it turns out, Abraham had some stumbles along the way. He was filled with doubt and had a son by a handmaid. He fell into the entrapment of deceit by telling his wife, Sarai to lie about being his wife. With all of this in his past it would be easy to see why Abraham would think God had every right to abandon him and the plan to make him the father of a great nation. So, Abe offered Eliezer to the Lord (Gen 15 i think).
Right away God would have nothing to do with it. God's calling for Abraham remained unchanged despite all the failures. God would not accept a substitute for His original plan. Jack Hayford related the story of how he and his wife wanted a piece of furniture from a store that matched what they already had in their home. One Sunday he saw an ad in the paper with the exact piece for sale at significant savings during the week. Due to all of the activities of the week, he and his wife were unable to get down to the furniture sale. So on the following Monday, they went to the store early in the morning to see if they would honor the sale. At first they were not going to do it b/c the sale was officially over. But, after checking their record and finding they had been loyal customers through the years, the manager went ahead and sold the furniture to them at the price of yesterday's sale. In other words, for them....the deal was still on!
This is exactly what God was saying to Abraham. "The deal is still on!" The plans that I have for you remain intact. I haven't changed my mind just because you have jumped the gun....have made miserable mistakes, etc. Isn't that good news? I mean God was really speaking this to me and I am so grateful.
If you are like me, you know the bitter taste of having made mistakes. God knows how to humble us and then, thankfully, He doesn't abandon us...but rather lifts us up and places us back on the original track. Hear the voice of the Holy Spirit say to you this day..."The Deal is Still On!" His gifts and callings are without repentance. Sometimes it requires repentance and restoration to get us back in line with the plan of God. But, if you are willing God certainly is.
Be blessed this day and move ahead in Him. Pick up where you left off and watch God exalt you to where He intended you to be.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Wounded Soldiers
Recently a man sat in my office, a minister, and one of several whom I have been honored to counsel with, who had been wounded in his past. He explained to me how he had felt the judgmental glances of others, heard their whispers and would have surrendered his call to ministry, except the call of God kept calling. I listened intently and felt his pain. I felt it because I had been there and done that. Lest you think this an expose to defend sin, you are wrong by a thousand miles. What it is, is an attempt to help others see the need for helping and restoring those ensnared, rather than to default immediately to religious, lynch-mob mentality. Our conversation led to several things that should be revisited within the body of Christ.
Remember this. Whatever happens to the worst of us can easily happen to the best of us. That includes you Saint of God, Sunday School Teacher, Minister, Lay-person, Care-giver, Lawn-clipper, Nursery Worker. While there is no premium on sin and pain, neither is there any shortage of it. We are to avoid sin and overcome it. We should not participate in it to validate grace. Greater grace is to keep us 'from' sin. However, if I read the Word of God carefully....it reads "All have sinned..." Where did we get the notion we would hold men and women to a standard which is completely unattainable by humanity? Think within your own life...honestly, you struggle with sin. Let me say it a little more plainly...YOU SIN! YES, YOU! You with your nice necktie....you with your seminary experience, you with your religious titles and positions. All means all. You should admit there are times when you think of people in ways you shouldn't, you lust, you gossip, you backbite, you are jealous, you are full of pride, you lie, you......(fill in the blank.) It is all sin. And if you are man or woman enough to admit you sin, then you should also admit you are not in a position to judge others who have also fallen prey to the same.
Since we sin, who gave us the right to categorize sin? Who said we could place certain values on it? Well, religious groups certainly do. Fellowships of the Pharisee will allow it. Don't think for a minute I am glossing over sin. Brother, it will all send you to hell if it remains unrepented of! When I read verses from the Bible like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Revelation 21:8 one can easily understand that those who choose not to repent of their sin, including adultery, effeminence, idolatry, drunkards, revilers, extortioners, thieves, fearful, unbelieving, murderers, witches, and liars, will all be forever lost without God in hell. This is a fact. There is much more to learn. God hates pride, He hates backbiters. Consider Romans 1:28-31 where another comprehensive list is located. It adds to the list of the lost, including wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, debaters, whisperers, backbiters, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, those who will not understand, without natural affection and....get this...the UNMERCIFUL! These are all on a train that is not headed for the gates of pearl.
Since the guy who looks at a woman to lust after her body is just as guilty as the guy who crawls in the sack with her, then we can understand that almost every male with testosterone has had to repent of this sin. It was Jesus who said that lust is the same as adultery. It is just so much easier to poke the eyes out of the one with the visible sin than it is to hammer the guy with lust or the woman who wears out her cell phone gossiping. Is it less sin because it is done in secret? It is all sin!
Here is the good news. God's grace is the anti-venom to the snakebite of sin. It was provided by the Son of God upon the cross. The blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin! Faith in Christ removes guilt and even the reminder of past sins. My sin is gone, as is yours!! Let's rejoice! Let's spread the good news! Or, would you rather fish in the Sea of Forgetfulness? Some would. Some like to forget their own iniquity and are more than glad to pick out the faults of others. To forget our own mess is a sin the size of a fence post compared to the committed sin you are trying to point out in others. For this reason Jesus stressed dealing with your own before you pick on the 'mote' in your brother's eye. When I think of the grace I have needed, I have no reason to point out your sin as being greater or smaller. Again, sin is sin!
The body of Christ is an army. Together we fight a common enemy. That enemy is not our brother or sister. Once in a while a brother or sister takes a hit, they succumb to sin, they fall short, they mess up, they get shot, they take a drink or a snort. Sometimes full blown Christians say a bad word or think a bad thought or give in to a sin they truly hate. But that does not mean they are worthless, nor does it give us the right to issue a death sentence. They should not have to fear taking a bullet in the temple from the very people they were trying to protect for years. Talk about sinful! I have watched Christians, in an attempt to settle a score, actually lie to make a bad story worse! They felt justified since their fellow soldier had sinned. I also witnessed Christians, in the name of 'righteousness', become so angry and bitter that they self-destructed...all in the name of vindication. I have watched so called Christians stoop to the point of using their own children as pawns to try to get 'even' with someone who had hurt them. The hurts that really need attention are the ones that hurt God's heart and the ones that wound our fellow soldiers.
Wounded soldiers are to be helped from the battle front. Restoration and the idea of making something that is broken, brand new again, is a Bible doctrine. It is God who makes all things new, but He uses the tools of human compassion to get it done. Wounded soldiers need a time away, a time to rest, a time to heal, a time to be bound up with love and prayer and wise counsel. The discipline will be part of the picture. God's law demands it. There are wages and consequences to sin and lawlessness. One day, when the broken has been healed, they can go back to the front lines and help others who are hurting. They will be able to tell by the look in your eye that they do not have to fear you because you have scars of your own. Heal the wounded soldier. If your religion is more about judging than healing, you probably aren't on the side of Jesus. I recall my Captain saying to one who was seriously wounded... "Go and sin no more!"
If you are a wounded soldier, I promise to help you in any way that I can. I will pray with you, listen to you, forgive you and help you get back to the front lines. Reconciliation and redemption are key words from the book we call the Bible. One of my life goals is to practice this kind of grace.
Thank you for reading. If you have been helped when you were wounded, share your story.
Pastor Tim Estes
Remember this. Whatever happens to the worst of us can easily happen to the best of us. That includes you Saint of God, Sunday School Teacher, Minister, Lay-person, Care-giver, Lawn-clipper, Nursery Worker. While there is no premium on sin and pain, neither is there any shortage of it. We are to avoid sin and overcome it. We should not participate in it to validate grace. Greater grace is to keep us 'from' sin. However, if I read the Word of God carefully....it reads "All have sinned..." Where did we get the notion we would hold men and women to a standard which is completely unattainable by humanity? Think within your own life...honestly, you struggle with sin. Let me say it a little more plainly...YOU SIN! YES, YOU! You with your nice necktie....you with your seminary experience, you with your religious titles and positions. All means all. You should admit there are times when you think of people in ways you shouldn't, you lust, you gossip, you backbite, you are jealous, you are full of pride, you lie, you......(fill in the blank.) It is all sin. And if you are man or woman enough to admit you sin, then you should also admit you are not in a position to judge others who have also fallen prey to the same.
Since we sin, who gave us the right to categorize sin? Who said we could place certain values on it? Well, religious groups certainly do. Fellowships of the Pharisee will allow it. Don't think for a minute I am glossing over sin. Brother, it will all send you to hell if it remains unrepented of! When I read verses from the Bible like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Revelation 21:8 one can easily understand that those who choose not to repent of their sin, including adultery, effeminence, idolatry, drunkards, revilers, extortioners, thieves, fearful, unbelieving, murderers, witches, and liars, will all be forever lost without God in hell. This is a fact. There is much more to learn. God hates pride, He hates backbiters. Consider Romans 1:28-31 where another comprehensive list is located. It adds to the list of the lost, including wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, debaters, whisperers, backbiters, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, those who will not understand, without natural affection and....get this...the UNMERCIFUL! These are all on a train that is not headed for the gates of pearl.
Since the guy who looks at a woman to lust after her body is just as guilty as the guy who crawls in the sack with her, then we can understand that almost every male with testosterone has had to repent of this sin. It was Jesus who said that lust is the same as adultery. It is just so much easier to poke the eyes out of the one with the visible sin than it is to hammer the guy with lust or the woman who wears out her cell phone gossiping. Is it less sin because it is done in secret? It is all sin!
Here is the good news. God's grace is the anti-venom to the snakebite of sin. It was provided by the Son of God upon the cross. The blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin! Faith in Christ removes guilt and even the reminder of past sins. My sin is gone, as is yours!! Let's rejoice! Let's spread the good news! Or, would you rather fish in the Sea of Forgetfulness? Some would. Some like to forget their own iniquity and are more than glad to pick out the faults of others. To forget our own mess is a sin the size of a fence post compared to the committed sin you are trying to point out in others. For this reason Jesus stressed dealing with your own before you pick on the 'mote' in your brother's eye. When I think of the grace I have needed, I have no reason to point out your sin as being greater or smaller. Again, sin is sin!
The body of Christ is an army. Together we fight a common enemy. That enemy is not our brother or sister. Once in a while a brother or sister takes a hit, they succumb to sin, they fall short, they mess up, they get shot, they take a drink or a snort. Sometimes full blown Christians say a bad word or think a bad thought or give in to a sin they truly hate. But that does not mean they are worthless, nor does it give us the right to issue a death sentence. They should not have to fear taking a bullet in the temple from the very people they were trying to protect for years. Talk about sinful! I have watched Christians, in an attempt to settle a score, actually lie to make a bad story worse! They felt justified since their fellow soldier had sinned. I also witnessed Christians, in the name of 'righteousness', become so angry and bitter that they self-destructed...all in the name of vindication. I have watched so called Christians stoop to the point of using their own children as pawns to try to get 'even' with someone who had hurt them. The hurts that really need attention are the ones that hurt God's heart and the ones that wound our fellow soldiers.
Wounded soldiers are to be helped from the battle front. Restoration and the idea of making something that is broken, brand new again, is a Bible doctrine. It is God who makes all things new, but He uses the tools of human compassion to get it done. Wounded soldiers need a time away, a time to rest, a time to heal, a time to be bound up with love and prayer and wise counsel. The discipline will be part of the picture. God's law demands it. There are wages and consequences to sin and lawlessness. One day, when the broken has been healed, they can go back to the front lines and help others who are hurting. They will be able to tell by the look in your eye that they do not have to fear you because you have scars of your own. Heal the wounded soldier. If your religion is more about judging than healing, you probably aren't on the side of Jesus. I recall my Captain saying to one who was seriously wounded... "Go and sin no more!"
If you are a wounded soldier, I promise to help you in any way that I can. I will pray with you, listen to you, forgive you and help you get back to the front lines. Reconciliation and redemption are key words from the book we call the Bible. One of my life goals is to practice this kind of grace.
Thank you for reading. If you have been helped when you were wounded, share your story.
Pastor Tim Estes
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