"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Aaron preached from this text today on Reconciliation. His main point was, "Since Christ has restored our relationship with God, we must enjoy it." He explained that we all started life with a broken relationship with God...a relationship that we broke because of our sin. We were separated from a Holy God, who was offended by our sin. We were enemies of God; not allowed in His presence. But Christ fixed that...He became sin for us. He knew all sin so that we might be counted Righteous. This act was initiated by God...He was not reluctant to do so. Because of the blood of Jesus, our relationship with God was restored. Christ was our substitute...He took the wrath of God for us. Our response? Repentence...faith...and joy in our faith. We enjoy this gift of grace by proclaiming it to others and, personally, by reading His word and drawing near to Him in prayer.
I was struck by how much I truly don't enjoy this gift. I am not consistent with spending time in devotion and prayer. That demonstrates my own pride and self-sufficiency right there. I put other things that I "enjoy" above the wonderful words of life found in God's word.
So Lord, break me. Show me my utter need for You. Show me my utter helplessness if I don't spend time with You. Awaken in me a passion and a hunger for Your word. Let me desire You above all else. Take away the material things I enjoy until I can find true joy in Your word. Be glorified in me, Jesus. Change me...mold me into Your image. Only You can do that!
Macon show
"I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned/In awe of the One who gave it all!"
Emily, Mom and I
Playing dress-up :)
Beach vacation
Yeah...we know. :)
Beach vacation
flying purple-people-eater, sure looked strange to me...
Charlie
Only the cutest dog ever!
About Me
- Amanda
- I muse...a lot. I hope and pray that my musings are an encouragement to others in any way God wishes them to be.
Favorite Songs
2 comments:
All you have to do is live what you learn. You already have a hunger, Amanda. You already have a thirst....you already have a passion for seeking after Him....all you need to do now is
be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer....I am sure you are, but
God must be awakening within you the desire to be a doer of the Word and what He teaches you. See,He can,but WON't teach us anything new until we learn what it is and LIVE what it is He is trying to teach us in this moment. He will continue to let us wander and go in circles....until we finally live what He is teaching us in the now.....I have found in my own life, the sooner I become a doer.....the sooner, He sends now manna.....no food,and new growth...and new lessons. See, you are just now getting old enough for God to become YOUR God...apart from your parent's God. YES, you have been saved a long time, but it is not until we reach a certain point age wise that our relationship with God actually begins to be our very own....See, I flew off one summer to be a summer missionary in Illinois....and on that plane...I thought about my parents on the ground back there....and God said to me..."Your relationship with me is dependent on Me, not your parents anymore." I see you learning that in the things you share. I was about 19 when I went to be a summer missionary...Well, I was twenty, actually. God is with you. You are HIS!!
Cindy
It is easy for us to enjoy God's presence in our parents and family members....but, there comes a time when God calls us away from them and out into living around those we do not know that well, and it is in those moments we learn to enjoy and depend on GOD directly and not just His presence in others...It was easy for Abraham to depend on the familiar when he was in the land of his fathers....but, when God called him away from the "familiar" from the comfort of those that loved him and he them....into an unknown land....it was then that Abraham had to depend on God and God alone.
It is in those moments in all our lives that we learn to hear Him more directly in a personal walk with Him....because all of a sudden, His Word is not there in the lives of those we know and trust...because we are surrounded by those we do not know...so, we have to go to His Word and depend on it,glean from it, "hear" his Voice in it....and act on what He teaches us......in order to step into the fullness of that personal relationship...and when we are apart from those we know, love, and trust........we have no other choice unless we choose to walk in our own sufficiency.....but, when we do, we grow weak.........and restless......It happens to all of us...and we learn in time....it is easier to walk with GOD than to walk alone. The love, the intimacy, the depth of Him becomes so personal......He actually becomes your first love. He created within us the desire to know Him and to have a personal relationship with Him....It is only when we yield to that, that any of us finds peace, joy, and
contentment. The joy is in the walk....when we live out what He teaches us day by day. Look for Him in the little stuff, like in
a flock of geese flying over.....and you will hear His still small voice....teaching you in the quietness of your heart...that even the birds fly in a certain position before Him...each in their appointed place
in the formation....
God created us because He wanted to have a personal relationship with us...It is actually what we are created for to begin with. We are made to have that personal relationship with Him, but we fill our lives with everything but that...But, the need for Him is always there.......so, nothing every satisfies until we live what it is He teaches us.......and walk humbly with Him.....day by day by day.........But, this is a truth for us all...........every day of our lives....We all struggle to stay focused on this...you are not alone.
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