Today is Beam Day. To kick off our week 5 to 6, we prayed prayers of repentance and personal consecration this morning. We sought to remove the beam from our eyes instead of worrying about the neighbor's speck. It was a face-to-face with God, 'search me Lord, cleanse me of hidden sins, show me what is wrong in my life; forgive me my failings, my infidelities, I commit to living differently.' Magnificent. Otherwise, it is hating sin, otherwise it is hating what God hates. Otherwise, it is turning away from everything that does not please God. His word is eloquent on this subject. We are children of the light (oh I love it), delivered from darkness, therefore called to live as children of light by distancing ourselves from everything that is dark and doubtful.
But there is more, To live differently is above all to LOVE; to love light, righteousness, purity; to love holiness, to become passionate about what God loves. It is not about spending one's life trying as best one can not to do bad things, but rather to embrace and love what God loves and do what God does; an active and not passive existence. It is an aggressive pursuit of holiness, a passion for truth, a burning desire for all that is just and good and pleasing in the eyes of God. This is what Colossians calls 'living worthy of the Lord, seeking to please Him in all things'. This is what makes us hold our tongue instead of condemning and criticizing, this is what makes us hold our ardor instead of giving in to temptation.
Many Christians behave like bad students all their lives, while God wants to make us the teacher's pet. We must not be perpetual dunces, but we must arrive at a certain point at saying to ourselves, it's fine, I'll follow. Otherwise, it's repeating a year without age limit. Our consecration is the commitment to flee sin, but even more so to become friends of God, people of the same side as Him, with the same thoughts, the same desires, the same plans, in full agreement. This is what we should tell Him, this is what He will do in us if we ask. Where God rules, sin will not rule.
Shalom
