He Knows Our Frame

“When Satan tempts me to despair, 

And tells me of the guilt within, 

Upward I look, and see him there

Who made an end of all my sin.”

~ Before the Throne ~

Grace. That little word holds such a profound and life changing meaning. I know I never fully comprehend what it means. It seems that just when I think I understand it, some circumstance in my life reveals just how little I know about the grace of God.

grace - to find favor in the eyes of someone, to be acceptable to him, unmerited favor

When I believed in Christ as the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit came and dwelt inside of me, I changed. The Lord brought me from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13). My entire identity changed because of Him, in that He made me His child and co-heir with Christ.

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, 

that we would be called children of God; and such we 

are. For this reason the world does not know us, 

because it did not know Him.”

1 John 3:1

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are 

children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God 

and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him 

so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Romans 8:16-17

That being said, there is one thing that didn’t change. And that is my flesh. I sometimes forget that a battle rages inside of me daily. The battle between the Spirit of God living inside of me and the flesh that destroys me.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out 

the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire 

against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for 

these are in opposition to one another, so that you may 

not do the things that you please.”

Galatians 5:16-17

And when I forget or lose sight of this battle, I am caught off guard by my sin. When I fail to walk by the Spirit and the flesh wins, I am left discouraged and dispirited. I want to hide from the very One who has the power to deliver me from the sins I have committed, too ashamed to face Him. “He must be so disappointed in me.” 

But is this true?

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, so 

the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 

For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that 

we are but dust.”

Psalm 103:14-15

As our Father, He is compassionate towards us, and remembers the fact that we are but dust. He is not surprised by our weaknesses, or by our failures. Does He condone them? Certainly not. But is He disappointed in us? No. He is compassionate towards His children.

Christ Jesus, our Savior and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), is our High Priest. He is the One who makes propitiation for our sins (Heb. 2:17). And He understands.

“For since He Himself was tempted in that which He 

has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those 

who are tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize 

with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in 

all things as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 4:15

Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. He’s been there. The only difference is, He never caved or gave in. He was sinless. But He still understands. And He can come to our aid when we are tempted to give into our flesh. How precious is this? What hope! 

So my encouragement to you is this: when you fail, when you sin, don’t let that keep you from seeking the face of God. Don’t let Satan temp you to despair. When those feelings of utter unworthiness consume you, remember who you are in Christ. You and I ARE unworthy. We are nothing apart from Him. But as His children, we are forgiven. We must remember His grace.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, 

the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to 

the riches of His grace...”

Ephesians 1:7

Now, I am not condoning sin. You and I must repent and turn from our sins. We cannot continue in sin.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so 

that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall 

we who died to sin still live in it?” 

Romans 6:1-2

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under 

law but under grace? May it never be!”

Romans 6:15

The grace of God is indescribably beautiful. But it is not to be abused. We are still called to be obedient to His commands and precepts. We have died to sin, and must not live in it. Sin must not be a habitual thing in our lives as believers.

But when we do sin, we must confess it from a broken and sincere heart. True repentance will equal a turning away from those sins. And when we do this, God will forgive us.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous 

to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all 

unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken 

and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

Psalm 51:17

So take heart. The Lord is never surprised by our weaknesses, and He is compassionate towards those of us who are His children. He remembers we are but dust. And He forgives us when we repent and cry out to Him from a broken heart. 

So don’t become dispirited by the times you fail. When you lose the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. We may lose a battle here and there, but Christ Jesus has already won the war!

“Because a sinless Savior died, 

My sinful soul is counted free; 

For God, the Just, is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me”

~ Before the Throne ~

Is It Just Me?

Have you ever had one of those moments where you realize that you are different? I mean really different? You feel as though you stand out like a sore thumb.

You didn’t think that was funny.

You really don’t want to watch that.

Your purpose in life is not just to have fun.

It sure can make you feel alone. Like you’re the only one out there. Does anyone have the same morals or convictions as you?

I wish there was a way to avoid this, but there just isn’t. But take heart! As followers of Christ, this is to be expected. 

What do I mean by this?

Jesus Christ came into the world in human form. How did the world respond to Him?

“...it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.” 

(John 7:7)

The world hated Jesus. So much so that they killed Him. And in Ephesians, we are called to be imitators of Him:

“Therefore be imitators of God...” 

(Ephesians 5:1)

So if the world hated Christ, and we are to imitate Him, what does this tell you? The world is going to hate us too. 

Yay us!!! ;)

I promise you that I am not trying to discourage you. On the contrary. This may not seem encouraging at first glance, but for me, when I realize that opposition from the world is to be expected, it doesn’t catch me as off guard. And I am a person who likes to be prepared...

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, 

which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange 

thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share 

the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the 

revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.” 

(1 Peter 4:12-13)

Don’t be surprised or discouraged when you feel alone because of your faith. Christ went through the same thing for us, even suffering death on the cross for us. (Phil. 2:5-8) How small are these sufferings in comparison! 

And there is hope despite these sufferings. Don’t think you are alone! 

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have 

peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I 

have overcome the world." 

(John 16:33) 

We have peace and comfort in our Savior. And He has overcome this world. It ain’t got nothing on us! We have already won the war. Victory is ours through Christ Jesus.

So take heart, dear friends, that our God is greater than any thing in this world. Greater than the cutting words of a classmate. Greater than the rejection of those whom you love. And greater than the loneliness these things can cause.

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, 

or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day 

long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered. But in all 

these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” 

(Romans 8:35-37)

The Benefits of Losing

Losing your life. Being crucified with Christ. Dying to self.

I don’t know about you, but when I hear these phrases quoted from Scripture, I sometimes cringe at the thought. Something tells me that living these out is not going to be a very pleasant experience...

Is the Christian walk really that difficult? Can’t we all just be happy and always smiling...it seems to work for Joel Osteen! ;)

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that is not at all how the gospel that Jesus 

preached is described. 

“You will be hated by all because of My name...” 

Matthew 10:22

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are 

not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” 

John 17:14

Following Christ is not for the faint of heart. It is not always easy. Now, I am not trying to be all gloom and doom here, but this side of the gospel is so often overlooked. Why? Because it makes people uncomfortable. It’s not “happy.” It requires us take a good hard look at how we are living.

It gets back to that losing your life thing.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for 

My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” 

Mark 8:35

Now, you may be more spiritual than I am, but when someone wants a show of hands of people who want to lose their life, I’m gonna keep my hands down as low as I can. But now that I am a child of God and a bondservant of Christ, this changes things. Or should.

“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with 

its passions and desires.”

Galatians 5:24

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives 

in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, 

who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Galatians 2:20

It’s no longer about me. I died with Christ. The life I am now living is not my own but is through faith in Christ. 

This is a sacrifice, yes. But when you compare it with the last part of Galatians 2:20, it seems so small in comparison. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, gave Himself up for me. Why? He loved me. He forgave the debt of my sins that I could not pay, and granted me not only complete pardon, but also eternal life.

“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Why in the world would I ever find giving my life for Him in return a difficult decision? When I see my life in light of who Christ Jesus is, and in light of the sacrifice He made for me, my life is of nothing to me. Take it all, Jesus!

Yet, this is still a daily struggle for me. Of dying to my flesh. I have to fall before Him more frequently than I’m proud of, and beg Him to change me. To make me willing to die to my flesh and desires. I had to do it tonight.

But He always helps me and hears my prayers.

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

He gave me mercy tonight. And made me willing to lose my life again, and caused this to be my heart’s prayer:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John 3:30