“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love”. 2 Peter 1:5-7
Hearing incredible promises in a lifetime is so great for an individual. Most often trumpeting promises far more than it delivers. But the promises in the above text are completely reliable. Indeed, the benefits of heeding Peter’s words, and the consequences of neglecting them, are great because Peter’s words sustain us from being useless and unfruitful in our relationship with Jesus Christ and enables us to live in the present in light of our past conversion and our hope for the future. Doing as Peter instructs can keep us on the road to “Dropping the Rock”, as we triumphantly focus on our entry into the kingdom of our Lord. So, let’s not neglect Peter’s instruction and bring our perception into reality in being confident in the salvation God has provided and not let those rocks sets us up for a fall.
We drop the rock by being attentive and becoming cooperate with God by developing ourselves. As we exercise our new nature we add virtue to our Faith, then knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally Love. As we go through this sequence of character development, the divine nature has matured enough to be encouraged to “Drop the Rock”. But do we?
Many Christians still carry around like a heavy rock that which cannot be put down. Everyone has sinned, and one of the results of sin is guilt. We can be thankful for guilty feelings because they drive us to seek forgiveness. Repentance is part of the process of faith that leads to salvation (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Acts 3:19). Jesus said the process works like a seed; the seed is planted, in us, and although it is entirely present, it is very small. As it grows, it becomes large and helpful. Seeds are complete but undeveloped. In the same way, God has planted within us all we need, but these resources require time and growth before they become visible to others.
We know that Jesus died to wash away our transgressions. The scriptures say that God "remembers them no more." We understand that we cannot erase them by ourselves. And yet old guilt still haunts us at times. The majority of the people in this world have the ability to alleviate their guilt through some kind of apology, but for some of us that is not enough. Nothing we do can erase the feeling of guilt and the knowledge we did something wrong. We risk making ourselves sick with worry and regret, and risk the lifelong pain of shame, depression, and anxiety. And even worse, we risk missing a close, open relationship with the God who has forgiven us, and "remembers our sin no more". In our guilt we spiritually hide from Him.
So then, what to do? Perhaps there are some practical steps we can take to find healing and “using the promise seed God has given us”. “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all”. Romans 4:16
The obscure suggestions may be the obvious:
(1) Take an inventory. Get out a piece of paper and write down everything you can think of that causes you to feel guilt about anything. This is very personal, so guard it carefully. Ask yourself if all of this is guilt or is some of it a kind of perverse pride that we just like to beat ourselves with. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.1 John 1:9
(2) Talk with a trusted person. Is there someone in your life, a pastor, or Stephen Minister at your church that you trust completely? Find someone and discuss your list with them. There is something about sharing with another human being that puts it all into perspective. “A gossip betrays confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret”. Proverbs 11:13
(3) Make Amends. Have you found that there is someone out there that you will need to make amends to? Approach this very carefully, discussing it with God and your confidant in step It takes courage to ask for forgiveness. It takes inner strength to reach out to those we have wronged. It takes a loving heart to admit sorrow and contrition. Critical, but not an act to be rushed into. “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses”. Mark 11:25
(4) Pray. Ask God to, once and for all, remove the painful weight you have felt from old, unresolved guilt. Ask Him to help you to drop that rock forever. Sin and failure are human. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”. Psalm 147:3
It is time to move on. The book of Romans says that we have been justified by the blood of Christ. The word justification means "Just-as-if-you-had-never-sinned." It means much more than forgiveness. As God looks at us this very moment, he has not only forgiven us, but does not even remember those things that may still be weighing us down with guilt. If God has forgotten them, it is time we do the same. This is pointless and runs counter to the victorious Christian life God wants for us. A wise saying is “If God has saved you out of a sewer, don’t dive back in and swim around. “We are no longer meant to live under guilt. My fellow Christians, isn't it time we drop the rock?
Better yet are you prepared to let go of the rock — and to mean — almost unimaginable questions: Why not me? Why not this? Why not now? Plus think in some way, “my faith might serve as a three-watt night-light in a very dark world, displaying faith to a faithless world, hope to a hopeless world, love to a loveless world and life to a dying world, why not me”?
"May Thy rich grace impart,
Strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspires.
As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee,
Pure, warm, and changeless be, ---- a living fire!"
PRAYER: Father, forgive us for trying to carry what you have elevated forever. Help us as we seek to drop the woundedness of that rock, we still experience from old acts in our lives, we pray in the name of Him who took the weight of all our sin upon Himself. Amen
God Bless You and This Ministry!
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