Do you wake up every morning excited?
Do you experience an expectancy of what God is going to do through your life today?
That was the question the Pastor posed this morning and it got me thinking.
One of the Bible references the pastor used was Galatians 2:20. I'm delighted with the way the 19th - 21st verses read in The Message version:
What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.
Boy can I relate to this!
Too much of my life was spent working for God; wanting to please Him and wanting others to like me. But this passage is talking about a whole different way of life. A life where my ego is gone, where I have been crucified and God is working through me. The pastor made that differentiation today too - do you do good works for God or does He work through you.
I want God to work through me.
I want Him to rain down His presence and blessing on me until I'm drenched. Until everything about me is immersed in His presence, love and ability. So that I can say with Paul (writer of Galatians) that my ego is no longer central and the life I'm living is by faith in God.
This is a theme I've been thinking on a lot lately; so it's no surprise that here the sermon is about this today. It seems that there are a couple of things in my life that God's been urging me toward as I grow in this process of crucifying myself and living wholly for Him.
One of these is about the time I spend with Him daily. Anyone who knows me even a little knows that I lose track of time. God has blessed me with the ability, when I'm involved in a project, or spending time with a person, to become totally engaged in the present to the point of losing all track of time. He's been putting a yearning in my heart to become that way with Him; not to just come a few minutes each morning and go through the outline of the Lord's Prayer and read the Bible for a few minutes; but to just spend time in His presence, becoming immersed in and delighting in Him.
The other thing is He's been showing me how small daily occurrences reveal my heart. The fact that I have not died to self becomes quite evident in how irked I get in those little annoying encounters that inevitably happen on an ongoing basis. People can irritate me so much! I know that on my own I can't have that love that transcends the rudeness, selfishness, or just plain annoying behavior that people display on a regular basis. I long to come to the point where I'm so drenched in His love that this love pours from me and covers over the other person's actions.
What's God been showing you in your life about being crucified to yourself and having Christ live through you?
5 comments:
It is difficult to step aside and get self out of the way. In everything selfishness causes us to try to take attention that belongs to God. Nail it all on the cross!
I love Galatians 2:20 because it reminds us that we are dead! And there is Someone now living in us! If not for His love and grace, it's so easy to get ticked off when some rude people gets in your way. But as His ambassadors, we must be careful also in the way we say or do things. I'm glad to know that He is faithful to finish the work He started in each of us. To God be the glory! Thanks for your visit today! God bless.
It seems as though we go to one or the other extreme. Either we are so busy "working" for God that we lose site of the message, or we think that God can't use us so we become complacent in our place. Either one can cause us to become bitter and cynical.
We find ourselves shifting the focus from God to us. Then we wonder where the fire went. Why doesn't God talk to me anymore like He used to? Why am I the only one that will step up to the plate? Don't others understand what I am doing? As you can see we fall into the pattern or I,I,I. Then God has to bring us back to reality. He didn't put us there WE put ourselves there. It can be a vicious cycle and can lead us into rebellion if we are not careful.
Dying to self is a daily process. It is a long arduous process to be sure, but it is always worth it.
We have to remember that we put the wedge between us and God. We drew away from Him not the other way around. I am glad that you are seeing these things about yourself. Difficult as it may be, you can rest assured that God is cleansing you of this for a much bigger reason than you will ever imagine.
I am doing a Bible study on the book of Exodus right now. This is a 26 week study and I am on week 2. I would be happy to forward the study to you so you can do it along with me if you want.
You can contact me through my blog and I will forward it to you. This may help you to "immerse" yourself more in the Word and I know it will definitely draw you closer to God!
I know what you mean about wanting God to rain down and drench you. I love that saying. I'm learning to let go - trust - don't try to work things out in my own ways. His ways are so much higher than mine and better. Sarah
Sarah - I can so relate. His ways are definitely better than mine.
Inge' - Your comment "Dying to self is a daily process. It is a long arduous process to be sure, but it is always worth it." is so right on. And yes, I'd be interested in doing a bible study together - you can click on my profile here to get my email and send it to me. Let me check it out in terms of time commitment - I've got an every other week small group at my house but that's only about 2 days a week study commitment, then I just finished the Bible study I was working through on the other days so I might be up for it.
Rcube - You're so right, we do need to be careful how we respond to people. I, too, am grateful that He is faithful to finish that which He's begun in me.
Rick - Yep it sure is difficult to step aside and get self out of the way. It's something which I struggle with most days.
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