Whose Conviction Is It Anyway?

We heard a good message at church this weekend. It went along with something that's been on my mind for maybe a month now. He used Romans 14 as the text. The basic foundation of his message was that you cannot live under someone else's conviction. He elaborated on some examples from the text such as diet; specifically eating meat and honoring the “Sabbath”, whenever that might be. He certainly got into much more detail and used many more examples that I won't mention, but as I said before, the meat of it was that if you are living under someone else's conviction, you are binding yourself under law. This is an easy thing for me to do. I love to read or hear how someone got close to the Lord through some principle or some method. How the Lord is really blessing a family for their obedience in some area. I'm a man, I like road maps. I'm also an engineer, I like formulas. Show me the way. Point me in the right direction. I'm great at following instructions!

Your faith isn't quite like that. It's YOUR faith. I can't get close to the Lord on my parents' faith. My brothers' faith won't get me to heaven. I need to show the Lord that I trust Him by being obedient to Him. Not someone else's principles or convictions.

When we started getting close to the Lord, my wife and I searched out what was working in other peoples lives and tried to integrate it into ours. We weren't seeking the Lord. We were seeking men. We were seeking in the wrong place. We met a lot of godly people who really loved the Lord and were being used by Him. Regardless of how we mimicked them, it was someone else's life we were trying to live. We gave up a lot of things and took on a lot more. Most of the things we gave up were things that should have been given up. Some of the things that we took on was an unnecessary burdensome yoke. It wasn't until WE started seeking the Lord and His will and direction for our lives that He started showing us that the things we were doing were in vane. We had bound ourselves under someone else's law (or their conviction). A lot of the “convictions” we took on made sense. And like I said, it seemed to be working for these other people. Please don't misunderstand me, if the Bible is clear in stating something, we have no choice but to obey it. If something doesn't seem real clear in the scripture or the scripture describes something as being beneficial, allow the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and lead you in this area. I'm not sure why we would need prompted by the Spirit to do something with the promise of blessings or benefits, though (not that it's all about benefits).

One example was allowing the Lord to plan our family size. When we married, I told my wife that I wanted two children and no more. She wanted six. We settled on three. We started hearing about allowing the Lord to plan your family and I initially thought it was nuts. We started meeting more people with this mind-set. My wife was reading a book teaching this and she kept reading passages of it to me. Scriptures were being mentioned; “...be fruitful and multiply” and “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them (children)...” I thought that maybe this is what “true Christians” were supposed to do. I jumped on the bandwagon. Although it didn't make me real popular, it did make me stand out. I thought I was pretty holy. I had the same “conviction” that all of these godly people did. What I actually had was their conviction! The Lord eventually touched my heart and told me that this is what He has for me and my family. I still felt more righteous than what I should have. I now had my conviction, but I thought everyone else should have my conviction. Not so. I love to see large families. I love to hear stories how God has touched the lives of those who have been faithful to HIS calling in this area. I didn't say everyone gets that calling though. Once again, don't misunderstand. I have a real problem with taking permanent measures to see to it that you don't have any more children. I don't think we should break our bodies for the sake of our own personal pleasures. It would be like me going to the doctor and asking him to take my tonsils out because they are taking up room. "I would kind of like that real-estate in there for something else". Sounds silly. To me, it is silly. It's silly to take our bodies and mutilate them for our own joy. The birth control pill is not okay either. It aborts your babies as opposed to preventing conception from taking place. If you want to control the number and timing of your children, there are natural ways of doing this. Just remember, God is still in control.

Some of the things that we added to or took away from our lives were a real struggle for us. We bounced back and forth. Like James says about the man praying without faith, being tossed to and fro like a wave of the sea. We finally had to step back and assess the situation. It was then that WE sought the Lord and searched out the scriptures. We waited on the Lord to give the go-ahead or the hold-back. He did both. Some things we gave up on. We concluded that the Lord was working on another persons heart by giving the conviction. It wasn't meant for us. Some things He told us to continue doing. When we got that confirmation, it was easier. The yoke became lighter.

One man I used to work with never wore a watch. He told me that he didn't think there was anything wrong with wearing watches, but he couldn't wear one. I asked him why. He said that he used to wear a real nice watch everywhere he went. He noticed how it really made him look nice. He began to notice it when he was worshiping the Lord. It was then that he realized that it was coming between him and the Lord. It sounds kind of weird and petty, but I admired him for that. If he truly thought that his watch was a wedge between him and his savior, he needed to get rid of it. I hope that I am half that sensitive to my own relationship with the Lord. I think that sometimes I'm oblivious to the large, obvious things that come between me and the Lord. May God soften my heart to this.

Just know that God loves us regardless of our lives. There is nothing that we could physically do to make Him love us more. He's already done the most He could do by sending His merciful Son to take our sins upon Him and become our sacrifice once-and-for-all. I do know that our obedience and our faith does please Him. If you see something in someone that seems to be working for them, pray about it. Take it to the Lord and see if it's something He would have for your life. Or if it's something that's blatantly obvious in scripture, don't even pray about it. Just do it! It's a pretty safe bet. Be open to the Lord's leading in your life. Do what He asks. And remember, He loves your brother as much as He loves you. Even if you are more holy.

God Bless!

“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14

Simple Gifts

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'Tis the gift to be free,
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend, we shan't be ashamed
To turn, turn, will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning, we come round right.

Simple Gifts was written by Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. in 1848. It was first published in The Gift to be Simple: Shaker Rituals and Songs. Simple Gifts was a work song sung by the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing (more commonly called the Shakers, an offshoot of the Quakers). The bowing, bending and turning described in the song actually referred to the dancing that went along with many of their songs.

I sometimes catch myself feeling like the Shakers, Quakers and Amish. Keep it simple and basic. There is nothing wrong with a simple lifestyle, but I also catch myself finding comfort and security in this. I like to SEE that I'm doing something “for the Lord”. I know that many of the Amish today find security and comfort in their lifestyle. Why else would they continue in the inconvenience of no electricty...no phones...no automobiles if they didn't? Many of them don't act holy, but yet they continue with the outward appearance. I think many of them find their salvation in their lifestyle. Once again, I sometimes catch myself in this thinking. This thinking is not only inaccurate, but it is a sin and an insult to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Reading through Romans this morning, I was reminded of my error. In Romans 4:4-5 it says: “⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. ⁵ But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” I know that my works do not save me. If anyone asked me that, I would 100% of the time say “NO, a persons works can't save them!” (or something close to that). Why, then, do I find comfort and security in simplicity? Is it pride and/or self-centered-ness? Deep inside of me, I can't deny that I truly believe that this is right. That a simple life is better then a fast-paced, hectic life. Spending time at home with my family. Becoming less dependent on others (by way of gardening, raising productive animals, etc.). Trying to remove distractions like television and movies and constant noise like what we might allow radio and music to become. I'm not saying that all of these things are bad. If you could find something edifying to watch or listen to, I don't see a problem with it in moderation. The problem is convincing me that anything on TV is edifying.

I guess what it boils down to is that, to me, this lifestyle is a gift as the song states. I wouldn't trade my home and land for a big city home any day. Yes, chores in the country take time and energy. The benefits far out-way the work any day. This is not my salvation, but it is truly a gift from God.

God bless!!

“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14