Lessons learned the first 50 years

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I hit a milestone. I turned 50 years old. I am thankful that I don't feel 50.   I am thankful for things God has taught me throughout those 50 years. .  I have learned that God loves mercy and when I feel a sense that justice needs to happen over mercy, all I need to do is remember that I am thankful for when God gives me mercy instead of a just punishment.   (Micah 6:8 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.) ( Luke 6: 36  Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ) I have learned that hurt people end up hurting people.   When I am able to see that I didn't hurt them but I am bearing the results of that persons hurt inflicted by other people, it helps me forgive whatever hurt they pushed onto me and move on.  (Romans 12 : 18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. )  I have learned that anyone who thinks they have God

Carving us to look like Jeus...

I learned fairly early that God creating us to look like Jesus is often painful.    I had a lot of lies to undo..and time takes TIME.    Fairly early in my Christian walk, I acted like a spiritual 2 year old, I was often so hurt by the hurt God allowed that I didn’t want to talk to Him, I would pout... but where did that really leave me? On my own,  I had no truth, no real truth apart from God.....that can take away the despair.  Anyone can mask pain with over eating, over drinking, over spending, over sleeping, etc. There is no lasting comfort apart from God. I had to remember the truth… God required such intense suffering of His own perfect son..whom He loved... to accomplish a holy purpose,  and He had a purpose for me in the pain he allowed in my life... Of course the Bible tells what that purpose  is.... to make us look like Christ.

Look at this. A carver created a duck out of a block of wood.  How did he do that?  The carver said,  "It is easy...I just took off everything  that didn't look like a duck".    That is what God is doing with us. He is taking everything off of us that doesn't look like Jesus. It is painful and ...it is scary, but it is less scary when we truly believe we have a Loving Father..holding our hand in the dark and ........when we believe it  really isn't darkness to Him.

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