Okay, the title may reveal the author's tendency toward some attention deficit, or perhaps not...
Let's talk about epileptic seizures. For the last seven years our dog Piper has struggled with seizures, the sort of epilepsy that is common to men, women and children as well. She is definitely not herself when a seizure is approaching,and she is now taking medicine. She is a very different dog than she was before. What goes through my mind? I want our dog back, the way she should be, the way that her Creator intended for her to truly be! The way that she was meant to shine the best!
Well, now lets talk about cloudy pool water. Every year when I open our pool, there is cloudy pool water, usually some shade of green, or worse! Not the way it's supposed to look. Not a "swimming" pool at that moment, to say the least. Backyard pools just shouldn't look that way!
Imperfect people, and imperfect churches..., instead of practicing perfect love, the practice some sort of toleration, instead of " living in harmony with one another" we butt heads, instead of forgiven sinners perfectly representing the Lord Jesus Christ, we still too often reflect the old man, the one that was crucified with Christ, yet his shadow still smells up the place. Imperfect churches, and sinful people are what we have in this world. The church and the world are made up of "smelly" people like myself, in great need of Jesus and, well, no offense, but you may not "smell" to good either! Hey, let's keep this in mind. It is so important, so necessary that we acknowledge our own "odor" before we will ever want to do anything about it.
Years ago, when I was in the U.S.P.S. we had to have a hygiene meeting, for certain individuals we near impossible to work alongside. After the meeting, the greatest "offender" and catalyst of the meeting, came up to me and said that this meeting was really necessary! Oh well, there didn't seem to be change in the "air".
Okay, so what do we get when we look at seizures, cloudy pool water, and imperfect churches with "smelly" Christians? Hope! Yes sir! Wondeful and sure HOPE! Pheno-Barbitol has at least stopped the seizures for Piper, for now. Chlorine will clear up the pool water beautifully, and it will actually sparkle, at least for today. These are shadows of the things to come! And the church, the very body and presence of Christ in the world, where the Holy Spirit is at work, is also in some measure at least, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and beginning to love one another, revealing the beauty of Christ through our weak vessels, yes, the body of Christ, to the world! The church is a work in progress. The world desperately needs the church to shine truth, grace, and love upon her, or she will be helpless and hopeless, without a future.
My final thought for now concerning seizures, cloudy pool water, mperfect churches, and a world seperated from God? God is a perfect Creator, a perfect Redeemer, and a perfect Worker! Man is far from the Creator's design, in great need of a Redeemer, and desperately ready for an overhaul from the Perfect Worker! Jesus Christ will surely save even to the uttermost all those who call upon Him, looking to Him for forgiveness and hope. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
One day, no more seizures or medicine, no more cloudy water or chlorine, and no more sin in the church or evil in the world. Perfect bodies, perfect water, perfect church is on the way. Only keep trusting in Jesus Christ. He is faithful, and He will do it.
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