God uses ALL things...

 

When I don’t want to admit unloving attitudes, it is easy to rename them so they seem okay. I might be ‘righteously indignant’ about sin, or even excuse bad behavior because I am tired. This happens to many. Today’s devotional reading says: “The root and cause then of our wavering experience is not, as we may have thought, our sins, but is simply and only our doubts.”

The Bible clearly indicates that doubt and unbelief are indeed sins, the very sin that is the opposite of faith and trusting God. This is the same as any other sin and needs to be confessed as such. Merely moaning over such a lack does nothing. Nor does trying harder. Like any other sin, it must be confessed as such.

This ties to another reading, more from Charnock’s book in the section about why God allows sin. He describes how God uses it in our lives. Renaming it and calling it something else is a mistake that keeps us from experiencing His power to change our lives. Charnock gives many examples.

Without sin, I would have no humility or compassion for others to speak of them about salvation. Holy sorrow would have no fuel nor would God need to exercise His patience, nor would I. Charnock and the Bible say patience is one of the noblest virtues.

God also uses sin to produce the sense of need to depend on Him. Sin causes me to run to Him for refuge, to lower my self-confidence and trust Him instead. It brings me closer to God. He actually used it to bring me receptive to the gospel and also to further His work in changing my life.

By permitting lapses, the Lord shows me the folly of trying to live for Him in my own strength and teaches me to rely more and more on Christ. No one knows the nature of Paul’s thorn in the flesh, but God used it to bring this Christian leader to greater confidence in God and less in himself.

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)

Just as God permitted sin to enter into the world to honor and reveal Himself in the Redeemer, we daily battle sin and even in losing that battle at times, I discover the greatness of His love and the persistence of His redemption, also the wisdom of imputed righteousness. If I had become sinless, I could easily boast in that and have no need for His continual saving power. If God removed all  remainders of sin and guilt, I would forget that I am a fallen creature and that He is my Redeemer. Sin reminds me of my condition without Him and of His perpetual care. God also lets me see what filth yet remains in me and how He keeps cleansing me so I do not forget about His blood that washes it away.

Again, sin reminds me of my impotency. I cannot expiate it, nor conform to the law. I must wrap myself in grace and say: “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” (Romans 7:24–25) and “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set (me) free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1–2)

Sometimes my courage for God is sharpened by the shame of my sin. I want to serve Him more and be less apt to fall for Satan’s lies or the world’s temptations. He let the original fall happen for that end. Not only that, my errors and disobediences beat down pride. Charnock points to Hezekiah who was more humbled by his fall into pride than by all the distress he experienced (2 Chronicles 32:26) and  Peter whose confidence before his fall gave way to humility after it.

PRAY: Jesus, I don’t always understand all You do, yet realize if I make excuses for my sin, I will miss the wonder of You using even it to change my heart and realize the incredible value of Your wisdom and love for me. You desire a life change — and I need to admit what changes are needed, not rename or make excuses for what You call sin. Keep my eyes on You too, not only when I need instruction but also when I need rebuke and correction.