Create in me a clean heart, O God,and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
(Psalm 51:10-12)
As I go deeper with God day by day, week by week, He shows me my need for Him more and more. It's hard and so liberating at the same time. I'm so grateful for the life of Jesus, and the cross. I'm reminded daily of God's grace in Christ. The costly grace that God gives that changes you from the inside out. The grace that's a work of God where He changes your heart for Him. All I can do is praise Him and give Him glory.
Father God,
Help your light shine through me and don't let me block your light. Thank you for Jesus and the cross. Thank you for costly grace. Watch over me and keep me and clean out my heart. I need you more and more. Thank you Father.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Microscopes Replace Mirrors
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
(Matthew 7:1-5)
We need to depend on God to be a mirror of Him. We shouldn't be a microscope of others, pointing out everyone's flaws without looking at ourselves.
As I've been working through the bible study Breaking Free by Beth Moore, God's been showing me a lot of things. But I think today's on legalism really opened my eye's to something big. Now everyone, even those who are in it, can see that legalism just creates more problems and it causes people to run away from God. It hurts so many people. The thing that is really disturbing to me is that, not only is it on the fundamentalist religious right but it is also on the progressive religious left. I have a good friend back a home and her school is very much on the religious right and my school is on the religious left. I point that out because when we see each other, we find ourselves complaining of the EXSACT SAME THINGS about our schools! We see people saying the "right things" but living in a way that is not glorifying God at all.
Regardless of where we fall on the spectrum, Church has become a list of do's and don'ts. The religious right and left are pushing those lists on other's who are gladly taking them to make themselves "better people." And then trying to up each other to show who is the "better group of people" in God's eyes. For example:
Someone one on the religious right might say, "I wear what is right, I go to church almost everyday and follow all the rules, I read my bible all the time, and I don't sin," and look at someone on the religious left and say, "I'm a better person than them because I don't do what they do. They swear, and listen to rap, go to parties and drink. They are going to Hell."
Someone one on the religious left might say, "I except everyone for who they are by practicing tolerance, and I help the poor, and go to church every sunday, " and look at someone on the religious right and say, "I'm a better person than them because I am opened minded and I love everyone. My god is a god of love. Everyone goes to Heaven."
I'm not going to get into details of those statements but the root of them is pride and moralism. When we start talking to each other it turns into a fight of who is better is God's eye's. It's disgusting. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, we end up hurting people and people turn away from God. We need to stop this!!!
This is what God sees of "good religious people"
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)
The only way to stop is to turn Jesus Christ and confess what we've been doing and depend on God. When we do this, He changes us through times with Him and we become more like Him. We become a mirror of His love.
Let's listen to Jesus and follow Him. Let's stop trying to be "better people" and look at the logs in our eye's and deal with our messiness with Jesus. He loves you so much and wants you to live in true freedom.
Please note: Some may read this and think I am judging others. I am not. I wrote this out of compassion and love and to make ourselves aware of what we are doing in the religious world. I'm guilty of these things too.
(Matthew 7:1-5)
We need to depend on God to be a mirror of Him. We shouldn't be a microscope of others, pointing out everyone's flaws without looking at ourselves.
As I've been working through the bible study Breaking Free by Beth Moore, God's been showing me a lot of things. But I think today's on legalism really opened my eye's to something big. Now everyone, even those who are in it, can see that legalism just creates more problems and it causes people to run away from God. It hurts so many people. The thing that is really disturbing to me is that, not only is it on the fundamentalist religious right but it is also on the progressive religious left. I have a good friend back a home and her school is very much on the religious right and my school is on the religious left. I point that out because when we see each other, we find ourselves complaining of the EXSACT SAME THINGS about our schools! We see people saying the "right things" but living in a way that is not glorifying God at all.
Regardless of where we fall on the spectrum, Church has become a list of do's and don'ts. The religious right and left are pushing those lists on other's who are gladly taking them to make themselves "better people." And then trying to up each other to show who is the "better group of people" in God's eyes. For example:
Someone one on the religious right might say, "I wear what is right, I go to church almost everyday and follow all the rules, I read my bible all the time, and I don't sin," and look at someone on the religious left and say, "I'm a better person than them because I don't do what they do. They swear, and listen to rap, go to parties and drink. They are going to Hell."
Someone one on the religious left might say, "I except everyone for who they are by practicing tolerance, and I help the poor, and go to church every sunday, " and look at someone on the religious right and say, "I'm a better person than them because I am opened minded and I love everyone. My god is a god of love. Everyone goes to Heaven."
I'm not going to get into details of those statements but the root of them is pride and moralism. When we start talking to each other it turns into a fight of who is better is God's eye's. It's disgusting. We get so wrapped up in ourselves, we end up hurting people and people turn away from God. We need to stop this!!!
This is what God sees of "good religious people"
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)
The only way to stop is to turn Jesus Christ and confess what we've been doing and depend on God. When we do this, He changes us through times with Him and we become more like Him. We become a mirror of His love.
Let's listen to Jesus and follow Him. Let's stop trying to be "better people" and look at the logs in our eye's and deal with our messiness with Jesus. He loves you so much and wants you to live in true freedom.
Please note: Some may read this and think I am judging others. I am not. I wrote this out of compassion and love and to make ourselves aware of what we are doing in the religious world. I'm guilty of these things too.
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