I Am a Dirt Sandwich

Faith

Scripture: For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18)

Do you remember making dirt sandwiches in your sandbox as a kid? We used all sorts of things to put the dirt between: hankies, doll clothes, real white bread if we could sneak it out of the house. We never actually ate them, but they were fun to pretend with at our tea parties. It got me to thinking how the core of that sandwich is a lot like us when we keep sinning after we have received Christ as Savior. We cover our outsides with the forgiveness we receive and continue to blacken the core of our hearts with sin.

There are too many times in my life when I could have chosen a better way; I could have done the right thing; I could have offered the path of salvation. But I didn't. I either wanted something for myself so badly that I ignored the more righteous path, or, in the case of offering the way to salvation, I just plain chickened out. I am a dirt sandwich.

How can I keep asking the Lord to cleanse me when I know in my heart I am going to sin again? It seems pointless. But Paul answers that very question in Romans 7: 19 – 25. Simply, God continues to forgive us because we belong to him. While the war wages within us, sin vs good, we come through still belonging to Christ and living under his infinite grace.

So, should we just continue to sin knowing that we will be forgiven? No! Because we will miss the good things awaiting those who are obedient and living within God's will. He loves us so much that he gives the power to conquer our sinful natures if we read his Word, pray for his guidance and surrender our wills to his.

We can be clean clear through. We can ditch the dirt and know that Christ reigns in us to cleanse, heal and build a new, more sin-resistant nature.

Praise be to God!

Prayer: Please cleanse me, Lord. I am waiting upon you. Amen.

Prayer

Personal Prayer Partner

Scripture: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (John 1:5)

Who else can you ask anything – anything at all – and never worry about reproach? We often preface our statements to others with, “I know this is a stupid question” or “Don’t laugh . . .” We NEVER have to preface our prayers with those words. We must trust that God hears us, loves us, and will answer our pleas with the perfect response in his perfect time.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us: Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. We can go boldly before God and be assured he will offer mercy and grace. And, while we cannot always find a friend to listen to us without reproach or the hope of receiving mercy and grace, we can always find the Lord, ready and waiting – a willing prayer partner.

If you struggle with what to say, think about it in terms of talking to a trusted friend. Isn’t there someone in your life to whom you can pour out your heart? What would you say to that friend? Would you worry about how you phrase things, how you plead your case? Probably not. It is exactly the same if you are talking to God. He doesn’t really care how you say the words, just that you say them to him as your trusted friend who loves you and wants the best for you.

Cry out to him, if you need to. Praise him even if you are overwhelmed. Pour your heart out to him and know you are heard. Remember the words of the comforting hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” – all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.

Prayer is a privilege, a special advantage that only we as followers of Jesus can experience. Don’t over-think it; don’t worry about getting it right.

Just do it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the privilege of prayer. Amen.

Joy

Choose to be joyful.

Scripture: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

If you track the word joy through the New Testament, you will find it is often paired with words like hope, peace, and complete. I think it is emphasizing the fact that joy is a state of mind, not just a feeling.

I was listening to a minister on the radio the other day, and he said we can choose to be joyful. Circumstances can rob us of our happy feelings, but the joy of the Lord is complete and cannot be lost. It is given to us through our knowledge of the Holy Spirit which we receive when we commit our hearts to Jesus. What a wonderful promise! That deep joy we know is there even when we are grieving, unhappy, or despairing.

I lost my brother John to cancer in 2009. The grief has been overwhelming at times, but he would be happy to know that I have not resigned my joy to my pain. My joy in knowing I have eternal life in Christ is the over-riding truth. John taught me to trust in the Lord no matter what, even when we lose someone we love so much. Psalm 30:5b tells us Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

It is the deep inner joy that outlasts our sorrow; the promise of a continuing and constant relationship with the Savior. Sometimes we have to work at it, but that joy is there and will come to the surface when we call on it.

I have always told our kids they can choose to be happy. But, I like this choice even better. My hope for them was to create a mindset that turned to the positive more often than the negative – a conscious choice to be happy. And, even though we are sometimes wired to be more one way than the other, we can still choose.

And, when we accept Christ into our hearts as our Savior, we make the choice to live with an ever-strengthening, deep down, heartfelt joy.

Prayer: Lord, I am thankful for a joyful heart. Amen.