I'm finding that as I have gotten more intimate with God he has revealed to me more and more his plans for my life. That is truly so exciting because I was not one who always felt a certain call on her life or who just knew what she would be best at doing. Career wise or kingdom wise. As I get closer and closer to walking in my purpose I have become emphatically aware of just how much I don't deserve any of it. It is an honor to be used of God and I am just plain not worthy. That knowledge has caused me to be in a place where I have been noticing the flaws in myself even more. I'm talking about those ugly things about yourself that you only tell to the person or persons closest to you. And some that you don't even tell them. Yeah....those! The ways of thinking you have, the prideful tendencies, the insecurities within yourself that cause you to be critical of others. To sum it up in a word...the flesh! Those have been fresh on my mind lately. I am constantly crying out for the Lord to change my heart. That is one thing that I am thankful for and can clearly recognize: If we are truly seeking after God, the awareness of our flaws will keep us on our faces in prayer. The thing that came to mind today as I was thinking on these my many flaws was that I should not allow them to cause me to be in condemnation. Yes I am flawed, but I am also forgiven. As long as I present these issues to God with a willingness and desire to be changed I believe that it will be well. That doesn't mean that all things will magically disappear, but I do believe that whatever He doesn't change He will give me the strength to bear.
I have had this post in edit for several weeks lying in wait to be completed. My pastor preached a sermon a few Sundays back that spoke to some of these issues. It really was and is always a blessing when you hear confirmation for your revelations from different sources. I was reminded in a new way that although I am messed up, although I do sin God will pick me up, dust me off , and he will use me.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
God Rejects the Imperfect Sacrifice
In my reading time today I was reading the book of Malachi where God was unhappy with the priests because they had begun to allow the the people of Israel to offer less than perfect animals to sacrifice. They were offering blind, lame and sick animals. God had previously made it clear the type of sacrifice that was acceptable to him. "If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation of the Lord." Lev. 1:3
The sin in neglecting to do this demonstrated a complete lack of regard for God's wishes by offering him what was convenient to them. They obviously had a greater desire for the perfect animals than the imperfect animals and chose to hold on to those rather than be obedient to God. I guess they figured that offering something was better than offering nothing. In essence they just gave God their leftovers.
Well that made me think. How often is it that I give God my leftovers? Whether it be of my time in prayer, time in the Word, or even sharing his Word with others. I must admit that I am guilty of offering up blind and lame animals on the altar, and just like the Israelites might have thought, I considered it "better than nothing".
Now this may be true since we are now under grace and not under law, but the truth of this story still remains.
If I say I love God why is he always getting the few moments I have left in my day, or the few minutes I have in between doing this and that? Shouldn't I honor God above all else? Shouldn't you?
When I think about my day and the time I could be spending with God as opposed to doing other insignificant things it's astounding, but even that thinking is flawed because I am attempting to fit God into my life as opposed to fitting my life around my time and relationship with God.
I recently attended a car seat safety training at my job and as the instructor taught us all that we needed to know on the subject ( or at least all that she could cram into an hour) she advised that when purchasing a car seat that we should not spare any expense. She did also advise to staying within one's budget but with this she gave nugget of wisdom that changed my whole way of thinking on the subject. She made mention of how many families spend astronomical amounts of money on cribs, changing tables, and strollers while they are only willing to spend a fraction of those costs on a car seat. Being that the car seat is the one thing that is used for its safety features it would probably be wise to spend a bit more money on that and a little less on the stroller or changing table.
When she put it that way it totally changed the way I would prioritize in that situation. It is of utmost importance that I step back and look at how I have prioritized my life. I have been breaking the bank on buying strollers and changing tables while spending mere pennies on my car seat. God is the ONLY thing that can sustain me. I have to consider Him before all else.
The sin in neglecting to do this demonstrated a complete lack of regard for God's wishes by offering him what was convenient to them. They obviously had a greater desire for the perfect animals than the imperfect animals and chose to hold on to those rather than be obedient to God. I guess they figured that offering something was better than offering nothing. In essence they just gave God their leftovers.
Well that made me think. How often is it that I give God my leftovers? Whether it be of my time in prayer, time in the Word, or even sharing his Word with others. I must admit that I am guilty of offering up blind and lame animals on the altar, and just like the Israelites might have thought, I considered it "better than nothing".
Now this may be true since we are now under grace and not under law, but the truth of this story still remains.
If I say I love God why is he always getting the few moments I have left in my day, or the few minutes I have in between doing this and that? Shouldn't I honor God above all else? Shouldn't you?
When I think about my day and the time I could be spending with God as opposed to doing other insignificant things it's astounding, but even that thinking is flawed because I am attempting to fit God into my life as opposed to fitting my life around my time and relationship with God.
I recently attended a car seat safety training at my job and as the instructor taught us all that we needed to know on the subject ( or at least all that she could cram into an hour) she advised that when purchasing a car seat that we should not spare any expense. She did also advise to staying within one's budget but with this she gave nugget of wisdom that changed my whole way of thinking on the subject. She made mention of how many families spend astronomical amounts of money on cribs, changing tables, and strollers while they are only willing to spend a fraction of those costs on a car seat. Being that the car seat is the one thing that is used for its safety features it would probably be wise to spend a bit more money on that and a little less on the stroller or changing table.
When she put it that way it totally changed the way I would prioritize in that situation. It is of utmost importance that I step back and look at how I have prioritized my life. I have been breaking the bank on buying strollers and changing tables while spending mere pennies on my car seat. God is the ONLY thing that can sustain me. I have to consider Him before all else.
Who Am I?
When introducing ourselves we usually want to put our best foot forward, only telling the best parts of ourselves, but that can be dishonest. At the same time do we really want to put all of our flaws in people's faces before we even know if we can trust them not to judge us harshly? Well of course, as with anything, there is a balance that can be stuck. I am going to attempt this as I explain to you exactly who I am.
My name is of no significance although it's no secret. I am a woman of 29 years, a wife of almost 10 years, and a mother to 3 beautiful girls. I am a God fearing Christian who wholeheartedly believes in the Bible. I currently work a full time job at a residential facility for pregnant teens as well as homeschooling my daughters.For quite some time I have wanted to study to become a sign language interpreter. I have a great passion for girls without fathers and a desire to learn new ways to minister to them.
Now for the real stuff. I am a major procrastinator. I have HUGE time management issues. I am the queen of inconsistency and I tend to be just plain lazy. Now these few sentences do not contain all my flaws, but they do contain the ones that I believe prevent me from being all that God would have for for me to be.
This blog is simply put, an online journal of my thoughts that happens to be open for all to see. With that said, please know that I am not a theologian or a scholar. I am just a servant who desires to know God more intimately.
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