"Hey boy," the scratchy, weak voice hurdles across the short field to the young man.
"Yes master."
"Fetch me a glass a water. And make it fast son, or else no supper for you!"
"Yes sir." the frightened teenager responds with a sigh under his breathe.
"Don't you sigh at me boy. This is why I had you. So you can work with me on this farm. Now hurry along. And any more rude noise and there will be lashings on top of no supper."
The fit boy quickly drops his shovel, runs through the dirt field into his perfectly organized kitchen that mom keeps spick and span, hauls a load of mud in with him, grabs a cup, puts precisely one scoopful of ice and fills it to the brim with tap water connected to the well.
Without spilling one droplet of H2O on the ground, the young fella brings the cup of water to his dad.
"Here ya go sir. Just how you like it!"
"Ah!" as he takes a breathe after drinking the refreshing glass of water.
"Now get back to work!"
"But can't I get some?"
"NO!" screams the furious old hagg. "You took to long!" Now…get back to work or things are gonna get real ugly and we don't want that do we son."
"No sir. I mean yes sir. I mean, right away sir."
HOGGER OR HUGGER
Freedom!! Freedom for this young man is what rises to your heart is it not?
I know that's why my heart is screaming for!
This dad seems more like a dictator does he not?
But I know for years this is exactly how I viewed God.
- I was born for HIS glory, meaning just to work His fields and save souls, evangelize, and be His good little worker bee and go wherever He tells me to, do whatever He says and if not, there would be consequences!
- That all my Dad was concerned about was my performance and what I could give to Him.
- That nothing I did, however much I sacrificed, now matter how badly I wanted to accomplish His will, it was never good enough.
These three lies kept me in so much bondage and are still lies that I have to remind myself are lies!
What if God isn't just concerned about what we DO, rather He wants us to get who we ARE?
What if Dad isn't the mean, grumpy, old wizard that MANY have portrayed Him to be?
What if He actually doesn't count our trespasses against us and NEVER has?
What if His NATURE truly is LOVE, and it ALWAYS has been!
Think about the most patient, kind, gentle, loving you person you know, and Daddy is 100,000 times kinder, nicer, gentler, joyfuler, and altogether wonderfuler than that person!
He's NOT out to fix us and change us into being a worker bee to gather honey from all around the globe with different sweetness rankings.
His goal is NOT to shove some "perfect plan" He might have for us down our throat and if we don't perfectly walk it we will miss out on some hidden blessing!
SAFE HAVEN
Like a good earthly father, Dad loves it when we go after our dreams and reach for the stars!! He loves it when we make plans and include Him in them. I believe Dad also has love languages and it doesn't mean a lot when we sacrifice things for Him, but He doesn't *require* it. Yes, to go after some dreams and things Daddy might lay on our hearts might require us to lay something else down, but it still isn't a *do this or else*. We have choices and whatever we choose, God is still happy!! 🙂
He IS LOVE and love is NOT self seeking!
So then Nate, what is our purpose if it's not to bring God glory and to do the works of the kingdom?
Hebrews 10 says that God did NOT desire sacrifice and offerings but for His will to be done!
So then what is His will?
For us to BELIEVE/RECEIVE His love, and love others!! (1 John 3:23 ; John 13:31-35)
For us to rest in the SAFE HAVEN of His bosom of overflowing LIFE!!
It's out of this place that we will NATURALLY begin to love others! When we discover who we are, rather whose we are and the origin of our very existence, will we not effortlessly produce that which is our original nature?
If God's nature is LOVE, and we are made in HIS image, doesn't that mean our nature is LOVE?
Doesn't that mean we know the difference between what LOVE really is and what it isn't?
Isn't LOVE the universal language that ALL cultures and races speak?!
LOVER OR WORKER
Don't get me wrong, I think "obedience" is important, but not when it's out of obligation. Mike Bickle from IHOP says it really well, "There are two types of people in this world. Lovers and Workers. And Lovers will ALWAYS get more work done than will Workers."
Are we enjoying life?
Are we letting His love empower us to LOVE others?
Or are we paranoid of whether or not we are in "God's will?"
He is with us ALWAYS and will NEVER leave us or forsake us!
Where we go, He is there! Right now, in this moment, He is with you! He is with ME!
There is NO WHERE we can go to escape Him and we are truly His offspring!
Let's wake up from the false reality of trying to please the slave owner! Let's Bag The Old Hagg theology and be free from God pleasing! Let's realize He IS, right this very moment, pleased, proud, and praising us!
I know for me, this is a truth that needs to hit home even more! Sometimes I get so caught up in work, trying to run a couple blogs, be a good husband and make music that God just becomes another obligation.
RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW
In this journey of preparring for the race, it can be so easy to get caught up in what WE have to DO to MAKE things happen, and what WE have to DO in order to please God so we can get one ounce of blessing!
It's so easy to get impatient and say, "I wish we could just go on the race now" and not realize the opportunity to rest in Poppa's arms right now! To love others right now! To make an impact RIGHT NOW!
Take a moment, even right now and just practice His presence!
In other words, quiet your mind and soul and realize your life is Hid in Christ, your seated in heaven and saved by the glorious grace of Jesus Christ!
Too Blessed To Be Stressed!
With Much LOVE,
-Nate
