I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the fundamental truths of Christianity and I think that for most of my life, I’ve missed them. Why is it that sometimes the simplest truths are the hardest to understand? I chose the picture above because that is how Jesus wants us to come to him. This adorable little girl doesn’t have half the knowledge I do. She hasn’t done anything in her life to EARN the love of God…but if you look at her face you can see it. She loves and allows herself to be loved. She allows herself to be led. Her plans are not more important. And let me tell you what, she is NOT afraid to dance for Jesus 🙂
God doesn’t want me to live my plans and then ask him to lead me in my plans. He wants me to GIVE MY LIFE as a SACRIFICE (Romans 12:1). He wants me to surrender my plans and ask him, “What do you want from me today?”, or “How can I serve you best today?”. So often in my life, I want to keep myself in this box of things I think I’m good at and ask God to show up there. I don’t want him to make me uncomfortable.
This entire trip has been about obedience for me. Obedience is uncomfortable. God will very rarely use me to do something I’m already comfortable with and good at. Not because he enjoys torturing me, but because HE wants the glory. His strength is made PERFECT in my weakness. Why is that so hard to internalize? Even when I don’t know what I am doing, if I am acting in OBEDIENCE, God will show up and take over my shortcomings. He is the God of the impossible. What is impossible with man is possible with God. He can do infinitely more than we can ask or even think to ask.
Jesus had to die. He had to die to pay for MY SIN. So why do I always try to earn my salvation? Why do I feel more important when I do something “big” for God? Why do I feel so insignificant when I fail? Why do I think that God is smiling on me when I do “good” things and frowning on me when I do “bad” things? NOTHING can separate me from His love. NOTHING!! Nothing I do or say or act or perform. He knows my heart. He knows the crap buried down deep and he LOVES ME ANYWAY!!! When God looks down at me, He looks down with LOVE. The punishment for the sin I committed has already been paid for. That frees God to LOVE me and have a RELATIONSHIP with me. I am justified, righteous, and redeemed. And it wasn’t because I earned it. The only thing I did was put Jesus number 1 in my life…and that is all I needed to do. I strive for obedience because it pleases my Daddy, but if I’m disobedient – he will love me the same.
I’m not writing anything here that any Christian doesn’t know in their head. I’m writing what many of us don’t believe in our hearts. We get so proud of ourselves because we are following God’s will or because we prayed for someone, or God showed up in my ministry big time. But God is only using us a tools to point to HIM. It has nothing to do with us. He doesn’t love us more when we do good and less when we do bad.
I say that many Christians don’t believe it in their hearts because we certainly don’t act like a group that has the confidence that Daddy loves them anyway. We are so afraid of making other people angry or for doing the wrong thing. WE CAN’T MESS UP THE WILL OF GOD. Romans 8:28…ALL things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose. We make things so complicated. Jesus was very clear on what we should do. Number 1: Love God with everything you’ve got. Number 2: Love your neighbor as yourself. If we are doing those things, we are acting in the will of God.
Today I walked by a poor beggar on the street. She had a bandage on her leg and a cup where she was collecting money. God whispered to me, “Look Amanda, there is my child. I love her. Go and pray for her”. I was afraid of messing it up. I don’t like how I sound when I pray out loud and I am always hesitant to do it. I didn’t have an interpreter and I didn’t know how to ask her if I could pray for her. I kept walking. And I immediately started beating myself up for it. Why didn’t I just pray for the woman? One of my friends stopped and gave her some money. Why couldn’t I think to do that? She is obviously more spiritual than I am. I’m unworthy.
See how easy it is to forget that God loves me anyway? It isn’t God that condemns…it is US. There is therefore now NO condemnation in Christ. God does NOT condemn us…we condemn ourselves and put it on God. Yes, God wanted me to pray for his daughter. No, I didn’t do it. I was disobedient and I will suffer the consequences, but God doesn’t love me any less because I was disobedient.
Paul says that we are saved by GRACE through FAITH. We have to have FAITH to believe that God is always handing out his grace. Jesus says that the Kingdom is near to those who are the “worst sinners” because they are usually so ready to accept that grace. Us “good” Christians are not so good at accepting that grace. We think we have to earn it. If I really had the faith to believe that I am justified, righteous, redeemed and empowered…what could I do for the Kingdom?? Would I really still be so afraid to “mess up”? My problem is that I don’t’ see myself how God sees me., and therefore I cripple myself. Faith is an ACTIVE response to God’s calling. I can’t act very quickly at all when I’m crippled.
My relationship with God is a choice. I think any relationship is a choice. I think that every day you have to choose to love the other person. Love is patient and kind. It is not self seeking…you know all those things in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is a choice and we have to make it every day. Every day I have to choose to follow Jesus. Every day I have to show Him how much I love him by my actions. James says that faith without deeds is dead. My deeds SHOW my love and my faith. It goes back to living my life as a SACRIFICE. In John 15, Jesus talks about laying down your life for your friends. I don’t think he means literally dying, but laying down your LIFE…all of the I in your life. I think I need this…I want to…I…I…I…. When I can do that, then I will be loving my neighbor as myself – which is what Jesus commands us to do.
We were never promised in the Bible that we get to live an easy life. The early Church suffered. Many Christians today suffer. But Jesus says that the Spirit will give us the things to say. When we mourn, we will be comforted. Jesus is close to the broken-hearted. I personally don’t want to do anything in my life that I can do on my own. I want to live BIG because I want to believe the promise that God will help me in my weakness. I believe he will help me MORE in my weakness because then any fruit will be attributed to HIM and not me. I want to be led by the Holy Spirit in all that I do. I want to be uncomfortable. I want to have the confidence in my authority as a Christ follower. I want to point people to HIM…I want to be a conduit of LOVE. I don’t ever want to get stuck in the prison of “me” ever again!!!!
My challenge to you is this: Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you today. Ask him to show you what He is doing and tell him you want to be a part of it. Then, have the confidence to go and do what he leads you to do. Don’t have any expectations and just focus on obedience. Find verses on God’s love and reflect on them. My favorite right now is Ephesians 3: 16-19…but find your own favorite 🙂
