Great, you're sorry...now apologize

Another amazingly insightful saying I heard from my father all too often growing up.  It usually followed a half-hearted "I'm sorry" after one of us got caught breaking a house rule.  The point was we can use the word "sorry" all we want but if there is no conviction behind the word we will not change our behavior, there is not a genuineness to the apology!

Conviction is key to change.  Conviction shows that there is something being learned and altered within us.

The Progress is Toward Deep Conviction...

Our class spent last week discussing  simple faith.  Simple faith of claiming loyalty to Jesus and recognizing that He is right is all situations.  Once that simple faith is rooted in our hearts it is not easily shaken.  We need the basics so that when we get off track we have a something that "catches" and grounds us to start again.  Our teacher gave this great picture of rock climbers that have to put anchors in the cliffs they are scaling. Once that anchor is placed if they happen to slip the rope catches on it and they do not fall past that point.  Simple and easy to visualize.  When we are rooted in simple faith in Christ we have a hope that is secure and anchors us firmly so we can not be moved.

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the 

inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered 

on our behalf.  He has become a high priest forever..."  ~Hebrews 6:19-20 

So once we have this anchor, our hope secure, we can begin to receive conviction.  We can begin to allow our beliefs to change the way we process and react to circumstances we face each day AND it keeps us from sitting in condemnation if we misstep and stumble in our faith.  When we believe the simplicity that Christ died for us WHILE we were yet sinners we do not beat ourselves up continually because we are useless in condemnation.  However, conviction produces change, it helps us to see clearly where we have fallen short and how Christ compares and is better than our failures.  His example is our ultimate goal but we remember the work He did on the cross was due to the fact that we are humans and prone to sin, He knew we could not live up to the perfection of God and therefore He paid the price to save us.

"And I am SURE of this, that He who began a good work in you will 

bring it to COMPLETION at the day of Jesus Christ." ~Philippians 1:6

I so often fail at recognizing when condemnation takes over my heart, I sit and wallow at my failures.  This week is a good example.  During a meeting I was "chewed out" by someone and it made me feel about 2 inches tall and all I heard in the words spoken over me was that I was stupid and lousy at my job...harsh right?   Well whether or not that was the intention this individual had, it was the way I felt and so I ended up watery eyed in my office questioning why I even bother, why I am at this particular job, am I any good at it or am I out of my league?  I asked God to speak, to enter in and help...I was expecting Him to change the other person's heart, He intended to change mine.

Thank the Lord I am blessed to have a beautiful gem of a sister in Christ as my accountability partner for the Grove study.  Later that same day I was recounting the meeting and she gave me a simple but comforting word, "when you don't like the song playing on the radio you change the station," and that is what we have to do with negative and wrong words enter into our brains.  BOOM...drop mic...to put it in biblical vernacular:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on 

things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set 

your minds on things above, not on earthly things." ~Colossians 3:1-2

Then, just because God knew I hadn't really received the message I stumbled upon this:

Ladies and Gents, here in lies the definition of CONVICTION.  I am too often worried about my reputation.  I am immensely concerned about what people think of me.  But why?  Because that is what this world has told us matters, that people's opinions are more important than who we are at the core of ourselves.  However God says our character is what really matters in the end.  Our character shows how we align with Christ and His teachings.  It is what He judges and how we can see the progress of our maturity in faith.  It is the trunk and branches that grow out of strong roots.

So I let this thought roll around in my head...why do I put weight on what other's opinions are of me? If my loyalty is to Christ, if I really believe I am secure and held and promised eternal life with Him then it should not matter at all if someone doesn't like me.  In fact didn't Christ say something about us not being liked in this world???

"If the world hate you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the 

world, it would love you as it's own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I 

have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you."  ~John 15:18-20

Yeah, uncomfortably comforting thought right?  We shouldn't AIM to be hated, however there will be points where people will not like us.  We will stand for something they do not agree with, we will perform our jobs in a way that frustrates or angers them, but our ultimate loyalty is not to any person in this world.  Our ultimate loyalty is to our Savior and Lord.  We are called to put on the character of Christ and walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.  It is a huge task, an impossible goal without the Holy Spirit, but thank God that He gives us all things for life and for godliness.  I am thankful I don't have to go it alone, that I have a helper to guide me, a faith that roots me and reminds me that I am held and convicted and still being taught.  I am especially thankful that God knows I am a work in progress and He is not frustrated when I am not measuring up, He is endlessly patient and abounds in love!