Europe 2010

Another update written on a train. So when I post this one we will be in Paris!

I liked Berlin so much! I didn't know what to expect but I fell in love with the city! It has so much history, very recent history. The theme of walls has been on my mind for obvious reasons.

Berlin had a wall to keep people contained, but the wall did not solve any problems. It pushed them away for a while but walls only hold for so long. They don't solve the problem, they just hide it, block it out, push it away, but behind the wall the problem is still there.

I feel like we build these walls in attempt to save ourselves from sin. It's something WE can do, something we don't need help with. So we build up walls to try and fight sin in the only way we can. But it's not a fight at all, sin is bigger than any wall we can build. The thing with sin is that it can't be undone, it can't be erased, it has a price that can in no way be avoided. The wages of sin is death. The price we all have to pay is death. We all have to die, everyone. Until each person comes to this realization that they can't win their battle, that they will die, they can't understand the cross. But once we realize that we will die, that we have to die then we can make a choice of how we die. We can either fight this our entire life until sin claims the debt we owe, or we can choose to die to ourselves. We can choose to give our lives right now to Christ and let Him fight our battle for us. Christ can pay the price, He did pay the price.

So why are we still building walls to keep out what Christ already defeated? Why are we fighting this on our own when we have chosen to let Christ fight for us? When will we be able to see that we HAVE defeated sin through Christ? We are already paid for. Sin has no debt left on us, nothing to hold us for. I'm not saying that once you find Christ you won't battle sin anymore, but the truth is you don't have to! Your ties with sin have been cut, you don't have to live in sin because you have been set free! Before you were tied to sin because of the payment you owed, but once you find life in Christ your price is paid, sin has nothing to hold over you!

This in no way means we stop fighting. We are in the middle of a war! But we don't have to be on our own team fighting the forces of evil alone. We are fighting in Christ, through His power. We are fighting on the team that has already won!

So whatever sin you are fighting alone, realize Christ has defeated it! Give Him the battle, let go of the walls you have built to fight it. Let the power of Christ "tear down this wall!"

Location:Somewhere between Berlin and Paris