Blueprint for Life

What if, instead of denying, hiding or running from our sin, we instinctively ran to Jesus, the physician who is able to heal us?

My friend, Randy, told me an unpleasant story about how he chipped his tooth recently. Once he realized something wasn't quite right, he swiped his tongue over the chipped tooth and instantly thought, “Oh no! What if the chip caused a crack? The chip could become even worse or I could even lose the entire tooth!”

He immediately called his dentist only to discover the dentist was out of town on vacation! Fortunately, his dentist had a backup dentist ready for emergencies, and the backup dentist brought Randy in for an emergency appointment.

We All Have “Chipped Teeth”

Randy got it right. He knew he had a problem he couldn't fix, so he ran to the one who could. But when we sin against God, we don’t follow that same simple logic, do we? Our natural instincts kick in and tell us to deny, hide, or maybe just run away. We don’t see our sin against God for what it truly is. It’s not just something we do with our actions. It’s an awful kind of brokenness that flows from who we are as a spiritually broken people. The prophet Isaiah said it this way:

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5)

And King David said it this way:

“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)

What if, instead of denying, hiding or running from our sin, we instinctively ran to Jesus, the Physician who is able to heal us? What if we instantly confessed that our sin problems are out of our hands and that we need help if we ever hope to heal? What if, upon finding a little bit of sin in our lives, we immediately begged God for His help so that it would not get worse?

We Can’t Fix the Real Problem

My friend Randy knew he had no hope of hiding his chipped tooth. He also knew it would be silly to reach for the super glue and try to fix the problem himself. His only hope was to run to the one who could bring healing.

“On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 2:17)

Here is what the Bible says about us. Like me, you have sin in your life (Romans 3:23). Is there any sin you are denying? Are you hiding it? Are you running away from it? Does that not make you tired? King David said his bones wasted away from covering up his sin (Psalm 32:3-5). Just stop. Confess you can’t fix yourself. Confess that what you are doing is like trying to super glue your chipped tooth back on or pretending that your chipped teeth are just perfect. Confess you can’t. He can. Unlike an earthly physician or dentist, He is always available with no waiting, and He can heal your broken desires and your broken heart.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Prayer:

Lord, I confess my brokenness to you. Please forgive me for not running straight to you to bring healing when I sin. Forgive me for denying, hiding, and running. Life is only found in you. Teach me that more today than you did yesterday, and continue the process of healing in my life that you began when you first saved me. Amen.