Shame

Shame on you!

Ever had anyone say that to you?  I am guilty.  I have heard it, but worse, I have said it.

Shame is a heavy thing.  The question is what do we do with it?  Do we let it drive us to confession and repentance, or do we run, hide, deny, blame, make excuses, and rebel?

There was no shame in the beginning.  "... the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." (Genesis 2:25 NASB)  Only after they acquired a knowledge of evil did they know their nakedness had a capacity for sin and shame.  Before their knowledge of evil, there was no shame in ANYthing.

We all know it now. "'Lo, this only I have found, that God has made man upright, but they have sought out any inventions.' (Ecclesiastes 7:29 KJV)  There is plenty evil, and humans keep inventing new ways of manifesting it.

Yep.  I am guilty of saying "Shame on you." and I am guilty of lots of other things.  But praise God that feeling of shame drives me to Jesus.  Try as I might, I still drop the ball and fall into wrong thinking, wrong actions, wrong attitudes, and worse...wrong speech.

"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire.  A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that.

By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.

This is scary: You can tame a tiger,  but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done..." (James 3:5-8 from The Message)

I am guilty of that too.

And every time I feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning my guilt, rather than just feel shame, I purpose my heart to confess the ugliness within, repent and again turn my heart to follow Him as "...the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses me from all sin..' (1 John 1:7 NASB personalized by me)

I continue to be a work in progress, regretting that I so easily fail Him, but secure in His love and mercy, not drowning in the shame of all my failures.

Hallelujah.

Position

I am prone to get on my soapbox and blab about folks who won't work.  I especially rant about those who won't take a job because it isn't the job they 'want'.  "Some folks want a position, not a job." I can be quoted as saying.

When the Hebrew people were preparing to cross into the Promised Land they had heard about literally all their lives, they were given specific instructions about following the ark.

"When you see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then you shall move from your place and go after it.  Yet keep a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way by which you must go. For you have not passed this way before now." (Joshua 3: 3-4 MKJV)

That was NOT the position I would want to take.  I would be like those shoppers on Black Friday trying to get in the very front!  Certainly, not in the multitude of people hanging back 1000 yards!  But, if they had crowded around the small ark of the covenant, everyone could not have seen to follow.  If would have surely been like the crowd on Black Friday!  (I experienced that crowd only one time...haven't been back!)

Position can be critical can't it?  We all want to be first, up front, important...whether we openly admit it or not.  Nobody enjoys being pushed to the rear, swept aside, ignored.  We want to at least be acknowledged, certainly not intentionally disregarded.

I have very little competitive nature.  If you want something enough to compete with me for it, most likely I will let you have it.  I don't really want to be the star of the show, or singled out for a lot of recognition.  I am uncomfortable with all of that.  But I do want to be acknowledged.  Don't you? 

Read thru Hebrews chapter 11.  It is often called the Hall of Faith chapter, naming names and recognizing faith.  But if you do some character study, not one of those mentioned  was without flaws.  Lots of them.  Big ones.  None of them earned or deserved a position in scripture by living a perfect life. 

My position in Christ has absolutely nothing to do with my behavior, (and everything to do with HIS.)

The first part of the book of Hebrews teaches us that Christ Jesus' position is superior to any other. And because of His perfect sinless life, and His sacrificial death, my position is altared eternally.

Not because I am religious. (legal jargon...)
Not because I am a good person. (good?....you just might not see all of what is me...)
Not because I don't do a lot of sinning. (ridiculous logic..)
Not because I do good things. (very few really...)
Not because I belong to the right church. (right?...can't be a wrong one since there IS only one...regardless of what your sign says, HE decides who is included. He either added you or He did not.  And He is the ONLY one who can!)

My position in Christ is simply by His grace in placing me within His family.  No waiting in line for my turn.  No getting knocked out of the possibility or opportunity  No cleaning myself up first.  Not eliminating the bad and cultivating some good. Just. As. I. Am. 

I am so very undeserving.


"To You, O LORD, I called, And to the Lord I made supplication....

"Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper." 

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,   That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (Psalm 30:8-12 NASB)


I am not a super-star child of God.  But I am special enough that He made an awful sacrifice for my benefit.

There is a LOT that I am NOT.  But my position is sealed and secure because of that sacrifice. 

Hallelujah.