One main question?

When Jason and I first got married I had a very long list of things for him to work on. Yes, he had things about him that were not perfect as well, and I knew how to find those faults for sure. During one trip over Monarch Pass, I was laying out everything that I was unhappy with about him and how I was feeling unfulfilled in the relationship. Instead of getting defensive and giving up on me, because really, who can fix everything right away anyways. He asked me to point to the biggest thing that stood out to me. What was the number one thing that I needed from him? After quite a while of trying to narrow my biggest objections down to one I was able to see my biggest wounding from him. He then focused on this one issue and miraculously everything else faded away.

We do this in every situation we find ourselves in. We have a list of things that need worked on. When the list is long we can feel overwhelmed and that is when failure takes hold. "How can I accomplish everything?" But in everything it all boils down to not one, but two main topics. In these two things, if we really look at these two issues, we really can find all the answers to our everyday life healed.

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29)

If we can wrap our mind around this, life is smoother. We can learn to truthfully do our best in our job, our home, with others we come in contact with. If we truly love God, then we won't be able to turn a blind eye on what we think others can't see, for we will always be aware that someone can always see. We won't keep our doors in life closed in order to hide our messiness. If we truly love others, we will be thinking of them in what they need in order for them to live more fully in their environment. If we love ourselves, then we will always be truthful to ourselves about what we do that is good and what we can do better. This one answer in life can help us live more fully and if we can grasp this then we may not be so overburdened by such a long list we think we must overcome. What is it about that long list that we think we must get it all done? There is always a simple issue at it core. Can we see it?

 

The Cost of the Compromise

Judges, a time when the people should have been enjoying their Promised Land, but they were not. Why? They had dealt with the sin that was within. They saw what they were hiding and what they had been holding on to. Now they were living in their land, but they were still under much strife and there was still no rest. Why?

"Incomplete removal of evil often means disaster in the end." The people compromised with wickedness and they had to face that a compromise really means infiltration. Chapter 1, "But they failed to drive out the people living in the plains, who had iron chariots....The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem.... The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shan." On and on, Israel failed to completely rid the land of the people who already lived there. "So what," you say. "Whats the big deal? Can't we all just live in peace?"

Wisdom is right by what results from it. Because of their failure to completely drive out the deeply rooted sin in the land, "They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.” (2:3)

A compromise, because they were tired of fighting. A compromise, because they saw how powerful the people were and they were intimidated by them. A compromise that really was disobedience. So often we compromise on something that seems so small, but is really a very big deal. We cover it over with the illusion that it will not hurt us and we think we are really doing what is best for us. The truth is, we are settling and we are afraid to face the challenge of completely removing that sin from our land. The result is a spiritual, moral, decline that turns our heart away from the tenderness of God.

What happens when I surround myself with others who are tender to their families? I become tender and more patient with my own. What happens when I surround myself with others who love the LORD and who are truly seeking Him? Their fire helps mine burn hotter. The same goes for the reverse. Their love will infiltrate us, whatever that love is. The trick is being able to separate myself enough, so that I can keep the vision clear. If I can keep His will for my life in full view, then I can completely clear the land and live in peace. All too often, I compromise. I focus on my own past failures so much that I forget. I fail to hold others accountable and let their sin go on. Which in turn starts a cycle of complacency and disobedience in my own life. If I fail to clear the land around me of sin, this will always come back to haunt me and ultimately keep me in the cycle of sin, myself.

Oswald Chambers, "The most wonderful secret of living a holy life does not lie in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfect qualities of Jesus exhibit themselves in my human flesh. Sanctification is 'Christ in you..." (Colossians 1:27)... Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ to me. It is the gift of His patience, love, holiness, faith, purity, and godliness that is exhibited in and through every sanctified soul... The perfection of everything is in Jesus Christ, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfect qualities of Jesus are at my disposal. Consequently, I slowly but surely begin to live a life of inexpressible order, soundness, and holiness— '...kept by the power of God...' (1 Peter 1:5)."

Who are we allowing to live in our land? How are they affecting us? Are we living a changed life through the power of Christ in us? Or are we being infected by those who are being allowed to live with us? If I stop and really think about it, I can see the truth. The hard part is the follow through once I have seen. The hard part is facing what seems so much stronger than I am. This is when I must turn to God and remember that it is He who will ultimately fight the fight for me, but He is waiting for me to trust and obey.