“Skip like a lamb if you like!”

WOW! Jim Stern gave a really good sermon today (9/26/10).  It was all about how we like to think of God as being like the lottery… if we wait and beg and hope long enough that He will make everything just work out instantly.  But God is more like a savings account, if we invest a little at a time and allow things to grow… in the end we will receive our reward.  Jim also gave a great analogy by saying we don’t like the pace God is moving… it’s like that driver on the road we get stuck behind going the speed limit or just below.  We don’t thank that person for making us slow down and be safe, we ask them “what is wrong with you?? I have places to go! I don’t understand why you can’t go faster!?” This sermon went directly to my heart because I’ll admit that I let my annoyance with God’s perfect pace get in the way of our relationship and what He wants to teach me HERE and NOW.  Jim also helped me realize that all this stuff He’s slowly leading me through is ALL about what’s at the finish line for me and nothing else.  So I have no need to be so concerned about things that are out of my control… I just need to keep my eyes open to what God’s trying to do IN me NOW.  The end result is what it’s all for.

I have trust issues anyway in almost every area of my life.  How can I trust God with my life now not knowing what my end looks like??  But that’s what Christianity is… that’s what it’s all about… trusting God (the unseen) with everything.  The more I know God the more I can trust Him but I need to keep reminding myself that He’s NOT in anyway like all the human beings in my life that I’ve trusted who have let me down time and time again.  For some reason every time a person lets me down I am STILL to this day, very surprised no matter how many times it’s happened to me… maybe it’s my spiritual gift of mercy that allows me to look at everyone as someone worth trusting no matter what they’ve done to me, themselves, or others…  I don’t know… but I do know God is perfect, wants the best for me, is worthy of trust, and loves me like no person on earth can.  Why can’t I remember that when people hurt me,  And walk in the peace and joy God lays out for me??

I LOVE The Message Remix bible… it speaks the word to me like how my Big sister Christen speaks the word to me.  She’s very good at putting God’s word into words that reach me.  Anyway, I read a verse in it today that I think will help me walk in that peace and joy God wants me to have especially through those times when people let me down… it says “count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens- SKIP LIKE A LAMB IF YOU LIKE!!- for even though they don’t like it, I DO… and all heaven applauds. And KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN GOOD COMPANY; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.” Luke 6:22-23.

So next time you see me down because of how a person treated me… please remind me that it’s time to “skip like a lamb” and move on! Luke 27 goes on to say… “to you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person, if someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. IF SOMEONE GRABS YOUR SHIRT, GIFTWRAP YOUR BEST COAT AND MAKE A PRESENT OF IT! If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. Our father is kind, you be kind.”

This is going to be a long growth process for me because my flesh immediately wants justice… that’s what this world has taught me to demand. I don’t feel I deserve to be disrespected or mistreated but look at Jesus… He was PERFECT and certainly did not deserve the mistreatment and disrespect He got but He loved us and LAYED down His life anyway.  I’m a sinner… I deserve a WHOLE lot more pain than Jesus got compared to the puny pain I complain about now everyday.  Wow I really do need that LONG walk with God… no quick fix would solve this problem in my heart, that’s for sure.