Been thinking a lot recently about what God demands from me and what true worship is. its funny how often we make our service to God into something it could and should never be. if you think like i do, you've realised that service to God is no option. Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." God's mercy was soo greatly poured out on us that for us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him (offer Him our time, our money, our skills and talents)....for us to offer Him everything we possibly could...it would do nothing more than graze the surface of our debt to Him. We don't even question the fact that the great love of Christ demands a life of service.
somehow tho... somehow as we tirelessly endeavour to serve our God...i've began to realise that we get caught up in the many things we want and lose sight of what God wants. We want people to do things our way. we want things to reach the standard of perfection we often have. we want recognition for all we do for God and moreover we want to please people. we want them to like us... But God has been pointing out all the things that need changing in my life. My service to God has to be about God, not about me. i now know that if i truly understand and live by this statement it means i sometimes have to lay aside things that others might not think i should lay aside, i sometimes have to do things that others might not think i should do and i sometimes have to disappoint people, offend people and disagree with people. People are sometimes not gonna be pleased with me. Friends, family...but this is something i have to do to be a living sacrifice, to live for God alone.
it hurts to realise that friends and family whom you love may not always support you when you make changes you believe God wants you to make. but i've come to realise that my very purpose is to please my God, to put Him first, not man. i'm 25 and i feel as though my life to this point has been in vain because i have spent it living for myself and not for God. i suddenly realised one day that i had forsaken my first love. i realised it was time for change.
when i thought about this stuff at the start of this year God opened my eyes to see how cluttered my life had become with unnecessary things....i was seeking to please people, friends and family and not God. i was running from one activity to the next yet and i had no time to just rest and spend time with God.in the end i was miserable and i was exhausted. my life was not pleasing God. this was a little extract i came across once in a magazine...
"One day you finally knew What you had to do, and began Though the voices around you Kept shouting Their bad advice - Though the whole house Began to tremble And you felt the old tug At your ankles "Mend my life!"Each voice cried. But you didn't stop. You knew what you had to do, Though the wind pried With its stiff fingers At the very foundations, Though their melancholy Was terrible. It was already late Enough, and a wild night, And the road full of fallen stones. But little by little, As you left their voices behind, The stars began to burn Through the sheets of clouds, And there was a new voice, Which you slowly recognized as your own, That kept you company As you strode deeper and deeper Into the world, Determined to do The only thing you could do - Determined to save The only life you could save." By Mary Oliver
well we know we cannot save our lives, ( John 12:25 "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.") but i realised at the start of this year that i had to let go of the things consuming my life and holding me back from achieving things for God- from offering my body as a living sacrifice...i had to allow God to strip away all the things in my life that robbed me of a true life of worship for Him. i had to make time so that i could 'be still and know that He is God'. Change has begun. It hasn't been an easy road to this point, but I for one am greatful.. Are there things in your life that are taking your time and energy away from God? Are there things that you need to let go of so that you can truly be a living sacrifice? Is God stirring your heart even now to change? Does God Himself dare you to move? Do it today.
1 comment:
Good words.
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