A Simple Phrase
A dear woman and friend of mine, having walked with the Lord for long years, has learned to simplify and keep things basic. She has coined a phrase that I've been turning over in my head as of late. The words on replay in my mind? Simply put they are:
The Holy Spirit reveals an issue or sin through conflict, or a situation, or the Word. It is now our turn to respond. We often choose to shovel it under the rug in an effort to hide once again that which was revealed, hoping it will just go away, never to rear its ugly head. But I can guarantee one thing: this will prove to be merely a delay tactic. You can be sure that God's faithfulness to His plan to make us more and more like His Son will cause the sin or weakness to surface once again, and hopefully the next time we will deal with it properly
Or we could just go ahead and deal with it now.
I suggest we do just that. Move right on to step number two the first time around. Deal with it. Once an issue is revealed, just plain ol' deal with it. Take a deep breath, get your heart settled, and get the thing confronted. Resolve it then and there, before it gets old and forgotten. Follow the Scriptural mandate to bring an offense to a brother, repent when needed, make restitution, or make amends. Get counsel, get help. Whatever. Just don't ignore the sin or conflict.
Pursue it to completion, no matter what it takes. When this is done, healing rules the day. Bona fide healing. We all win. We all grow. He shapes us, equips us, and pours out grace and mercy. It is a good thing. A very good thing.
Dwelling together in unity requires effort of maintenance. There are no shortcuts. And as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
The end result? A sharper, cleaner, more effective tool. More readied for His use. It is a good thing. And simple. Funny how readily we overlook the simple things. I suggest a simple phrase for rumination today:
Reveal, deal, and heal.Nothing too introspective. Not overly complex. Just a quick formula for action, for remedy, for help.
The Holy Spirit reveals an issue or sin through conflict, or a situation, or the Word. It is now our turn to respond. We often choose to shovel it under the rug in an effort to hide once again that which was revealed, hoping it will just go away, never to rear its ugly head. But I can guarantee one thing: this will prove to be merely a delay tactic. You can be sure that God's faithfulness to His plan to make us more and more like His Son will cause the sin or weakness to surface once again, and hopefully the next time we will deal with it properly
Or we could just go ahead and deal with it now.
I suggest we do just that. Move right on to step number two the first time around. Deal with it. Once an issue is revealed, just plain ol' deal with it. Take a deep breath, get your heart settled, and get the thing confronted. Resolve it then and there, before it gets old and forgotten. Follow the Scriptural mandate to bring an offense to a brother, repent when needed, make restitution, or make amends. Get counsel, get help. Whatever. Just don't ignore the sin or conflict.
Pursue it to completion, no matter what it takes. When this is done, healing rules the day. Bona fide healing. We all win. We all grow. He shapes us, equips us, and pours out grace and mercy. It is a good thing. A very good thing.
Dwelling together in unity requires effort of maintenance. There are no shortcuts. And as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
The end result? A sharper, cleaner, more effective tool. More readied for His use. It is a good thing. And simple. Funny how readily we overlook the simple things. I suggest a simple phrase for rumination today:
Reveal, deal, and heal.
posted by Darlene Sinclair at
10:33 PM
1 Comments:
I've been chewing on that too. Sandie's a pretty wise woman! ;) You are too! Thank you for sharing!
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