Tuesday, 29 September 2020

God's grace

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How is it that we can feel so inadequate (from time to time) before the Lord after walking with Him for so long? Paul wrote about it ... Romans 7:15 "For I do not understand what I am doing--for what I do not want, this I practice; but what I hate, this I do." This is the question I put to my rabbi, David Chansky, back in 1985.

At the time, I had been walking with Yeshua for about 3 years. Instead of feeling closer to God, I was feeling less holy and more distant. So I went to my rabbi and asked him what was going on. His answer surprised me. He said that Yeshua is the light of the world, so the closer we are to Him, the better the light. And the better the light, the more we can see the "dirt" that is our sin.

It is by the grace of God that He doesn't allow us to see all of our "issues" at once. Three biblical examples come to mind. Deuteronomy 7:22 "Adonai your God will drive away those nations before you little by little--you will not be able to put an end to them all at once, or else the beasts of the field will multiply on you." Those "nations" are euphemistic for enemies (demonic sin) in our lives. In the next verse, God promises deliverance ... Deuteronomy 7:23 "But Adonai your God will give them over to you, and He will throw them into great confusion until they are destroyed." Sin must be destroyed. We are warned by God not to make any covenant with them, but we must destroy them.

The second situation is similar. The Lord takes us through the desert, in a winding route to the promised land. Exodus 13:17 "After Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, although that was nearby, for God said, 'The people might change their minds if they see war and return

to Egypt.'" This is why the Bible begs us in many places to have patience. Isn't it interesting that young people (who have more time than everyone else) typically lack more patience than most.

The third example in Scripture is that of the prodigal son (Luke 15) who took his full inheritance and squandered it in his immaturity. Then, when he realized his error, he returned to his father, just like we see our sins and turn toward and then return to the light of God. So may we, as well, come to our senses and repent of our evil and impatient ways and return to our Father, Who is always ready to receive us back.