The Flesh Profits Nothing

If you would indulge me, I’d like to explain how I don't in any way, harbor any animosity, grudge or bitterness towards my father, much less, my extended siblings. But first, let me explain how I don't care for the term "half-brother/sister" because in actuality we are ALL brothers and sisters in THE FAMILY of God, where our Lord Jesus is, “…the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”1 I place greater import and significance on our relationships in the Spirit than those in the flesh since, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing...2" Earlier in my walk, since my siblings had not yet come to the saving knowledge of Christ, I've oftentimes felt greater/sweeter/truer kinship/fellowship with my Christian family than with my own blood. Our familial or filial relationships, so long as they remain un-sanctified by the Blood of Jesus, necessarily pales in comparison to our relations with the family of God since "...the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."3 Not long after my conversion in H.S. and well before my sister’s, I recall sitting in a car with her one winter night, trying to convey the zeal that I had for my new found faith, how the pride of life, our worldly ambitions and desires paled in comparison to the glory of the upward call I had in Christ as a newly realized citizen of heaven, how she too could experience this regeneration of her “spirit man” and the accompanying paradigm shift or renewing of her mind, as a born again believer in Christ, and how the words of the Bible can come to life and enlighten her mind as they did mine to the true nature of reality and the meaning of life. Though she kindly listened, my words fell flat, and I "sighed deeply in [my] spirit.."3b feeling frustrated in my inability to make her see what I saw, feel what I felt, and hear what I heard in the Bible, in particular, the words of Christ made alive for the first time. I’ve come to realize that those merely born of the flesh have little in common with those who have been “born again” since “the things of the Spirit of God…are foolishness to him”; whereas those very same “things of the Spirit of God”, in particular, “the words” spoken by Jesus, “are spirit and they are life” for us.4 There is consequently, therefore, little “fellowship” between those in darkness and those in the light, “For… what fellowship can light have with darkness?”5 But this isn’t to in anyway belittle or demean those in “darkness” since everyone one of us was born in “darkness”, prior to being “born again”, illegitimate children as we were, outside of the Family of God, lost until we came to salvation in Christ. I myself was “alienated from God” as a result of original sin, His “enemy” by virtue of my wicked thoughts and acts.6 It was only when Our Father finally saw fit to draw me to Him, that I eventually entered the sheepfold, the family of God: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”7 It took 7 years from when He first touched my heart until I bent the knee and confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior while still in H.S., but God has since, “…reconciled [me] to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given [me] the ministry of reconciliation”, and now in my role as an “ambassador for Christ, as though God were pleading through [me]”, on Christ’s behalf, I implore those yet in darkness to be reconciled to God.8 So then, my boast is not in the family into which I’ve been born in the flesh, “for the flesh profits nothing”, not in my surname, since I’ll be given a new name in heaven 9 ; rather I glory in my adoption into the family of God by virtue of, “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”10 ; understanding that “branches were broken off that I might be grafted in…” to His family, therefore, I am not “haughty, but fear”11 , presently striving whilst in this life to “work out [my] own salvation with fear and trembling”12 , understanding that, “it is God who works in [me] to will and to act according to his good purpose"13 ; hoping in “the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe”14 since, “God our Savior...wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”15
Formerly, under the Old Covenant, those born out of wedlock or fornication were considered illegitimate16 ; but under the new covenant, we now understand that, “…If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children; it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.”17 . And how do we become “really his children”, except that “Ye…be born again”18 , since “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”19 From God’s perspective then, illegitimacy is not a result of how I am brought into this world, but rather how I leave it - whether or not I am a child of God, and that, by virtue of the BLOOD of Jesus. It is the BLOOD-line of Jesus that legitimizes my kinship in the family of God. And the discipline I may undergo as His child is but further evidence of my status and legitimacy as a child of God, “For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights”20 – in order, “that we may share in his holiness.”21 Therefore, our human, carnal, and natural bloodlines are secondary, subservient and subordinate to the spiritual, “For whoever does the will of God IS My brother and My sister and mother.”22 If this definition of who my true family members are in the family of God is good enough for our Lord Jesus, it’s good enough for me. Besides, who am I to disobey a direct command from Our Father: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"23
Please understand I’m not here to judge my father or anyone else for that matter - “Let us not therefore judge one another anymore”.24 That’s a lesson I’ve learned for quite a while now, as that’s something best left to God. Besides, I don’t have all the facts, and even if I did, I don’t know the heart, and God judges not only our actions, but the motivations of our heart as He is, “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.25” However, I’ve heard that we can be “fruit inspectors” since, “… by their fruits you will know them...”26 ; and determine if there exists in one’s life that fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness , gentleness, and self-control” – a fruit of which I have tasted precious little from my father. As far as “greatness” is concerned, I think the world’s definition of “greatness” is far removed from that of Our Father’s, “for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.”27 I’ll gladly leave it up to DAD to determine who among us is “great”. I suspect that we’ll be quite surprised on that Day, to see who sits in the places of honor: “…to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father”28 But my primary concern, as should everyone’s who calls Him, “Lord”, is to discover “his good, pleasing and perfect will”29 since, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”30
Moreover, I've long learned that unforgiveness is one of the spiritual strongholds that Satan can use to imprison us by stealing our joy, thereby nullifying our effectiveness for the Kingdom. I learned the etymology of "forgiveness" is to "slacken" or “loosen” as in “to loosen a knot”. In many ways, therefore, if we don't forgive we can be bound or tied up in knots, as a result of being embittered, enslaved, and "defiled" by that "root of bitterness"31 , its defilement not limited to myself as I’ve learned it affects ALL my relationships. It’s really to my own benefit to forgive. It’s only to my own hurt if I hold on to grudges, offenses and hurts. (I think some sicknesses result from our emotional well-being, don’t you think? I’ve literally seen the bitterness over past offenses etched on some peoples’ faces.) Suffice it to say, I've long since forgiven my father and moved on. A resource and tool that was instrumental in helping me overcome the hurts of the past was a book by a Christian counselor and author, Neil Anderson, who writes on the topic of Spiritual Warfare, based on his experiences in counseling. In his book, “Bondage Breaker” he explains how many people, Christians and non-Christian alike are bound by the strongholds of unforgiveness and unconfessed sin. In regards to unforgiveness, he explains how we are bound by the cords of bitterness and resentment when we refuse to forgive and release the ones who hurt us. Per his instructions in the book, I placed a chair in the middle of the floor, imagining my father sitting in it. I then conveyed what was on my heart expressing my feelings, my pain regarding the hurts both emotional and physical that I incurred at his hands; the disappointment at not having felt his love or affection, wishing that we had a father-son relationship but feeling fatherless, oftentimes feeling belittled, demeaned, embarrassed, humiliated and made to feel I was nothing, feeling, "small and despised" (Ps.119:141), insignificant, inconsequential and unimportant to him. But at the end, and most importantly, I expressly forgave him. I released him of any grudge I had against him. I tearfully uttered the words, “I forgive you...I release you...I love you...I miss you.” With the uttering of these words, I felt myself letting go of the hurts and offenses that up until then were bottled up, stuffed away, hidden and repressed. It was a cathartic experience, a purging, purifying and thorough cleaning of my heart and soul. It was a letting go of a heavy weight, and a release from any chains of subconscious resentment, bitterness and anger that may have remained even after my initial letter to my father. Truly, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”32 Hallelujah! Praise God! Thank You Jesus!
Do I wish things could have been different? Do I wish I could have had a “dad”, a real father-son relationship? If, while as a child, you had given me a choice between a reality where my father was faithful to his wife and truly loved his children and the opposite, i.e. what I, in fact, experienced as a child, would I not have chosen the former? Of course! I haven’t buried or repressed that desire that wish, despite that “father wound”. I’ve already shared how I’m brought to tears when I picture the story of my father ordering his office staff to leave him alone as he takes a call from me on that Father’s Day before his death. And though, I sometimes wonder what could have been, I don’t “dwell on the past”33 . If I did, I would be embittered, resentful and enslaved by the stronghold of unforgiveness. But for the grace of God, I could easily have taken that road of unforgiveness as opposed to the road of forgiveness, which I have, in fact, taken. Any reference to the past, therefore, is merely for illustrative or educational purposes, if only for myself. It would be difficult to appreciate that I am “a new creation”34 , if I didn’t recall what I formerly was. Even the apostle Paul appreciated what he was prior to his conversion to Christ.35 So thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit in my heart, I’ve reconciled with the past, having been honest with myself and with God about it (honesty begets healing, after all). That is why I'm able, despite any scars, to view God as a loving Father, since having, “received the Spirit of sonship…by him [I] cry, "Abba, Father"36. Regrettably, there are those who may have experienced a “father wound” at the hands of their earthly fathers, who may subconsciously hold it against God, thereby, finding it difficult to view Him as “The Everlasting Father”37, much less, relate to Him as “Abba, Father”. I understand that in some cases, this “father wound” can be more grievous as in the case of molestation, resulting in greater lasting physical/emotional harm, which will require a deeper work of healing by the Holy Spirit, our God who, “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”38 But in any case, the principle remains the same – release from the stronghold of unforgiveness and from the heavy chains of bitterness and resentment requires my release of the one who hurt me: “…forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors”39 - the accomplishment of which, for many, will require and necessitate a true and utter reliance upon "God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." 40; realizing that it's "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."41
So as far as forgiveness goes, that’s a done deal. I think you might better discern this if you read the subsequent letter to this one (if you don’t like to read, wait for the movie – it’s going straight to DVD). But, by doing so, you would get a better picture of my outlook on life, love, God, etc. To be honest, In my conceit, I view myself as an artist; in my case, the keyboard is my paintbrush, the screen my canvas, and the object I labor to try and depict is the landscape of my heart. And although the depiction of that landscape may contain darkness (“in this world you will have tribulation”42), it also contains light. And just as this combination, amalgamation and blending of both light and dark results in the beauty of the landscape of our lives as rendered by the sovereign Hand of the Master Painter, so I "...know that ALL things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (Rom.8:28)


Father, I want You to hold me I want to rest in Your arms today
Father, I want You to show me how much You care for me in every way
I bring all my cares (fears) and I lay them at Your feet
You are always there (here) and You love me as I am
Yes You love me as I am (“Father I Want You to Hold Me”, Brian Doerksen)
“…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”(Rom.10:9-10 NKJV)
“No one else can know your sadness, and strangers cannot share your joy.” (Pr.14:10 NCV)
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.You have recorded each one in your book." (Ps.56:8 NLT)
"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”(Jn.3:5-7 KJV)
"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." (Gal.4:6)
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (Jn.4:24)
“A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”(Mark 6:4)
“Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." (Gen.41:51)
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” (Is.43:18)
“…this world in its present form is passing away.” (1Cor.7:31)
“Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.” (Edmund Burke)
"Deep in thought I forgive everyone..." (Thirty Three, Smashing Pumpkins)
1 Rom.8:29
2 Jn.6:63
3 1Cor.2:14
3b Mark 8:12
4 Jn.6:63
5 (2Cor.6:14
6 Col.1:21
7 Jn.6:44
8 2Cor.5:20
9 Rev.2:17
10 Gal.6:14
11 Rom.11:19-20
12 Ph.2:12
13 Ph.2:13
14 1Cor.1:21
15 1Tim.2:4)
16 Deu.23:2
17 Heb.12:8 NLT
18 Jn.3:7
19 JN 3:6
20 Pr.3:12 NKJV
21 Heb.12:9
22 Mk.3:35 NKJV
23 Mt. 17:5 NKJV
24 Rom.14:13
25 Heb.4:12
26 Mt.7:20
27 Lk.9:48
28 Mt.20;23
29 Rom.12:2
30 Mt.7:21
31 Heb.12:15
32 Ps.147:3
33 Is.43:18
34 2Cor.5:17
35 1Tim.14:15
36 Rom.8:15
37 Is.6:9
38 Ps.147:3
39 Mt. 6:12
40 PH. 2:13
41 Zec.4:6
42 Jn.16:33