Checking myself for spots....

Over the last few weeks, I have been pondering over a verse in James. James 1 the end of verse 27, it says this," and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." The amplified version says, that and then includes the word, " uncontaminated." Uncontaminated from the world. That is a pretty heavy thought. Uncontaminated is a heavy word.

So in light of this verse, and the whole study on James I have been thinking, and doing some soul searching. Have I become "spotted" by the world? Have I become contaminated by the things of this world? I have to say that as I have sat back and tried to take a good look, I think I have a few spots. Spots that I don't like. And spots that I want to give up.

I have this mental picture of a Bride in a wedding gown. A beautiful white satin gown. She has primped and powdered, had hair and nails done. She is a vision. As she walks down the aisle to her groom, she is breathtaking. Perfection, if only for a few hours. But what if as she was walking down the aisle out of now came this blob of mud, and landed on her beautiful dress? It wasn't all that big at first, so it could almost be ignored. But here comes another, and then another, until her whole dress was a big blotched mess. No matter how much the dress cost, no matter how many preparations she went through, it has turned into a mess.

That is the way it is with us. The Bible says's that if we are born again, and true believers in Christ, that we are His bride. After our sins are forgiven we are washed and made white as snow. Just like a beautiful wedding dress. But if we go out on our own. If we ignore the Lord and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. If we try to live with one foot in the world and one with the Lord. We will start to get spots. Maybe a little spot at first. Then a little bigger spot. We think will that spot isn't really so big, we shrug it off. And another one hits us. Down deep we know that these spots are really bad, and that we need to stop, turn around, ask to be forgiven and repent before we are covered, we are not comfortable with them.....but we aren't all that uncomfortable either. So we turn and blind eye. We make up excuses, we justify what we are doing and why we are doing it. Before long we look down and our beautiful gown is dirty, it is ragged and it is horribly ugly. Ugly with the spots of the world. Our gown shows our conformity with the world.

Romans 12, vs. 2 says this," And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

If we call ourselves Christians, we are called to be set apart from the world. People should look at us and see something different. They should see Jesus. Sadly I think that many times nobody can tell the difference between us and the rest of the world. That is a heart breaking fact. How sad that much make our Lord.

So now I am standing there. My gown is filthy. Ugly brown spots everywhere. I am thinking, I can never be clean again. I can never serve the Lord again. He won't have me back. I have gone to far, done to much. I cry out to Him for forgiveness.And suddenly I feel a flow of water, it starts at my head and flows down over my body till it hits my feet. Washing all the dirty, contaminated, ugly spots from my gown. I look down, and my beautiful gown is glowing, it is pure white,and spotless. It is as if I had never wandered off into the world at all. I feel His love surround me, I feel His peace envelop me. I have seen all the world has to offer. I never want to
To walk that road again, not without Him by my side.

You see we have to live in this world. But we don't have to let this world live in us. Sometimes we think, but it is so much harder now. And these are terrible times that we are living in to be sure. But....the Bible says that there is nothing new under the sun. All the things that we face today have been faced by many before us. Just in different ways. It says that Jesus was temped in all the ways of man. But HE did not sin. We can make the same choice. We can chose the better way, and follow Him, even if it means being made fun of, being scorned, being persecuted, and we will be at some point in time. Or we can choose to walk the path of the world. And end up spotted and contaminated.

I don't want any spots. I don't want to stand before Him in a spotted soiled gown. I want to stand before Him, spotless and pure, and have Him say..."Well done..good and faithful servant."

Till next time,
God Bless and Happy Trails
Ranch Wife