Emmanuel

Christmas:  It is here and permeates the most mundane of life's activities.  The lights are hung, the tree is trimmed, and the hustle and bustle of it all has not slowed.  The carols are harmonically sung throughout the crisp air of the wintery season, and the hearts of people are warmed as they give and share both love and life with one another.  Emmanuel, God with us.  One of the many names of glorious God, quoted throughout Scripture and seemingly a favorite term for this time of year.

God with us.  Stop for a moment and let that sink in and really penetrate to the depths of your being.  Oh sure I imagine it brings comfort to so many whose hearts are at their loneliest seasons of the human soul.  What peace it must bring to the one who oft feels abandoned and left to face life's giants alone.  But there is another side to this that I have never chewed on before, and I must say it is bringing a bit of a spiritual self-gagging reflex reaction.

The carnal nature of my flesh is so quick to rush foolishly into the depths of sin and without second thought.  My spirit beckons to pause and stare into the fiery eyes of a holy and almighty God, but my flesh reigns supreme.  I proceed without caution and do the very thing that nailed Jesus to the cross.  Like a dog that returns to its own vomit and like the pig that rolls in the muck and mire, I allow my flesh to dominate and dance in it's evil desires.  Moments later, my cold heart stops.  I feel naked before the One, running in an attempt to go hide.

There is a little phase that most children go through, I can still remember this time of my life as a child.  It's time for bed and it's been a fun day and exhausting all in one.  Your body is ready for rest, your flesh fights it.  So choosing to honor your parents and do what you know is best, you slowly stumble to bed.  But in tow is your blanky, favorite teddy bear, that special dolly that you must have, and maybe even a good book just in case.  And oh of course, don't forget that extra little action figure you slipped in your pocket.  You crawl into bed and tuck in each one of your friends, then cover up yourself as you lay with all of your precious belongings.  It's great for a moment, until you realize that there is no room.  The extra toys have lost their fun and special purposes because they are crowding you out of your bed.  So you decide to just keep 1 or 2 and carelessly toss the others aside.

And so I find myself in the grown-up version of this old classic.  My spirit yearns for the sweet and all-consuming fire of Jesus, yet my flesh refuses to release these sinful desires.  So I try to do the impossible.  I drag my feet to the One who knows all and is all, with my selfish desires in tow, my secret sin in my pocket, and all of these other eartly desires that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross.  I am learning that it is not possible to pursue the presence of holy God while at the same time entertain the pleasures of sin.  It must be one or the other, it simply cannot be both.  God is holy and can have nothing to do with sin.  While I know this to be true and have known this, I sit and reflect as to how I came to this place of compromise.

Emmanuel, God with us.  It is quite difficult to commit that sin when you know and believe to be true that Jesus is right there with you.  Like the fork that scratches against the dinner plate is the cringe I feel when I realize I have just sinned intentionally against the holy One.  And I realize that my world of sin and complacency cannot coexist with the kingdom of God.  So I begin to toss these things aside, treating it as the wretched sin and rubbish that it is.  While we are all sinners in need of God and His grace and forgiveness, it doesn't have to be like this.

God commands us to be holy because He is holy.  I cannot embrace the One and all He has if I insist on keeping my hands full of junk.  I cannot receive what He desires to give me if I simply keep my arms folded in indifference to sin.  I cannot go where He leads if I choose to stay dancing in the mud.  I cannot hear what He is saying if I plug my ears up because His voice brings conviction.  I cannot go on sinning without second thought and repentance if I truly understand Emmanuel, God with us.

May Emmanuel invade your space and permeate the very core of your hearts this holy-day season...