Open and Empty
I was once told "If there's something you see that hits your heart, it is God revealing it to you."
Something hasn't felt right in my heart for a while. Somehow, somewhere along the lines, I wound up doing something I said I would never do when I accepted Christ in my life. In my attempts to find answers that would help break down barriers that prevent other people from coming to Christ, I neglected my own identity in Christ. And to my dismay, I wound up religionizing him.
It's almost scary how easy it is to think you know the Word, or become more judgemental. All the thoughts that quickly flash in your head. And while I may not have a very good clue who Jesus is. I know he isn't this. I feel more Pharisee than Christ-like. As if there's this mask I'm wearing that has me convinced this is the face that I'm suppose to have.
The most ironic thing is while I'm so driven to become more fundamentally sound in my faith, I forgot the most fundamental aspect. That any change in my character that makes me more Christ-like is ONLY made by God living within me. That upon accepting Christ, I'm given the gift and promise of a free spirit and a clean slate that is only possible with his unending grace.
It hits me like a wall that God made that sacrifice. A humbling feeling that God was beyond good to me with a yearning to live my life out of gratitude and not out of duty. As for how, I friend once told me this piece of advise that didn't make much sense until now. "All God asks you to do is come before him."
Open and empty me. Refill me with your grace because I can't do this on my own. I want to live out that promise of a free spirit, that promise of life in full. More than ever I want to be formed in the likeness of Christ and rediscover what drew me to him in the firstplace.
Something hasn't felt right in my heart for a while. Somehow, somewhere along the lines, I wound up doing something I said I would never do when I accepted Christ in my life. In my attempts to find answers that would help break down barriers that prevent other people from coming to Christ, I neglected my own identity in Christ. And to my dismay, I wound up religionizing him.
It's almost scary how easy it is to think you know the Word, or become more judgemental. All the thoughts that quickly flash in your head. And while I may not have a very good clue who Jesus is. I know he isn't this. I feel more Pharisee than Christ-like. As if there's this mask I'm wearing that has me convinced this is the face that I'm suppose to have.
The most ironic thing is while I'm so driven to become more fundamentally sound in my faith, I forgot the most fundamental aspect. That any change in my character that makes me more Christ-like is ONLY made by God living within me. That upon accepting Christ, I'm given the gift and promise of a free spirit and a clean slate that is only possible with his unending grace.
It hits me like a wall that God made that sacrifice. A humbling feeling that God was beyond good to me with a yearning to live my life out of gratitude and not out of duty. As for how, I friend once told me this piece of advise that didn't make much sense until now. "All God asks you to do is come before him."
Open and empty me. Refill me with your grace because I can't do this on my own. I want to live out that promise of a free spirit, that promise of life in full. More than ever I want to be formed in the likeness of Christ and rediscover what drew me to him in the firstplace.
1 Comments:
Open and honest. You are a person not so much striving with God but one learning to walk with God. Serious but with the reality that you ase human too. Keep growing in Christ. David.
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