Each of us as believers continues in a walk that keeps changing. Those changes might consist of different locations, difficulties or even companions. Today, there was a small group of us walking in Yellowstone National Park, surrounded by herds of elk. What an incredibly gorgeous place! We awoke in our tents to a cold morning with a dusting of snow on the ground, after the rain changed to snow sometime during the night. Sometimes, God’s creative hand can just flat out astound us! Even though the beauty of this place is amazing, God’s hand in guiding our group spiritually is even more amazing. Any place we walk with God is beautiful!
Just to think, God carried three men up here who have been in the midst of a difficult battle with drug addiction. In addition, God put me in the midst of this ministry, without any background in substance abuse. At the same time, the Lord brought along another friend, whom I met in Israel, also without any past in substance abuse. Paul is the same age as the other young men, but is walking strongly with the Lord. All three of the young men struggling with addiction have given their lives to the Lord, but that commitment is different in each one. As trip leader, I assigned each person to teach a Bible study. Today was Paul’s turn to teach. He focused on Romans 5 and 6, some pretty deep areas of Scripture differentiating between being subject to the Law and being subject to grace.
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 6:6-8
Certainly, all of us struggle with sin, even after becoming Christians. But as the apostle Paul taught to the Romans, and our own Paul taught to the Yellowstone campers, our bondage to sin has been cut once we have been justified in Christ. Yet the daily walk with Him includes moment-by-moment choices whether or not to sin. That is the period of our sanctification. Before we were Christians, we sinned without thinking, yet now, it is a choice. When we choose to sin as Christians, we choose to glorify Satan, rather than to glorify God. And what we have to look forward to is glorification, when God will once and for all take sin away from is. Oh, what a day that will be!
God’s plan rarely goes in the same directions as man’s plans. Few people looking into the lives of Tommy, Matthew and Aaron would see God’s hand guiding their decisions to abuse drugs. Yet, it is obvious to those who love these three young men that God never has taken His hand or heart away from them. The depths He has gone to in order to show them His love should wake up memories in all of us, as before God took control of our lives, our sins were just as horrible. At the same time, God’s love was just as great in each of our lives, as He reveals to each of us what He has done and is willing to do on our behalves. Though our sins might seem unforgivable, God has no difficulty in forgiving. Sometimes, the people we have hurt retain that difficulty, though we typically have the hardest time forgiving ourselves. Once that burden has been lifted, and we can walk in the freedom and newness of life in Christ, our love for God increases immensely.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
God did not choose us because of what we would accomplish for His kingdom. He didn’t choose us because we earned it. He chose us to demonstrate His love for us. And what a demonstration it was! He died upon a cross of wood, but made the hill on which it stood! How wonderful it is to know that there is nothing we can do that God cannot forgive! All He wants is us to desire a relationship with Him.
So, please pray for God to reveal Himself to everyone on this trip. Though all of us are in different places in our walks with the Lord, all of those places are special. For some, He is telling them how much He loves them and how much He is willing to forgive. For others, He uses the brokenness in the past as a reminder of how great His love is, opening the doors for ministry opportunities. Look around. Where are you walking now? If there isn’t an opportunity to share God’s love, you aren’t looking for it.
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Ephesians 5:1-2
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