In this journey of taking God back into my heart and giving him the keys to my life there have been speed bumps or I might even say roadblocks. The process of reconciling who I am with who I was meant to be has been difficult. On the way I have realized a few things. Stop looking for signs of what he is trying to tell me. If he is walking with me he shows me the way. Don't worry about what others do or say. I am not defined by other people and their actions or rejections. I am still a sheepdog! He created me with the inner strength to protect and help people. A job that sometimes requires violence and a sense of distrust!
The thing is I am not protected by isolation, but by identity. I can be what God intended me to be and still walk with Jesus next to me. Just because I don't approve of someone or their actions does not mean I can't still love that person as my brother. I do not have to react to hostility and anger! I can still show compassion and kindness. Don't get me wrong I will not be walked on or taken advantage of, but I will always ask the question. What would Jesus do? Sometimes that will mean walking away and other times it will require a different action. The different action will never be out of malice or anger. Do I expect to be like Jesus? No, not at all! What I expect is to become the man I was intended through his love and strength. I will stand up to the evils of this world and protect those who can't do it themselves.
I had a conversation with a friend last night. A much smarter man than I am. While talking to him I said that I know that the changes I have made I would not of been capable of without God. That all the glory goes to him! That the choices are usually pretty clear as long as you keep your inner mind out of the way, which has a way of justifying bad decisions! Every once in a while there will be two good choices and God will work with you either way you go as long as you stay on the narrow path. It was one of the best 20 minute conversations I have ever had. I am not nor do I ever think I will completely get there in this life, but I get it! I understand not everyone will agree with me, but I still love you! I am blessed and I will thank and praise him for every blessing as well as lean on him during the difficult times. We learn more about who we are and who he is during the storms! Stop missing the point and looking under every rock for the answer or sign. Through him the answer is already in you! God bless all of you even if you don't believe!
Paul told the Phillipians in chapter 2 verse 12, work out your faith with fear and trembling. That is exactly what I see you doing and I commend you for that brother. No one is righteous before God, that is true, but I thank God every day that Jesus came as a sacrificial substitute to make me righteous. Romans 5:1-9 - "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
ReplyDelete6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God."
I am a sinner, made righteous and reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus. This also tells us, like you said, that we can rejoice in suffering. Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character and character leads to hope. Hope not in our own power, but in the saving blood of Jesus. Awesome stuff.
While we will never be like Jesus completely in this world, not even close, Jesus tells us in Luke chapter 9, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." We are to battle against our sinful flesh on a daily basis, recognize our failures, and hope and praise God that the debt for our sinfulness has been paid in full.
I'm proud of you man. My boy James is 3 months old today, my prayer for him, for myself and for you is that the words in James 4:8 would be true for us all, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts."