The Delete Button

As a photographer one of the things I love about digital shots is the ability to immediately erase any shots that are blurry, too dark, or just plain messed up.

Wouldn’t it be nice if our lives had that delete button? Earlier in the day I was discussing television shows with a group of people I respect a great deal. At one point in the conversation the most elderly of the group brought up the fact that his wife enjoys watching the ‘Ellen’ show. After allowing this info to sink in for a second he immediately followed it up with, ‘Well, she thinks she’s funny. We don’t condone her lifestyle or anything’. It was in this moment I wish I could just hit delete and walk away.

As Christians we don’t need to make statements like that. I don’t believe it’s necessary. I mean if my friends were talking about how much they like me and then said ‘Dustin’s a fun guy to hang out with, but I don’t condone his thoughtlessness’ I would feel weird. Sin is the absence of our Lord and Savior. We [Christians] need to face the fact that we are all infested with it. It should make our hearts heavy when someone lives a life apart from the King. We shouldn’t be more worried if others think were condoning sin. The religious thought Jesus was a condoner of sin, but He was instead sent to demolish it. Some talk, some love .. I want to love.

There have been many moments in my life that I wish I could hit the delete button. Many times I have put my foot in my mouth, showed disrespect to another, or was just plain rude. One of my favorite promises is that when we ask for forgiveness God tosses our sin as far as the east is from the west. God has the ultimate delete button. Ever have an incident where you wish God would hit it?

4 responses to “The Delete Button”

Tracy Buchanan

November 14, 2006 at 9:45 am

Dustin, there are more than too many times I wish I could hit the delete button. Early in my walk I thought it okay to invitingly tolerate ‘secular’ programs/music/etc. that leaned a bit too far to a world view (and much less to my spiritual understanding)…until someone began to question my actions vs. my speech. How then should I answer? I chose to alter my behavior so that I might be more in line with what Jesus would condone, and be His example to those who were ‘still drinking milk’ or still searching.

I think [we] Christians should be concerned if others think we are condoning sin. Look at the public exposure of sin at all levels of religious denominations. I’m not hounding religious denominations, I’m saying their actions speak louder than their words to an unbelieving world. OUR actions speak louder than our words to a world with which we are called to share the gospel. Do we want to represent a people that honors God with our lips but our hearts are far from Him? That is not to say everything I do in my life is righteous and perfect – far from it. I’m saying that I think it would glorify Jesus more if we considered the consequences of what we do that might cause those, to whom we have been called to be a witness, to question our testament.

At a young age, the ‘don’t do as I do, do as I say’ attitude, because of my immature understanding of God and Jesus, and what He did on the cross, was a stumbling block for me. That skewed view of others faith was an influence that pushed me deep into darkness and sin. I NOW understand that they were human, and fighting the same enemy I and all Christians face. I believe that is what Paul was speaking of in Romans 14. We must seek God’s discernment about where, how and to whom we discuss certain issues and what behavior edifies the body of Christ.. That may sound hypocratic, but I think it’s pure wisdom. As Rob mentioned this past Sunday, WE are the physical representation of Christ on earth to the unbelieving [and believing] world.

I’m very thankful that God has the ultimate delete button. HE knows how often I need it. However, I WANT, DESIRE, STRIVE to live this life with the fewest situations that necessitate begging forgiveness for stumbling a brother, sister or seeking unbeliever. I believe this IS love.

One last note: I’m not convinced that ‘sin is the absence of our Lord and Savior. He is present with and in me, however, I do sin. I stumble, I fall. And He is still faithful for forgive me. He KNOWS I am not sinless just because I have placed my faith in Jesus and submitted my life to His will. He does KNOW my heart, and so He daily lovingly cleanses and purifies it; bringing it more in harmony with His. I would restate your thought as “Sin is absent from our Lord and Savior”…but not from us. But let us rejoice that the bondage to sin is!!

By His Grace.

Reply
dustinbryson

November 14, 2006 at 11:08 am

Tracy,

I hear you, I do, but I am just wore out by Christians having to clarify their stance on everything amongst other believers. It’s one of the times I feel icky around Christians. I wholeheartedly agree with what you said in your second paragraph about allowing our actions to do the talking. It’s for that very reason that we do not have to clarify that we are not condoning sin.

Bless On,
db

Reply
Tracy

November 16, 2006 at 10:52 am

Dustin,
I agree with being worn out. I find being a Christian – in all aspects of being a Christian can wear me out. In that I mean it is a far more difficult a calling than being a heathen…and trust me, I was a professional ;-). I tend to believe if I must clarify my stance on EVERYTHING amongst other believers, maybe the believers I have to ‘inform’ are lacking in some spiritual maturity. On the flip side, maybe my views aren’t as pure as they should be. I’ve found in my own experience both to be true. There have been times, when questioned about the way I perceive issues in view of my faith, that the one(s) questioning just didn’t have the ability to grasp beyond their [current] spiritual understanding (I’ve been on that side myself). AND there have been times I believe God used their questioning to reveal to me a condition of my own heart. Either way, I believe the heart of Jesus wants us to have patience, compassion, and be humbled; willing to suffer such questioning with a secure knowledge of our personal relationship with the King. We need only answer to Him on where we [personally] stand on any issue, no?

One side note: I had a hard, long lesson coming to grips with the fact that there are Christians with very narrow, skewed and hypocritical views. And then there are those with very liberal, wide and hypocritical views. There are churches for every kind of personality you can think of…most of which made my skin itch…and my brain spark from over thinking. Then a very unsuspecting individual brought to my attention that God can touch anyone, anywhere, under any guise of religion. And I realized that’s what it’s all boils down to. He called a mass murderer to become the mouthpiece of His divine love. How awesome is that!!

I doubt I would flourish, spiritually, in an orthodox setting and there are those who wouldn’t flourish in a contemporary setting. God created us with distinction- individual personalities, likes and dislikes. Yes, there are those [churches and individuals] whose interpretations of worship or word I KNOW are not aligned. But I’m not the ONE who can change their heart(s). I can share and represent the ONE whom I know that can.
(no arguing ;0)

In His Love,
~t

Reply
lorri

November 16, 2006 at 10:38 pm

Because He hits the delete button, I get to freely move on with Him, because He hits it….I live in the truth He reveals to me….because He hits it, I realize the extent of His love for me….and there–is where the fullness of life is–praise the Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Delete Button

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The Delete Button

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