real solid sin and real solid righteousness‏

Chambers was firing on all cylinders this morning when he exhorted

To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness. But we must surrender all pretense that we are anything, and give up all our claims of even being worthy of God’s consideration.

Once we have done that, the Spirit of God will show us what we need to surrender next. Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?

We will suffer a sharp painful disillusionment before we fully surrender.When people really see themselves as the Lord sees them, it is not the terribly offensive sins of the flesh that shock them, but the awful nature of the pride of their own hearts opposing Jesus Christ. When they see themselves in the light of the Lord, the shame, horror, and desperate conviction hit home for them.

If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you.

This chart which Bob Thune introduced me to below explains well this growth of awe and repulsion the true disciple of Christ experiences. 
 

 

If the only time in our lives we see ourselves as sinners in need of grace and direction is an isolated moment in the past before God, we are not getting it. If the only life you were happy to give to God was the ruined one you left behind, you are not getting it. Your worst life then and your best life now are all God’s and only rightly to be called “Christian” if found in confidence in His work on your behalf.

Agree with God: You STILL suck!