“He sure was a ‘good-ole-boy’”; we often have heard said about some person we may have attended church with for years. Or maybe – “My goodness she made the best cobbler ever brought to a church pot-luck...”. And then there is that ‘other side’ of them that someone mentions as their voice trails off in a midst of head shaking and chuckles.

You know what I’m talking about...we like to focus on the ‘good side’ of them...how they were a wonderful deacon or Sunday school teacher or how well they could ‘pick a guitar’. But then it is brought up how you sure wouldn't want to play golf with them and have your mother nearby given they could ‘cuss like a sailor and throw a fit like nobody’s business’. Or that sweet lady who made the cobbler and could be so kind and generous at times....”it’s a shame she never got over her husband leaving her as that bitterness could consume her at other times. My how she could turn and be snappy and spiteful when someone crossed her.”

Let’s face it...”we’re human after all...We are all ‘flawed sinners in need of the Savior’, right? Or so we’ve been told all our lives. There’s just one problem with that assessment: We may have at one time...been that wretched sinner ...but once we found the Savior (or He found us)...that all was supposed to have changed. We were ‘supposed’ to have been conformed to His image and become a ‘new creation’...on THIS side of heaven. (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 5:17; 1 Pet. 4:1-2)

We all ‘once walked’ that way, as in past-tense. (Eph. 2:1-3; Col.3:6-10).

But IF...we are truly abiding in Christ...we don’t walk that way anymore. Why? Because those who belong to Christ have ‘put to death/crucified (past tense) all those sinful, fleshly tendencies that gave place for unclean spirits to work in and through us. (Gal. 5:24). That’s what the Bible says.

And instead of exhorting one another and preaching the whole counsel of God, “having these promises and being challenged to ‘lay aside every weight and sin as we cleanse ourselves from ALL filthiness of the flesh and spirit...perfecting holiness in the fear of God...” (2 Cor. 7:1 Heb. 12:1; Heb. 3:12-14)...we drifted in the other direction.

We have become ‘enablers’...coddling and consoling all the ‘sinner-saints’ (or ‘saints who continue to sin’). Instead of being the over-comers that Christ’s grace empowered us to become, we can sound more like a bunch of "church wino’s" who don’t want to make people feel bad about themselves so we tell them ‘we understand as does God and let’s just sing Amazing grace while holding hands and then we’ll pray. And we do that week after week, month after month, year after year. And nothing ever really changes. I bet you are familiar with that definition of ‘insanity’? (Doing the same thing over and over yet expecting different results?)

And please don’t misconstrue what I am suggesting here and think we are supposed to begin ‘going off on one another and rebuking and judging and be all condemning’. Please...don't conclude that.

This is more about re-examining so many verses that have been laying there in our beloved Bibles that somehow have escaped our attention. Like this one for example that Jesus made:

“Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot...bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matt. 7:17-20)

So what are we going to do with that? -other than, find some thick, dusty commentary that was written ages ago that conveniently explains why God did not really mean what He said. How about we quote Paul more often as he stated “Let God be true and every man a liar!” (Rom. 3:4)

IF we are abiding in Him, we will be walking as He walked (1 John 2:6) and no longer sinning (1 John 3:6) because we’ve been born of God. (1 John 3:9). This...is how all will know we are His disciples. (John 13:34-35)

You do realize there was a time when God ‘seemingly winked at or overlooked...our ignorance; but now...commands all men everywhere to repent.” (Acts 17:30). In other words, we are without excuse. The ‘grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men...teaching us...” (Tit. 2:11-14)

I have used this illustration in the past about the old man who lived off in the backwoods and broke his worn out bow-saw he used to cut firewood with. After a trip in to town where a salesman convinced him to purchase a new chainsaw (which apparently the old man had never seen one before), he returns a few days later greatly agitated over the ineffectiveness of his newly acquired tool. When the puzzled salesman takes the saw and fires up the engine, the old man jumps back, bewildered and frightened when he hears the engine roar to life and asked: “What’s that noise?”

I know of no other illustration that better explains where so many people in our churches have been living at for most of their lives...doing their best to ‘get the job done’ in their own power and strength. And they are worn out from ‘trying to be better for God.’ It’s not us who does it...it’s ALL Him. But He can’t do it...until we are abiding in Him. I know...you ‘thought you were all this time’. But if we examine the word and then our lives...and then the word again...just maybe you will come to the conclusion that we have gotten it wrong. And there is no shame in admitting that; but...there is shame if we refuse to line up with God’s word and make the adjustment. How...can we ‘neglect so great a salvation?’ (Heb. 2:3)

You can spend decades being a wonderful and faithful church member, yet continue to struggle with anger issues or porn and sexual lust or bitterness and resentment or _______ (you fill in the blank). All this is evidence that while being ‘busy for Jesus’, you have not been abiding in Him because if you were...you would know the truth and the truth would set you free from all that. (John 8:32-36). And I could not, nor would I boldly declare this if all I had ever done was ‘read about it’ or ‘hear about it’. But I have experienced it. And I want everyone else to experience this as well. For the record, it is easier to declare with confidence that which God has made real to you, not just in word, but by deed as well. Trust me on that one.

If you read yesterday’s post, I basically alluded to the fact that we can easily cover up and camouflage our lack of genuine fruit that matters to God...with busy church work and religious activity. That fruit...being the agape-God-kind-of-love that Jesus came to perfect us in. And Jesus made it clear that if we were not abiding in Him...there simply would be no fruit. (John 15:1-8).

Oddly enough, some would hear/read what I’m saying and conclude that I am falsely suggesting we can get to a place where we ‘no longer need the Savior’. Nothing...could be further from the truth. You can’t walk in this place without Him. Period. Abiding in Him is Galatians 2:20 ‘dressed out’.

I know, - it’s taken me awhile to get to those two questions I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to address: as in ‘how does one begin to abide in Him’ and ‘how does He cultivate that God-kind-of-love in us? So let’s move in that direction...

You first are going to have to come to the place, that in spite of all those years of thinking/believing differently, that just maybe you fell short of truly abiding in Him, given what the word makes clear and plain. You might want to just lay aside the pride here for a moment and admit that you too...could have been deceived like most everyone else, or maybe just ‘fell asleep at the wheel’ like those ten virgins did in Matt.25. (there were some wise ones in there as well, you know). It happens. Would you like to receive and experience some of this life changing grace that Titus 1:11-14 speaks of? Then humble yourself and admit to God how you fell short. He has this thing about ‘resisting the proud and giving grace to the humble’, you know. (James 4:6)

You just need to take some time and (as the old song says) ‘have a little talk with Jesus’. Just be real and honest with Him. He’s not wanting to bash you...He wants to transform you...His way. But...I need to advise you of one thing you rarely will hear in a church service at ‘altar call time’. You need to sit down and ‘count the cost’. (Read Luke 14:25-33). There is a ‘cost’ in this for sure. And you may not be ‘ready’ to go there yet, either. That rich young ruler wasn’t. (Matt. 19:20-22). So what might be the ‘motivating’ factor here in being ‘willing to ‘go all in’? Well, I would submit to you that the ‘fear of God’ has something to do with this, which is after all, the ‘beginning of knowledge and wisdom’. The fact of the matter is, there are no other options or ways in which a person can be ‘saved’ other than coming to Jesus with all their heart in complete surrender.

To abide in Him is to surrender to His Lordship. If you don’t, then no fruit can be cultivated or produced within you. (John 15:4-6). And fruit matters; and the ax is already laid to the root of the trees and every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matt. 3:10). How’s that for incentive?

If you are not quite ‘there’ yet, and ready to surrender to Him, then you can’t even get in the door of abiding in Him. But if you are and you do...then buckle up and get ready: He’s been waiting on you. And given that the time is short...He may escalate this to a quicker work which is just fine. There are plenty of people out there drowning in the darkness who really need to see the authentic light of Christ in us. Did you read that passage yesterday in Malachi that I suggested? Go check out Mal.3:18 and then Daniel 12:8-10. See you tomorrow (Lord willing)