Friday, April 20, 2018

The Open Place With No Doors

There are doors that only a few people ever use.

One of the things about working somewhere in that you see a side of the business that only people who work there see. You go into rooms and drawers that no one else has access to.

We are curious creatures. We want to see what is underneath and behind things but that isn't always good.

"Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD. None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness... You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive." - Leviticus 18:2-10, 17-18 ESV

I only quoted part of that passage but more categories of people are listed. It may seem a bit vulgar to quote from this passage but it is important that we understand where lust comes from. It doesn't start with wanting something. It starts with seeing something.

A thief is looking in his or her mind in places they are not allowed to be and thinking of things that don't belong to them. An addict has often opened a door that should never have been opened and some part of their mind longs for some taste that should never have been tasted in the first place.

Perhaps you have seen something you shouldn't have seen. Now what? We live in a time where images are everywhere and neon signs point to doors no one should enter.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels." - 2 Timothy 2:15-23 ESV

Flee youthful lusts. Be washed in the water of the word. Decide what you are going to be. God sees everyone who is washed in the blood as a vessel of honor. What does a vessel of honor see? Where do they go? What do they think about?

"And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules. I will keep your law continually, forever and ever, and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts." - Psalm 119:43-45 ESV

"For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? - the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip." - Psalm 18:31-36 ESV

Grace is the wide place. There are no doors there. Jesus is the narrow gate but once you pass through you and I enter into a wide place of freedom that is open and has purity.

"On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' " - John 20:19 ESV

Jesus didn't use the door. He doesn't explore hidden places because nothing is hidden to Him. In Christ we have that also. We have a purity that isn't looking to uncover. We are in the wide place of grace.

--

No comments:

Post a Comment