"Yes, I am afraid that when I come again, God will humble me in your
presence. And I will be grieved because many of you have not given up
your old sins. You have not repented of your impurity, sexual
immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure." -2 Corinthians 12:21
In
a day where we do what "feels right" and tend to look to movie
stars and musicians as a compass for what is morally acceptable, we balk at the idea that there may
be such thing as a plumb line for morality; that there may be such a
thing as absolute truth.
"Well, God didn’t mean that for today's
time," we say. "That's so old-fashioned." "That may be true for you
but not for me." "Do you really expect me to live like that? Surely you
don't mean for me to do that." Sometimes it's all too easy to excuse away the very thing that brings power to our faith.
But the reality is, there are things we will
need to give up in order to make room for God in our lives - so that we
can experience more of Him in our lives.
I remember a time when every "room" in my heart was
filled - it was filled with anger, hurt, disappointment, and bitterness.
I had a small little space in the closet of my heart where I had
allowed God to live. But God brought someone into my life to help me see
that if I really wanted to follow Jesus, I had to give up those things
to make room for Him. And what a difference it made! Once I repented
and renounced those things in my life, they were replaced by God’s
peace, love and joy. I felt so much lighter, like a burden had been
lifted.
Once we get a
true revelation of the sacrifice Jesus made, any sacrifice He requires
of us pales in comparison. “Of course, Lord,” we’ll say. There is
nothing that compares to His love for us, nothing that even comes close.
Is
there anything you need to give up in order to make more room for
Him? I pray we each have the strength to give up things in our lives, so
that we can experience the fullness of His love and power within us.
"Knowing their thoughts, (Pharises) Jesus said, 'Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....' Then he said to the paralytic, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.' And the man got up and went home." Matthew 9:4-8
There are times in life when we feel like giving up. We don't want to try again; we stop even caring. We feel hopeless and inadequate, as if there was nothing we could do to reconcile our pain or help our circumstance.
But, in spite of our feelings, God has a different view. Like the man who had been lying on the mat for most of his life, we don't realize the true potential of God. The reality is that we ARE forgiven. The reality is that he HAS set us free. The reality is that we don't have to live in a place of doubt, despair, discouragement, loneliness, or anything else that might try to steal away the life, love and joy that God intends for us. Like the man on the mat, we have to be awakened to the fact that He sent his Son, His only Son, not only because He loves us, but also because He believes in us to do great things!
Once I was feeling so broken because my roommate at the time had unexpectedly bailed, and subsequently, I lost my apartment because I couldn't afford it alone. My only option was to move in with my dad and stepmom, which, in my mind, was completely out of the question. "I'LL NEVER LIVE WITH YOU!" I shouted, later regretting what I had said. To me, "moving in" was the worst possible solution because of some negative feelings I had toward my parents. I felt so helpless. I felt so alone. I didn't understand the process of God in one of my most trying times. I plopped down on the floor when I reached their house and just cried. I couldn't even say what was the matter. Then, something happened. "GET UP!", said my stepmom, powerfully. No one had ever said that to me before. It rather shocked me into reality; but amazingly, not in a bad way. It was as though someone believed I was going to make it in spite of what was happening.
When you feel downtrodden, get up! Don't let the things that try to keep you down stop you. Recognize these as attacks from the enemy. Don't let him win. Let God's Spirit rise up inside of you. Let the truth and peace that you know is real bring you through to the next place, and remember how much He loves you, in spite of any circumstance you may be experiencing. He loves us so much more than we will ever know.
