You Are Not the Spotless Lamb of God!

One of the major maladies of people is a preoccupation with guilt. Shame, embarrassment, depression, and anxiety are just a few emotions that come from being burdened down by guilt. This leads to endless attempts to hide, blame shift, or atone for one's own sins.

Remember, it was the serpent that whispered to Adam and Eve that they should be like God. That is the way the whole mess started - swallowing the lie that perfectionism is the way forward.

You are not the spotless Lamb of God! Embrace your guilt and shame and die to your need to atone for yourself. Jesus, the true spotless Lamb of God, has made you at-one with Him, the Father and Spirit. At-one-ment is what the Lamb of God has succeeded at and, believe it or not, you are accepted!

Speak boldly to your guilt and shame that there is One who has taken away the sin of the world (of which yours were included) and be free. Go one step further and, in the community of believers, confess your shortcomings and learn to stand in cofidence that Christ is for you, in you, and with you - a sinner.

Proper guilt, or conviction, is like an arrow. It is straight and to the point - piercing the heart and pointing to a new way of living free in the embrace of God. It corrects and inspires you to live out of a life of love and helps you to not take yourself too seriously.

False guilt, or condemnation, is like a shotgun blast. It peppers you from all directions and dogs you out. It turns you in on yourself and makes you feel lower than dirt. "You're hopeless! And you call yourself a Christian?" You find yourself dazed, confused and paralyzed or frantic in your attempts to make yourself acceptable.

God has not called you to be a spotless lamb! He has searched you out, lost and wandering lamb, and put you over his shoulder and brought you home. It is the Shepherd's job to clean and tend to His sheep, not the sheep's .