Thanks Giving Part 1
Posted by Chris on Thursday, November 22nd, 2007
Hi all. Well I just wanted to start off by saying Happy Thanksgiving! I will (hopefully) be writing a few blog entries over the next 3 days or so of things I am thankful for. I don’t often do this enough, say thanks, and just wanted to put something here, publicly to just say what I am thankful for. I am kinda not sure what to entitle this post per sa, but it basically is saying thanks for my relationship that I have with My Lord and Savior. I think its a cliché to say “I thank God for sending His son to die on the cross for my sins, so that I can have eternal life.” and leave it at that. As I am very thankful for this, I think it often goes beyond this. I am thankful for God to call me out into a life that is untamed and uncivilized. I am thankful that I am even loved by a God who created everything, knows everything and is everywhere. How vast is our solar system, and how small and miniscule are we to think that we are worth any importance. Yet in spite of this God created us for His purpose, for His worship and for Him to be glorified. He bestowed His grace upon us to send His son to be the final blood sacrifice to cover our sins.
Over the past six months or so God has been really working in and through my life. I still find life to be a struggle, as it will be till I die and am in the Lord’s presence, but I am now learning who I am now. I am thankful for the pastors who have indirectly spoken into my life that have encouraged me in my walk and realizing who I am as a Christ follower. I say indirectly because there has been a few key church’s I have been tracking with and keeping a regular listening schedule with (there located on the west coast, and down south - as well as the church I am currently attending). There has been some hard and difficult transitions and choices that have been made this past year, I am however thankful for the placement of these messages and finding these churches in my life to just open the scriptures, my eyes and help me to see who I am in Christ.
I’ve sorta grown up with this mentality that I need to prove to be loved, accepted, significance, and so forth. This not only translated from relationships with people in my life but also with God. I had these hang-ups that if I would sin, God disliked or even wanted nothing to do with me until I broke down and cried out to Him, repenting, swearing I’d never do it again and try harder next time (sound like works faith?). I thought God was this judge to condemn me and bring judgement upon my life if I did something wrong, or even didn’t do something I was supposed to do. I can’t think or place blame on someone or something that might have caused this misconception, I don’t want to point fingers. But sadly I think a lot of church mentality is that we think God is out to get you, squash you down like a push pin and make you pay! That doing certain things (not reading the bible, not praying, not going to sunday school, not be involved in every ministry of the church, play cards, drinking, swearing, going to the movies, etc,. you get the point - and I’m not saying some of these things are not bad) make you a bad person, and that God frowns on that and if you mess up, well man..look out. I am starting to believe, see and learn that this really is not the case at all, and in fact is totally opposite of what I think most people teach/preach/live. I honestly think its because were not sure how to teach it, and really we got to live it. Were afraid to be honest and real with others, to show love and compassion when people are hurting, struggling or just need help. We rather make up silly rules and traditions that everyone needs to live up to so that when these people come to us and are struggling we can “throw it” in there face and be like “well duh! God’s not happy with you. Your not doing this, this or this. Thats your problem.”
We are in fact Sons (and Daughters) of God. We are new creations. We are made blameless in God’s eyes. When God looks at us, He sees Christ. Christ’s death on the cross covered the sins of past, present and future. We are SAINTS! We aren’t sinners saved by grace, or continue to be. We have a new identity in Christ. We are a new creation in Christ. I’m not saying we don’t sin, but we do now have the power to overcome our flesh. I….could write more, but I’m still trying to figure all this out. I’m not sure that I ever will totally. But when do we break free from this bondage’s of guilt, shame and hurt? When will we realize that we have freedom in Christ? That we are no longer slaves to sin, or our flesh. That we are all one, we are one body, we each have our areas of ministry and service, but we are all equal and are the bride of Christ. Read Ephesians and/or Galations sometime.
I am thankful for this, that my perception of who God is, is changing. His grace and love for me is viewed differently and absolutely for me and for anyone willing to accept it. Its been hard for me to grasp this and thank and pray that God continues to reveal this, to free me, and show me through His word to live as this new creation. To become who I already am. To change this stoney heart into flesh.
Not only am I thankful for the Word and the things that I read in the Bible, but I am also thankful for Godly men and women who have poured time and resources into publishing materials that I believe God has brought to my attention to challenge who I am, my faith and to break out of this civilized “faith” and live this barbarian geniuine faith. I must admit I got a while to go, and sadly life is short so I’m making the best of the time I got left. But I am just thankful for this. Its not about how God can bless me, but how I can most Glorify Him, and be satisfied in Him… Thank you God for changing me heart, my mind into the evolving processes of being more Christ-like. Continue to change and mold me.
What are you thankful for? In this aspect of gratitude?
Filed in random thoughts |
This is an interesting post. I dont think God has this “I am out to get you mentality” but I also know that God does not look at sin lightly. Is sin past present and future forgiven on the cross of calvary absolutely. But does that mean that if I sin as a Christian God turns a blind eye or does not see it absolutely not. There are times that God does bring rebuke and discipline into the Christians life which can be traced all the way from the Old Testament to the New Testament. From the Old Testament when he had to rebuke the Israelites time and time again and to the New Testament when He allowed persecution to come to the church because of their refusal to obey him. This is all part of being a father sometimes we must discipline. If we refuse to discipline then we do not love. God brings discipline because of his love and we bring obedience because of our love, and not because we are afraid God will get us. We are indeed free from the power of sin, and the penalty of sin but not the presence of sin. There are times and will continue to be times that God disciplines us but that does not negate His love for us it only shows it all the more. Hebrew 12:1-6. Just my thoughts.
Thanks. I’m not saying God is “out to get us” but I think human perception is this way. That we mess up, God is going to wreck havoc in and on our lives and just leave us for waste. I really don’t think this is the case. I also am not saying God turn’s a blind eye. I think He deals lovingly with us in a manor of discipline. I’m not saying either that this is the case for everyone. It is for me. I don’t know why or how I have this idea that because I don’t say…read my bible for a couple days and sin a couple times, etc. Then God is angry with me and that He is going to hold this against me now and down the road. That I am going to have to work double time to get on God’s “good side”. I don’t think that simply is the case. This is why I am thankful. God is teaching me this. I can’t do anything to be “approving” or find “favor”. Its already been done through the shed blood of Christ. I think Satan uses guilt and shame against us to make us think God is something He really is not and thus this perception is formed. God’s rebuking and discipline is in Love and He desires us to grow from this. Human perspective makes us think its really worse and that it should be, because we can’t see the refining process until we go through it and can look back on it. I think we as humans though tend to cling to the “sinner”, rather than the Saint. So what are you thankful for that God has shown you?
I understand. I am glad that God is teaching you these things and that you are coming into a deeper understanding of His Grace. I know alot of times we struggle with alot with feeling forgiven it is like we know we are forgiven but we dont live it out that way or even feel it. You re right when we have accepted Christ as savior we have found favor with God there is nothing else that can be done. You are absolutely right that Satan wants us to be unuseful to God and one way to do that is to shame us or guilt us into unusefulness.
Thanks for asking about what God has shown me. Without going into too much detail God has shown me lately that He wants to and has a desire to bless me as one of his children. This has taught me so much about His love and Grace. God is not waiting for me to make a mistake to take blessing away but quite the opposite. God is waiting for me to put total faith and dependence on HIm and He will open the storehouse of blessing. I cant even begin to tell of what God has done in my life over this past year, not because I have deserved any of it but because God is God and I am His child.
This is not all God has shown me but this is one thing.