25
May

I will rise.

   Posted by: brandyness   in News Updates

Micah 7:7-9

7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.
8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
the LORD will be my light.
9 Because I have sinned against him,
I will bear the LORD’s wrath,
until he pleads my case
and upholds my cause.
He will bring me out into the light;
I will see his righteousness.

The overwhelming burden that floods my heart is for those who are called by God into the ministry but are not currently pursuing it. I was talking to a good friend a couple of days ago about this passage. It is amazing how much guilt plays a part in convincing people they are not good enough to do the work of the Lord. We are all sinners, saved by grace, this is true.

I love hearing stories about people whose lives were changed. Someone who lived a hard life of drugs, sex, and crime and is changed by the saving grace of Jesus Christ has a powerful testimony indeed. These people have learned something that “church” people sometimes struggle with.

I was saved in an AG church when I was five years old. I have never been “bad” nor have I ever craved a lifestyle outside of the safe boundaries of the law of grace. If at this point in my life, my ministry, in pursuing my calling, I were to give into a sin that I had avoided my entire life, I am not sure how I would recover. I know about the grace and mercy of Christ. I cling to them everyday. My credentials as a believer are grounded in the fact that I receive that which I do not deserve.

This verse does not seem to be speaking to an unbeliever who is aware of the mess they are in and want God to rescue them. It is the voice of someone who enjoyed the benefits of serving the Almighty, and the something happened that would have caused their enemies to gloat over them. Something happened that would have justified giving up. But amidst this we hear almost a whisper of hope…

“Though I have fallen, I will rise.”

Sins committed while in the ministry are almost seen as unforgivable, but I do not believe that is a correct view. Yes, those in positions of leadership need to live up to what the Bible says, but when they give into temptation, we should not toss them aside and act as if they are unredeemable. They should pay the consequences for what they have done, but if God forgives and restores, who are we to say that it is not good enough? The hardest part of this verse…when WE sin, when I sin, when YOU sin, God’s grace is ready and waiting to restore you.

Although you should be heartbroken by your choice to commit wrong against your God, you are still called. You still have work to do. Make it right, and get back to work!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 at 4:59 pm and is filed under News Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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