In the Blossoms of My Sin

Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother's hand

Of life, of crown, of queen, at once dispatched:

Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin,

Unhousel'd, disappointed, unanel'd,

No reckoning made, but sent to my account

With all my imperfections on my head:

O horrible! O horrible! most horrible!

Have I been living like King Hamlet's ghost? I'm afraid I have. It's not like I didn't know better, I just didn't know better. Here King Hamlet's ghost is complaining that Claudius killed him while he was asleep in the garden and didn't even give him a chance to confess his sins and reckon himself with his Maker.

So K. H. had been livin' life. He had a Maker. He had sin. He had to drag the sin up to the Maker every once in a while, say, "Here," pant, pant, "this was a real dilly. Please, uh, take it away...clean it up...sorry 'bout that...and uh, thank ye once again. See You next week or thereabouts." Hope I don't die halfway through with half a weeks sins on my head.

Back to what I knew but didn't know. My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of "know" in the Bible. There's the "know" like when someone tells you something and so you retain knowledge of that fact and could say you "know" it. And there's the "knowing" that occurs when you actually experience something, walk through it, come out the other side and really know firsthand. That's the kind of knowing you don't forget and can from there on actually live out because it is engrained in you.

I think I finally know that Christ died for my sins - once. and. for. all. time. - and I don't have to spend my life gathering up my failings and dragging them to His feet so He can forgive me again and again and again and again. I don't have to do a special jig or kneel or say something just the right way to be cleansed. I mean, I can if I want but I am already cleansed for everything by Christ's blood. If His sacrifice of His perfect, sinless life isn't enough, is there really something I'm going to do to change things? No, that's why He came.

There is rest in Christ. He maketh me lie down in green pastures. I could not have rest if I were, for example, constantly trying to keep my nose clean and confess every last thought and deed worrying I can't take a nap with the Claudiuses of the world milling about pouring poison in people's ears. It's done. It is done.

And not only that, now God looks at me cloaked in Christ's righteousness. Why would I take that off to show him how dirty I still am? When someone gives me a gift, I wear it in front of them so they may know how much I appreciate it. I don't tell them that it wasn't enough. "Oh thanks for the down coat but I'm still really cold, by the way." "Oh thanks for the dishwasher, but I'm going to do them by hand and ignore it. Oh, and my hands are so chapped they hurt." "Thanks for the Lexus and free gas, but I'll walk." No, I may feel cold for a second but then remember with glee - I HAVE A WARM COAT! THANK YOU! I need to have awareness and sometimes Holy help when sin invades my life, but it doesn't change the fact that God sees me as righteous...not because I am, but because He is.

We sang this on Sunday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Akz6J8Rw0&feature=related

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I like that period there right where it is.

It doesn't say, "unless Claudius sneaks up on him."