Get Ready For Loss

I pledge my allegiance, to the flag... wait a minute, what? Let's start again, shall we? 

I pledge my allegiance to the Lord, God Almighty, Creator of heaven, earth, and everything and everyone, in-between the two. 

There are two camps standing apart, and they are known by their conduct as creatures in the world. The two camps are represented by earthlings in the one, and diametrically opposed, soon to be citizens of heaven, in the other. 

How pray tell, do we tell them apart? My answer, is willingness to endure loss in one realm, and gain in another, while still in the body. 

Dying to sin is the key that unlocks the door to eternity with the Saviour. By means of prayer, we ask God to give us the gift of being repulsed and repelled by sin. Have you ever prayed for God to help you refrain from doing and saying what he abhors, so that you are no longer inclined to indulge your carnal, fleshly nature? I have prayed this type of prayer often, and I have asked God to help others in a similar fashion. We are saved by grace, and while we are here in the body, we are called to sanctification, and to turn away from sin. 

But, dear reader, there is so much to lose when we pledge our allegiance to the King of kings, Lord of lords, forsaking all others. Earthlings like pleasure, entertainment, socializing, and they do not like the idea of giving up what gives them that happy-happy-joy-joy feeling. Christianity to the masses, is a buzz kill, and yet, Christianity to the Christian, is the most glorious balm to the soul we can experience on planet earth... 

Christ conquered death and it is sin that kills. Jesus was sinless as Man/God, and if you have been baptized, you died to sin so that you could rise to new life, in Christ Jesus. Here is a magnificent rendering of what Jesus has done for us, as presented by Matthew Henry, Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 323:

The greater the strength of the enemy, the greater the honour of the conqueror. This abounding of grace he illustrates, v. 21 (Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord). As the reign of a tyrant and oppressor is a foil to set off the succeeding reign of a just and gentle prince and to make it the more illustrious, so doth the reign of sin set off the reign of grace. Sin reigned unto death; it was a cruel bloody reign. But grace reigns unto life, eternal life, and this through righteousness, righteousness imputed to us for justification, implanted in us for sanctification; and both by Jesus Christ our Lord, through the power and efficacy of Christ, the great prophet, priest, and king, of his church. 

The great prophet, priest, and king of his church:

righteousness imputed

for justification

implanted in us

for sanctification

by Jesus Christ

through Christ's power and efficacy

Our goal while walking the earth is to be sanctified, if indeed, we are in Christ Jesus! We have heaven to gain as our eternal home when we pray to sin no more, and when we conscientiously refuse to indulge the sin that we previously invited in, and enjoyed. But, dear reader, as I indicated above, there is so much to lose in the way of earthly pleasures and entertainments, not to mention our beloved relationships with family, coworkers, neighbours and friends. Let us pick-up once more, what Matthew Henry spells out to us, in the way of loss for saints. 

Acts to Revelation, Volume 6, page 324:

Thus must we be dead to sin, obey it, observe it, regard it, fulfil its will no more than he that is dead doth his quandam (former) task masters - be as indifference to the pleasures and delights of sin as a man that is dying is to his former diversions. 

He that is dead is separated from his former company, converse, business, enjoyments, employments, is not what he was, does not what he did, has not what he had. Death makes a mighty change, such a change doth make a mighty charge; such a charge doth sanctification make in the soul, it cuts off all correspondence with sin.

Dear reader, sanctification is a cutting off of all correspondence with sin. This is a painful truth, because while we love people, we may find that we are completely intolerant of the sins they embrace, commit, and encourage in others. The process starts at home of course. We must first, get our own houses in order, purging of all impurities with God's mighty strength as ours when we face the difficulties, of letting go of what we know he does not look upon with favour. How can I clear the speck of dust in my sister or brother's eye, when I have a plank in my own, is our admonishment. 

Dear one, are you willing to to be separated from 

former company

converse

business

enjoyments

employments

If you pledge your allegiance to the King of kings, and live a life with the intention of being sanctified, while turning your back on sin, then be prepared to live a quieter life, with fewer people in it. You will be repugnant to the majority of folks, when they learn that you cannot tolerate their sin: they will say you judge harshly, but really, dear one, all you want for them, is to be saved from the sin that infects humans, to the point of being casualties of death. 

Speak gospel truth to yourself first and foremost. Read scripture solo, uninterrupted, so that you can absorb what the Ancient of days has to say to you and yours; and pray, for a mind and heart that longs to glorify God, rather than sully your own soul. 

And dear reader, sin no more.