Brothers

Two brothers approached and offered God yield of their life occupations. One offered a sheep, the other fruit. God respected one offering, the other, He rejected.

The Genesis story describes two men and their God, two men shaped in iniquity, two men born outside the presence of the Almighty, two men excluded from the ongoing fellowship which their parents had enjoyed. A similar state belongs to every human born of Adam, it includes us also.

Question? How do we approach Him? Do we need to appease God, or do we simply present the “already accepted” offering of a Savior? Do we need to do anything? What reconnects man and his God?

First simple observation — production alone will not appease Him. Why? Because God cannot accept any works, fruit, or outcomes which have been born, developed or perfected by a sin-infected soul, including motivation or handiwork. Sorry but any product that reeks of pride can never cut muster of God’s loving gaze. Careful: refrain the love affair with your creative craft.

So, If Sigmund Freud got it right, (bear with me),  we are stuck with  three soul components:

“The Id

— “a source of psychic energy, the primary component of personality.” … driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs.  If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state of anxiety or tension.”

In addition, Ego,

Freud says: “The ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world.”

Next, Superego,

“The superego tries to perfect and civilize our behavior. It works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles.”

SO, we got in us, yes all of us,

1. an instant gratifier,

2. a faculty for making our gratifications accepted by Peers,

3. and a suppressor of unacceptable stuff.

Want  more Bible? “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.  From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isaiah 1:5-6

Do you think God can see through our sophisticated defense mechanisms?

What then does make roll call?

First, a humble acceptance of our ineptitude, debauched functional faculty, brain defilement and all.

And, a humble acceptance of our hopelessness in regards to repairing the mess.

And,  a humble acceptance of Our Gracious God’s redemptive solution — the blood of a lamb, God’s Lamb, His precious Son.

The song says

“only by grace we stand..”

Friends, we need a new heart established in us.

The words of Psalm 40:2  spells it out, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”

And Psalm_112:8  “His heart is established, he shall not be afraid,..”

By establish we mean, “to support, uphold, sustain.” Every human being desperately wants for this support, and self-support falls way short. Just as a building built with faulty, compromised or cheap materials will fail, so will our souls built out of man-made components.

More verses:

Proverbs12:3  “A man shall not be established by wickedness.”

Proverbs12:19  “The lip of truth shall be established for ever.”

Proverbs15:22 “…in the multitude of counsellors they are established.”
Proverbs16:3  “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

In closing, righteousness, understanding, wisdom, truth and faith establish men.

Hebrews13:8 speaks “Christ also is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” 

“Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.

For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; Hebrews 13:9

Beloved, fall in love with God’s grace — Abel did, Cain didn’t.  Enjoy the way back to Himself that God made for us, He humbly awaits our drawing close  to Him. Love ya