"I'm Only Human"

Just a short note tonight, hoping to get some others talking about this one with your thoughts, perspective and insight. 


A couple of weeks ago now, while we were on vacation, I had a bad attitude with someone in a the resort (I really don't even remember what it was about now) and afterward justified myself to my wife, saying "I'm only human."  Instantly, I heard in my spirit, "Are you?"  I tried to ignore it, but I kept hearing it.  Later in the day, I went for a walk by myself down on the beach. It was a rather cool day, especially by Florida's standards, and I pretty well was alone, only seeing 2 people in passing as I walked for more than an hour.  As I was walking, the whole thing kept running through my mind, and again, I heard in my spirit, "Are you?"


Finally, I stopped and said out loud, "What are you trying to get at Lord?" I heard, "Are you really, only human?" I honestly was a bit perplexed at what God was trying to say, but I began, inwardly, to hear, "If you are my child, and have been born into the Kingdom, are you really, "only human"?  As I began to think on this as I walked, God really just kicked my butt for me about how as a born again follower of Christ, with the Holy Spirit living in me, that I was not "only human" but I was a part of something higher. The Word of God says that we are even now, already citizens of heaven, and that we are aliens in this world... a peculiar generation.  The Holy Spirit was saying to me that we (born again believers) are indeed "more than human" and that we are held to a higher standard. (To whom much is given, much is required.)  


In that walk that day, and for the past couple of weeks the Lord has been just working me over, teaching me and tweaking me, about using that phrase and living as if I were "only human."  What the Holy Spirit has been showing me is that I (and most of us) have fallen into a trap of excusing inappropriate behavior (dare I say, "sin") with the excuse, "I'm only human."  We have adopted the mantra of, "I'm not perfect" or "only human" as a seemingly acceptable rationale for  the times where we blow it and do not live up to a godly standard.  No, I'm not trying to imply that we should be so bold as to think that we are going to walk in absolute perfection. We are going to sin from time to time. (And no, I do not believe you have to sin every day.)  I do believe that if/when we do sin, we need to just own up to it, confess and repent. This is exactly what is meant when John wrote: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."



Human? Yes.  Only human? No... for our spirit's have been quickened from death unto life... and that makes us more.