Did William Wallace Have it Figured Out?

You know the scene at the very end of Braveheart where William Wallace is facing his public torture? He's up there in front of everyone, exposed, indecent, and naked in front of the very people that he has led in an insurrection against the tyranny of the English government. He's offered a chance to say his last words as they complete quite possibly the most gruesome and painful act of torture imaginable (if you don't know what was done to William Wallace ask your pastor, he'd love to talk about it with you . . . hehe). Right then, in his most vulnerable and dying state, Wallace lets out a battle cry that shakes the pillars of the British rule and gives the Scot's inspiration to forge on in their pursuit for liberation . . . FREEDOM!!!!

I will never forget the first time I saw that scene. I remember thinking to myself, what a noble way to die! Don't get me wrong, if I had my choice, I would die peacefully in my sleep, but you can't discredit William Wallace's fortitude and courage! We all long to have that FREEDOM that he so passionately fought and died for! I want it in my own life! Can you imagine nothing weighing you down, no burdens, no guilt, no shame, no pain, no sin! I would die for that kind of freedom.

If you're not a Christian I just want you to know, that kind of freedom is only found in Jesus Christ. He is the only liberator that can totally free you from the shackles that you carry, the burdens that you haul around, and the guilt that plagues your mind. I urge you to actively pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ; let Him forgive you of all your sins; and cast your burdens on Him. It's only in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ that true peace and freedom is found.

If you are a Christian, you must share the same feelings as me, because we are human and we still struggle with sin on a daily basis. Why can't I shake this sin in my life? Why can't I experience that true freedom that the Bible talks about and that Jesus promises? Paul put it best in Romans 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Seems Paul struggled with same thing we do, SINNING! But why do we sin. Isn't it logical to think that now we are new creations in Christ we should be able to be "perfect just as [our] Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48)?" Is this a reasonable request of us by Jesus? Can we really be perfect?

I've wrestled with this for a while. What is this "Sanctification" thing the Bible talks about and can it offer some relief from being plagued with sin in my life? Being sanctified literally means being "free from sin." If Jesus expects us to be perfect, are we not supposed to live up to His expectations? It says in Hebrews that no one will see the Lord if he is not pursuing this Sanctification through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:14). I will be researching and blogging about this topic for the next couple days in hopes of finding some practical answers to these questions that plague SO many Christians.

Let me first just point people to Jesus' grace. Jesus died on the cross so we could find forgiveness for our sins. He knows that we sin, that is why He died! So no act of "holiness" or "righteousness" is going to IMPRESS God or make us higher on his list of favorites. In fact the Bible says that anything that we DO that we consider good or righteous is like filthy rags (modern translation is "dirty tampons") to God (Isaiah 64:6). GROSS! By the way, girls, guys really get grossed out when you talk about that kind of stuff! Anyways, Jesus just wants us to accept his forgiveness for those sins and turn our lives over to His leadership. But what then? Why do I keep on sinning even though my life is turned over to Jesus? We'll discuss this a little further tomorrow!

BASEBALL UPDATE: We lost one to North Georgia tonight. It was a close one until the bottom of the 7th, then it got a little out of hand. Final score: 10-4. Brings our record to 15-16. Not TOO bad (especially compared to last year). Sure would be nice to be above .500 though. Keep praying for these guys. God is really working on their hearts. I will never lose hope for these guys. I really feel God's presence on this team, and I trust that His work is not over. Let's keep going to war on our knees for these guys. Pray for Kenneth and me, too, that we will have the words to say to them when the doors open and that our lives will be seasoned with salt so much that these guys desire our Savior in their lives!