In His Image

During my growing up years, my father and I would have these discussions about whether something new was “right” or “wrong.” I would inevitably ask, “What is wrong with it?” to which he sometimes did, or did not have an answer. Now I have come to realize that the whole premise for the question is wrong.

To ask “what is wrong with it” is to imply that if it cannot be proven detrimental to me, then it must be ok for me. But let’s take that premise and look at it from a different perspective. Most of us have been to a hospital and to the pharmacy counters. What if these doctors and nurses looked at the patient with an infection coursing through his body and then walked over to the list of medications and asked themselves, “what won’t hurt him?” If that were the only standard for choosing the medication, there would be a host that they could prescribe! But their goal is not just to avoid harming the patient; they are going to try their best to get the right medication that’s going to destroy the virus that is causing the patient the trouble. With that in mind, the list of medications is much smaller, but is made up of ones that will help bring the patient to the goal of restored health!

We are all born with the infection of a sin nature. When we accepted Christ into our lives, a terrible battle ensued between the spirit of our flesh and the implanted Spirit of Christ. Paul talks of this so eloquently in Romans 7
19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Paul knew that this was not a hap-hazard conflict, it was a serious infection! Yet so often I have looked at the state of my heart, and instead of trying to do that which strengthens the Spirit of Christ and puts down the spirit of the flesh, I have simply tried to avoid damaging the Holy Spirit’s presence by asking, “what is wrong with ‘it’.” To my shame, for many years I walked in lukewarm Christianity because I was unwilling to do that which conquered the flesh, seeking only that which “was not detrimental to my spiritual health.

Now I realize that my goal of becoming in the image of Christ will not be achieved by doing whatever I want that does not directly conflict with His spirit, but will only be reached as I look ahead to that goal and do only those things which strengthen His spirit and do the most damage to my fleshes desires. Thus I willing take the counsel of my parents and church leaders, since God has placed them there for my spiritual growth; and I choose only those things which strengthen my relationship with Christ and those I see setting a good example.

Why? Because 1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8

Praise God!!

Well, after a LONG hiatus from this blog, and a reminder from Jon, I have resolved to confine myself to this room until I get a bit of an update done to this thing! Not that I have a great affection, or a responsibility to this thing, but I realize that others have come to count on these ramblings for an idea on what is going on in the crazy, far-off world of the Stauffer’s.

I was touched this morning by the sermon from the last few verses from Hebrews. My father, (the pastor) has been working through the book for the last ten months and it has been an encouraging, though somewhat baffling at times, study and has given much food for thought. This morning the part that really stuck out to me was the plea for the ability to live with a pure conscience. It was brought out about Paul who was able to say that he has always lived with a pure conscience. Paul!! The one who persecuted the church most mercilessly, and wrought great havoc among the early believers, was able to say that he did it because, he was deceived and thought that it was right. BUT, once he found out that it was wrong, did he make excuses? Did he justify it and try to reason it “his way.” No, he made an immediate about face and strove to work just as hard for the true church, as he had destroying what he thought was a false one.
The thought came to me that I have never fought and destroyed the church the same way that Paul had, but I still cannot say that I always have walked in a pure conscience. There have been times to my shame, that I have “walked over” the Spirit and hae done what I wanted to rather than what I knew God was calling me too. Oh the weight of grief that follows such actions and what I wouldn’t give to go back in my younger teen years and get rid of so many of those actions that I am still reaping fruit from to this day. I can say that when I have walked in the truth that I know, there has been unsurpassed peace and joy that nothing else can compare with!!

On another note, we are facing another change here this week. The place that I have been housing my business in is much too small for my needs and I was struggling to know what to do. I talked to my landlord and he said that for me to have more space, I was going to have to pay more per foot than I was now and I would have to foot all the remodeling expenses myself. Along the main road that the store is on, the going rate for lease space is $15 - $18 a square foot per year. Where I am now, I would have been having to pay almost $32 per square foot. Also, I had never signed a lease due to my landlords supposed right to come and go from my stores space whenever he chose, with, or without, my permission. I was nervous about that and talked to numerous other commercial landlords and found that he had no grounds for this and it raises a lot of sticky situations. So I decided to look for a new place.

To make a long story short, we are moving the store this Friday to another building about 100 yards away and I will almost double my floor space for ¾’s of what I was paying before! God is good and with the way that sales have been going, I may b able to pay off my business contract within the year.

We also have started Lakewood Christian Academy and have enrolled our first three children in it. We are home schooling for the main reason that there is no Christian school around and even in there was, with the wide diversity of “Christians” we feel that it would be better to give them their training here and exposing them to the culture only in steps that they are mature enough to handle.

Japheth Jr is in first grade though he already is reading some simple story books. He loves to have stories read to him and we look forward to his being able to enjoy them without us having to read it for the 75th time!

Jeremiah is going to be starting to learn his phonics and maybe start on math.

Loraine is going to be three next March but she doesn’t want to miss out!! We are planning to teach her the alphabet and number 1 thru 20. (and go potty where all the big people do!)

Wayne, well… let’s get him talking and then go from there eh?