royal blood

Dylan says to me...Mom why do I need to brush my teeth again, I brushed them before bed. I haven't "done" anything to make them dirty.

I respond with... because you may not have "done" anything intentionally to get them dirty but they get dirty when we sleep. We need to remove the tarter so that it doesn’t get worse.

Dylan then says... well that's just stupid! I didn't DO anything!

This conversation has been on my mind all morning. I'm all about analogies, word pictures, I have to "see" things to understand them. I'm much like Dylan is about his teeth with my walk with Jesus. I often think "I don't have anything to confess to, I haven’t done anything intentionally to sin". But, the reality is I HAVE sinned. I DO sin. Everyday. Intentionally sometimes, unintentionally most of the time.

How many times a day do I see someone with a nicer car, better clothes, cleaner house and think “oh, I’d like to have that”?? How many times a day do I see someone that is dirty, unkempt, yelling at their kids or spouse and think “that person needs help, or should take a bath, or needs to control their temper”?? Coveting and judging, both sins in God’s eyes, yet I do it everyday. I can try to justify my actions with things like… “Oh that’s just human nature” or “everyone does it, it’s not REALLY wrong”. During these times am I intentionally going against my Father’s wishes and sinning?? Absolutely not! Does it make it right or OK??? Absolutely not! Yes, I am human, yes I am going to sin every single day! So what can I do??

At church we are currently looking at the book of Ephesians. I am so excited about this. Ephesians is one of my favorite books of the bible. Pastor Dave (The Father’s House, Vacaville, CA) is also an analogy guy. He used the adoption of children (very dear to my heart!) to show us how much God loves us. How we are of royal blood because of our adoption in to His family. Beautiful stuff… “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” and “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ” and “which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved”. Before time began God knew, yes He knew, not thought, not considered, not would look into BUT knew that I would be one of His children. That is amazing. Mind blowing, out of this world! Me… sinner that I am. Coveter of things, judger of people, sinner amongst sinners is a child of God. WOW!

So how does this go back to my tooth brushing analogy? It makes me realize how easy it is to get in the habit of only bringing the big stuff to God, only going to Him when I’ve done something intentional to get dirty. If I believe what Paul is telling me in Ephesians, then I must believe that God knows my heart, He knows I do not always make the right decisions, that my thoughts are not always pure, but that He still desires me as one of His own. I must go to Him daily, hourly, minutely, confessing my sins, those great and those small. I need to get the tarter growing in my heart removed so that it does not build up and create greater, more deeply rooted problems. I can’t expect to go to God a couple of times a year and expect Him to remove the build up and things to be good…any more then I could go through life not brushing my teeth and going to the dentist twice a year and expect my teeth to stay healthy.

Being a child of God requires me to do my share, confessing my sins, reading the Word, fellowshipping with other believers, living a life that is worthy of being called a child of God. Daily, just as I do my part in maintaining my teeth (or body by eating right and exercising, or home, by keeping it clean etc) I must also do my part in maintaining my spiritual health. The beautiful thing is because I have been adopted into the royal family, even when I fall short, there is always a place there for me! God loves me through it all. God is amazing, isn’t He!