Wednesday, February 9, 2011

saying "yes" to being honest

1Thessalonians 5:23a  "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely"  pull it apart.

may the God (Maker, Creator, Lord, Master) of peace (rest, full of quiet, calm) Himself, sanctify (cleanse, scrub, make white and spotless what is filthy) you entirely (wholly, completely).

it's such a good word because the part about LETTING God change you is the first step to change.  to do that is by being honest with someone who we think could squash us like a bug.  He CAN do that.  but He chooses not to.  because squashing is not love and his essence IS love.  what's the purpose of squishing something?  we don't squish our kids.  sometimes we'd like to, but we don't.  why?  ask yourself why you don't kill your child?  what is it about them in your life that makes you not kill them?  now.  think about the size of our human heart.  it's not much smaller than the size of our fist, if not the same size.  now.  think about God and His size.  He's obviously bigger than us.  how big is His heart?  if you have this much love for your child, how much love does God have?  think about it.

we often think of God as the big guy in the sky that is waiting for us to mess up.  where did that thought come from?  why do we think this?  be honest and let yourself ponder this.  where did that thought come from?
this is a truth you need to know.  because it may not be truth.  you may have been believing a "truth" that you discovered to be a lie.  i did.

where i am now:  i've given, and continue to give, God freedom and permission to find things in my life he wants to change and grow.  why?  because i know that He has better plans for me than i have for myself.  Jeremiah 29:11, (a well known verse that i've come to hate because of how people use it) says "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  Plans to prosper you  and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  i don't know my heart.  i don't know what will make my heart soar when i'm 55.  but He does.

my creator is very creative.  he created the desires in my heart, the good ones.  he knows how to feed it.  why wouldn't i go to him?

think of a cuckoo clock.  it has intricate, handmade parts.  you are the cuckoo clock.  everyday you need winding to keep going.  if you break, you'd want the maker to fix it right?  not some wal-mart employee who's never seen one before.  the reason why the cuckoo clock maker makes cuckoo clocks is because he loves everything about it, especially when the little cuckoo comes out and chimes the hour.  it makes him smile.  wouldn't you want to make him smile by doing what you do best?  be honest with yourself and God.  that's what you do best.

No comments: