Isaiah 38
17 Behold, it was for my welfare
that I had great bitterness;
but in love you have delivered my life
from the pit of destruction,
for you have cast all my sins
behind your back.
And I love that verse. In love God has rescued me. From the pit of destruction, from a pit I could not rescue myself out of, no one could rescue me out of--he has delivered my life--in love.
I love the imagery too; for you have cast all my sins behind your back. Isn't that beautiful? God picked up my sins, yes, they were horrid, yes, they were putrid, yes, they were awful, and he just threw them all behind his expansive, eternal, to big to imagine back. And no matter how hard I may look for them again, I'm not going to get them back....And another completely comforting thought--God will never ever turn his back to me.
He does all of this in love guys. because of love. Beautiful. Eternal. Pervasive. Never-ending. Perfect. Scandalous. Love.
I think we've wandered away from this simple, beautiful truth. I think we've mucked up the waters. I think we've stopped coming to God as a little child. We're so obsessed with finding out how to live this "Christian" life and figuring out stuff about God; when God just wants us to sit in his lap and talk, He wants you to get to know him, not just more about him. He wants us to slow down. pull back. and just enjoy him. Just go climb in his lap, rest your head on his chest and just know that he's got you.
"Oh but no Ming! God wants me to go to church every Sunday, he wants me to have a quiet time everyday, he wants me to serve in the gift wrap outreach! You haven't got your theology right somewhere! Are you sure you have your doctrine all lined up??"
No. I'm not sure that I have my doctrine and theology all nicely tied up in a neat little box with a bow on it. I don't have this all figured out yet, and honestly I hope I never think I have it all figured out-because the day I think I have this all figured out would be the start of walking a dangerous road for me.
Now I'm not saying that having quiet time, going to church, serving at the gift wrap outreach, are wrong things to do, they are great things to do! I love reading my Bible, I love church, I enjoy serving, and I pray constantly. I'm just saying God isn't psyched when you do if you aren't doing it because you just desparately love him. Does that make sense?
Micah 6
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
This is what my God wants. For me to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with him.
Hosea
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
I just was reading this verse this morning when something stuck out to me that I'd never thought about before.
This is what God desires, the knowledge of God. Not the knowledge about God...I don't know, maybe it's nothing, but a knowledge of God I think is different than knowledge about God.
You know what I find so...mind boggling about my God though? Is that even when I doubt his love, even when I question "is really there?" even when I don't do justice, I don't love kindness, I don't walk humbly with him, I don't have a steadfast love, and I don't have a knowledge of God--even then He is loving me out of the pit of my own destruction. Even then is he casting his love about me to draw me out.
No it doesn't make sense.
See you can't put a box about that, you can't put limits and expectations on a love like that.
You can't put a box around a God who would send his only Son to die for the world--in love for us.
For God so loved the world.
That's good news.
I know I've said this before--but I pray this never ever gets old to me.
Anyways goodmorning. =)
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