But if that's what it takes to praise You Jesus...

TO YOU:

I just realized a greater understanding of our short little journey on Earth and I hope that through this post, the Holy Spirit will work in you, bringing you to a greater realization about our short little journey on Earth (a realization to whatever magnitude it may be).

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My whole life people have been telling me to "fight the good fight of faith" (1Tim6:12) and have been telling me how difficult it is to live the Christian life. That it's war against ourselves, our sinful natures and we need to battle our sins with Scripture.

Yet, at the same time, I have been told to rely on Jesus Christ. To rest in the complete work of Jesus. Jesus has done it all for us and all we need to do is rest in Him.

So what is it? Is it war or is it rest?

Yea I know it may be obvious for some, but it is BOTH.

1.

Clarification:

Now don't confuse things. We are not saved by works, by our efforts, by our war. Nope...this is not a war for justification, for God's favor. NO, we are saved by faith in Jesus, that's the beauty of grace, that is God's favor, freely given, unworked for, unmerited.

So what is this war for?

To rest in the right place, to fight the good fight of faith.

2.

And as the gospel explains, those sins are already forgiven...defeated. That is how we can defeat those sins, by bearing in mind that those sins are defeated...boom! ANOTHER reason to preach to yourself the gospel everyday.. =D

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Yea so that's something I learned yesterday and a little bit today. Sorry if the authoritative tone bothers you, that's how I heard them....heh (John Piper's sermons).

So please understand the magnitude all of these truths.

We are at war and the whole world is telling us to rest in:

the comfort of our American lives

the justice and protection of the government

our economy that ensures jobs and businesses

our jobs and businesses that provide money

our money that provide payments for food, shelter, and convenience

our resumes which provide greater odds at getting those jobs

our four year plans or any the security of having our whole lives planned ahead of us

our spouses who helps us as a teammate along our journey in life

our boyfriend/girlfriend who just makes me happy

our families who always show us unconditional love

our friends who always make us laugh and make us feel special

our works which we can control (externally to appear good in human standards)

But, thank and praise God, that He shatters those realities, that He shakes those things, brings them to dust through life's storms, through human fallibility SO THAT it is easier to find the only Solid Rock, the only Firm Foundation that we can rest in...Jesus Christ.

Only through our faith in Jesus can we find rest, can we find joy, can we find peace, can we find satisfaction, and can we find salvation.

But, I catch myself saying this a lot. During times at which I gave up things for Jesus. In obedience.

Many times we say this to Jesus, "Jesus I have left everything for you. I gave up my Sundays for you. I gave up my Friday nights to study your Bible. I gave up going out with my friends for you. I broke up with my girlfriend for you. I denied my strongest temptations for you. I did this, I did this, I did that, I did that. 'What then will I have?'"

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We leave it completely, physically, emotionally...

Let's say you had a girlfriend and then you left for four years. Then after a while, she gets caught up in emotions and "falls in love" with an old friend of hers and gets another boyfriend. After four years, she says that she actually just loves you and will give him up but....there's already an emotional attachment. Of course it would be great if she stopped seeing him right, which in this case she does. Great, great, you guys get married, move into a home together but....she occasionally looks out the window. Looking sad, there's an emotional attachment, and she's gets tempted to just see him one more time. Did she really give him up for you, in the way that you hoped?

Nope, she gave him up physically, but not emotionally.

I think it's like that with sin sometimes. Yea we give it up physically. We stop sinning, but our emotions toward it are still there. "Lord, we gave up everything for You, see?" But in the manner of that question, there's still a sense of desire and a sense of value for the things that you gave up. We need to give up that desire, that value, that emotional attachment too.

May we never forget why we, in obedience, physically give up things in the first place. Why do we physically give up things? John 14:15. If you love me, you will obey my commands. We obey because...we. first. LOVED.

And so, going back to the illustration, you would doubt, does this girl even love me? Why is she always moping around? Same thing goes with God...do we really love God? do we really love Jesus?