Galations 1: 10:
"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
I was convicted yesterday by a word picture our daughter shared, prefaced with the question: "Who are we trying to live for?"
She wrote: "Are we going to submit to the ways of the world, or are we going to allow Jesus to be Jesus, in and through us? We need simply to surrender all parts of ourselves to God, to allow Him to have His way in all areas."
"I found it was as if I had put up a 'Do Not Enter' sign in my heart," she continued. "I would ask God to change my heart, my 'house' -- but when He came to demolish my fleshly habits and do new construction, I would respond: 'Whoa! Where are you headed with that bulldozer?! I think I'm really pretty content with THIS junky ol' area, and I'm not really ready to give up THAT area ..."
She concluded: "What it comes down to, every moment of every day, is our choosing to say 'Yes' to the Spirit and 'No' to our flesh."
It is so true. God calls us to demolish the "old man," not because He hates us, but because He hates sin. He loves us and desires to live in relationship with ALL in a Spirit-filled, holy place. I see God's "architectural" skills evidenced throughout His magnificent creation. Am I really going to balk at the invitation to allow him to be my personal architect?
"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
I was convicted yesterday by a word picture our daughter shared, prefaced with the question: "Who are we trying to live for?"
She wrote: "Are we going to submit to the ways of the world, or are we going to allow Jesus to be Jesus, in and through us? We need simply to surrender all parts of ourselves to God, to allow Him to have His way in all areas."
"I found it was as if I had put up a 'Do Not Enter' sign in my heart," she continued. "I would ask God to change my heart, my 'house' -- but when He came to demolish my fleshly habits and do new construction, I would respond: 'Whoa! Where are you headed with that bulldozer?! I think I'm really pretty content with THIS junky ol' area, and I'm not really ready to give up THAT area ..."
She concluded: "What it comes down to, every moment of every day, is our choosing to say 'Yes' to the Spirit and 'No' to our flesh."
It is so true. God calls us to demolish the "old man," not because He hates us, but because He hates sin. He loves us and desires to live in relationship with ALL in a Spirit-filled, holy place. I see God's "architectural" skills evidenced throughout His magnificent creation. Am I really going to balk at the invitation to allow him to be my personal architect?
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