Flaking Skin (Sin)

As I am sitting on my hard tile floor, I pick off the dead- sunburnt skin from my shoulder. I look on the ground and become increasingly disgusted by the sight of my brown sun drenched thirsty skin just sitting on my floor. I go get the broom and sweep it up for what seams like the 100th time this week.

This isn't my first sunburn. Growing up in Florida I'm pretty accustom to the fact that the sun's rays can do some serious damage and yet somehow I applied my sunscreen a little less than liberally on my last trip to the beach. I look at my speckled skin in the mirror, some fresh new pinkish white skin and other blotches of flaky dead and dying skin. It's amazing what our bodies were created to do. I was curious the amount of skin our bodies shed on their own with no sun exposure so I did some really legit research and google'd it. The results were pretty amazing- in just a single day our skin sheds about 14 million particles of skin so in just a year that makes about 1.5 pounds of skin. Yea, it's kinda gross but think about it for a second, we are constantly becoming new. Every Skin particle that falls from our bodies is replaced with new fresh skin underneath, it's incredible!!

I was thinking about how even simple functions of our bodies are are made for call us to look to the Lord with wonder and amazement. There is something deeper here. Even simply breathing is a miracle in itself- maybe it's because I'm not a medical person and don't understand all the inter-workings of our bodies but I think there is a greater reason for the unknown- for the mystery of life to send us in pursuit of the creator of life.

I was reading Romans 8 today and a this verse stood out "For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the rigthetious requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4) 

Now remember my flaking skin? That burn that was so bad, the relief as it turns out, is loss of flesh. Isn't it so with sinfulness. The result of a big sin (or little for that matter), a heart that has deceived, a mind that has wandered, a flesh in pursuit of our own demise is always a loss. We must lose the flesh in order to gain newness. I don't think this verse will ever get old to me 2 cor 5:17 "Therefore If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold, the new has come"  because I need that new layer of skin each day. The layer of skin flaking off all my sinfulness so that I can walk according to the spirit. The reminder is simple, we must remember to look at our flesh to see the burn we are causing when we don't walk by the spirit as we should. Even when the skin hurts- like after a sunburn repentance is so much sweeter and we gain a new layer of skin to protect us. 

One called Grace. 

We all need this layer to not only continually protect us but also to point us back to something we cannot do for ourselves- cover our dying flesh in grace. We don't deserve new skin when we have been walking for so long in our flesh, refusing to flake off the pieces so dear to us. Idols can be clung to our skin like glue and we are deceived when we think that if we flake that little piece of skin (sin) off we will never have a covering there (better protect ourselves with death) so we hide our dying flesh away as it rots and we begin to smell.

Romans 8 also says "to set the mind on flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is LIFE AND PEACE."

Our flesh says- "look at me!! Even though my layers are weak and flimsy (I will pretend to be strong) I'm still more attractive than newness." Or even our self-denial saying "I still don't think it's time for us to part, I am still a part of you, you cannot escape me." Colossians puts it rather bluntly "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry."  We must remember that the very flesh we are living in must be put to death in order to find newness of life. Take those scales of sinfulness and flake them off one by one in order to receive a newness of life, to walk in the Spirit covered by Grace.

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." 2 Cor 7:10 also makes it plain that our burnt dying skin will only bring us what a dying thing can- death. 

The good news is we have an option and repentance is that option- we can be lead to salvation and the newness of our flesh in a Godly sorrow of the sinfulness. We must remember that repentance is a sweet thing, it's from the Lord, Leads to life, ends in Joy, looks to Jesus, is a blessing and Leads to new identity in Christ.  I say this and urge you to remember the very first chapter of Romans 8  "If you are in Christ there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus." Conviction and Condemnation are two very different things. Condemnation is from Satan, leads to despair and ends in sorrow, no wonder the liar wants to convince you that conviction brings you these things, but that is simply not true.

The funny thing about this sunburn also is that because I don't have a full length mirror I have no idea where I am pealing. In the places I can see  such as my arms, those places are rather easy to tear away the old skin and reveal the new, but I cannot see my back... I have no vision there. I need another person to point out, even help me flake off the useless dead skin in order to reveal the newness aching to come to the surface. It's the very same thing with our sin. I think many of us are too scared or grossed out by their own flesh to ask for help because if we can't see it, maybe it doesn't need to be bothered with...right?

The reality is the less we see the more we have need for vision, we need all the help we can get when it comes to the areas of sin we cannot see. That's when a sister points out your pride and you look at them like, NO I AM NOT BURNT THERE (ha, ha). Or when we Point to another persons pealing skin but miss altogether the flesh rotting on our own backs because we refuse to see. Don't let a lack of vision keep you from shedding that weight. Jesus wants to take it... all the dead,scaly and gross flesh. He wants it all, not just what we can see and that's why we need a community of sunburnt people to call out in a loving way where dying flesh needs to be removed so new flesh can take place. New flesh covered in Grace and filled with the Spirit!! Come Join me, sit in the sun and remember how we can protect ourselves from our own flesh by looking to the newness offered in Christ Jesus.

"Behold I am making all things new. Write this down for these words are trustworthy and true!" Rev. 21:5

Holy Smoke!

Nearly twice a week I walk between the two houses we rent when James our groundskeeper is burning trash, normally the thought going though my head while I hold my breath sounds something like this "great, this has got to be SO healthy for me and all my neighbors, breathing in toxins...excellent (sarcasm)."

This had been my attitude as I saw the smoke rising for several months. I would see it and look on in disgust. I don't need to paint a picture for you how it smelt or looked, it was not a pretty sight. It is trash after all.

Then one day I was walking the opposite way I normally do when I came upon the smoke, and although I was still holding my breath, it was for another reason altogether. I saw the most enchanting beams of light streaming down into our backyard, so bright and excellent I couldn't just ignore it. It was as if a bit of heaven desired to meet earth. The beams of light so excellent and beautifully placed by the creator as if it was some kind of beautiful show he was putting on just for me, a majestic image bearing show. They shot down from the sky so deliberately placed I almost fell over myself running to grab my camera. The light beams danced, and my heart turned over the thought of his symbolism waiting to be discovered around every corner including a large trash heap burning.  These beams of light were only visible in the right direction and the smoke only enhanced the bright intoxicating light to behold. However, you could be walking the wrong direction and miss the light all together...continuing to be disgusted by the smoke.

The smoke is necessary.
The fire that burns our trash is meant to make light visible.
We are image bearers of Christ, so we take out the trash that doesn't reflecting this.
Set a flame, watch it burn, see the smoke and embrace the light.


It's crazy how the Lord strikes a match in our hearts and sets ablaze to our worldliness though his word.
He points to the glorious light that is just waiting to be seen when he sets flames to the trash in our hearts. So much is waiting to be consumed in order to enhance the light, we must we willing to be put though the flame and breathe the smoke to see the light.

"Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as Holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work."

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:20-22

Suddenly that burning trash smell filled up my heart and I was humbled.
I need to take out the trash of what is dishonorable and seek to be a vessel for honorable use.
It's as if the winds changed and lifted up the burden of the rotting flesh when we run towards the steams of light. The smoke no longer bothers us, we run briskly into righteousness, faith, love and peace.

I don't know what your trash is, but he does.
He wants you to take it out not only because it's rotting,
but because he desires to shine light all the more brightly.


STREAMS of mercy never ceasing. Songs of loudest praise.
The steams of light beams remind me of his mercy.

When we see sin in us, and set a flame to it out of obedience to the merciful one.
We are given mercy. He is patient. He is long-suffering.

Through any and all sin he desires to set flames, build the billowing smoke so that the light beams may shoot out deliberately reaching the world. The lost world needs the signal of smoke to see the light often, when we are transparent about what our sin is and how we are killing it, we are being set apart as Holy.

There is a difference between knowing OF the Holy one, and knowing the Holy one that we desire to be made Holy as well even though we know good and well of the smoke that must rise.

Today I rejoiced in a good friend's symbol of smoke. He had given his life to Christ several months ago but found himself in a way of life much like his old life. He hadn't been convicted of this area to be made Holy yet but this weekend he did! He told us instead of going out like he did every weekend to party that instead he stayed home and prayed. He couldn't exactly explain why be he did indicate he had a peace and felt like the Lord was really doing a work, and that he enjoyed it much more than going out after all. Did you see the smoke? It may be subtle, but it was there. Billows of sin rising as we daily decide to be obedient. He has seen the first of his smoke, but there is certainly more to come as he is made into a honorable vessel.

Smoke may not be something people are attracted to naturally, but when you have seen the light and know it's source you will happily set a flame to be made in his likeness again and again, clothed in his righteousness.

This process of taking out the trash in our lives is meant to refine us, sanctify, keep us clean.
Helping us to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel and surrender to the one who cleans us.

The smoke may not look pretty, because after all it is trash.
But the steams of LIGHT, image bearing LIGHT are all the brighter when the smoke has lifted.
Set Apart as HOLY.