Monday, April 10, 2017

Just Who Am I Kidding?

Hey Friend,

As Easter approaches, the words of writer friend, Shannan Martin, echo in my mind.  "I am laying bare my inadequacies and wrapping them in the hope of salvation."

News Flash:  God is not after our tidiness, but He's after our holiness.

I admit to, many times, trying to "tidy up" my soul to impress God.  I don't know who I'm trying to fool because God can't be fooled, yet I try.  I will do all the right things - read His Word, pray, give thanks, but I think what God wants is for us to lay our incomplete-sinful-I'm-not-fooling-anyone lives before Him and ask Him to wash and scrub us clean in the blood of His Son.  

So...what am I offering to God this Easter?

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.  So do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.  (Romans 12: 1-2)

So what does this mean exactly?

Let's break it down....

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.  In this verse sacrifice means "offering".  In a way this verse is an oxymoron because usually ancient sacrifices meant killing something and offering the dead animal up to God, but here it says He wants us to be living sacrifices...to offer up our lives while we are still living. In other words - giving our whole life to Him

Present you bodies as "holy".  Here holy is "hagios" in the Greek which means "acceptable to God....devoted to the Lord."  Under "holy" words like "consecrated" and "sanctified" are used.  Consecrated, has in it the root "sacred" which means to be set apart from the unclean.  Sanctification also has this idea of separation and dedication.

We are set apart for God's use in acceptable service to which we are to be dedicated. 

So, in addition to my tidy work of reading His Word, and praying, and attempting to do good works, have I given God what He really wants?

Have I "laid bare my inadequacies".  Have I come to God's altar and said, "God you know my sins and my failings, but HERE, I give it ALL to You.  I can't fool you, so here I am sins, stains, flaws, failings and all.  I want you to scrub me and make me clean; set me apart, let me be dedicated only unto You, and USE me in YOUR service."  

If I really want to get dangerous and open myself up, I will pray Psalm 139: 23-24:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Do I want God peering in all the dirty crevices of my heart?  Just who am I kidding?  He knows it all anyway, but He is waiting for me to open up, invite Him in, lay myself completely bare in front of Him.  No more hiding.  No more striving.  No more tidying up my life to make it presentable to Him.  Why? Because that's not the definition of holy.

So what's at stake if we are not laid bare and made holy?  

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD.  (Hebrews 12:14)

God, being the awesome God He is, does not call us to be holy without giving us the way to be made holy. 

He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.  (2 Timothy 1:9)

God gives us the Way to be holy, consecrated, sanctified....He gave us Jesus. He gave the ultimate sacred offering that washes and scrubs us clean in the blood of Jesus the lamb.  By His grace and mercy He makes us clean and holy.  He's done the hard part.

So now what does He ask?

Present your (made holy by me bodies) as a living sacrifice to me.  This is the ultimate act of worship.  - God

Lay yourself before me.  Give me all of yourself and in doing so, others will see me too.  

What are you giving God this Easter?  What keeps you from laying it all before Him?  What will God do if you bring Him all your junk?  What have you got to lose?  What do you stand to gain?  Why is your life, being made holy, so crucial?

Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you that you love us for the ragamuffins that we are.  You already know our sins and weaknesses, yet you still invite us to come to you - come just as we are.  Give us the strength in our weakness to lay ourselves bare before you, so that in doing so, you can cleanse us and make us holy.  Then, let us present our lives as living sacrifices to you - set apart and dedicated to doing Your will. Thank you for Easter and for the ultimate gift of salvation.  God you are awesome and we/I praise You!  In Jesus name, Amen.

Be blessed.....and PLEASE pray for our school in the Middle East this Easter. Last year they were rocked by bombings.  There have already been attacks in Egypt...put a hedge of protection around your sons and daughters we pray. 

18 comments:

  1. Thanks for this encouragement. It is easy to fall into thinking we have to tidy ourselves up before we come to God, but it's so reassuring to know that we can come as we are, that it is God who makes us holy and not our own efforts.

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    1. Lesley,
      You comment reminds me of the hymn, "Just As I Am" ....Just as I am, I come. What a wonderful reassurance that we don't have to tidy up and get our act together first. Great reminder that God is the author and perfecter of our faith - thanks!
      Blessings,
      Bev xx

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  2. Bev, I keep being reminded these days that vulnerability with God is really a no-risk proposition. He is completely safe, and worthy of my trust. Thanks for that great quote from Shannan Martin. So timely!

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    1. Michele,
      Safe - it's taken me a long time to truly trust that God is for me and won't be evaluating me with a passes/fails checklist. We can be completely and utterly vulnerable before Him (He knows it all anyway), but desires that we come before Him to receive His grace and mercy. I loved Shannan's quote. It's obviously stuck with me!
      Blessings,
      Bev xx

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  3. Aww! This was food for my soul today. You certainly challenge us to lay it all down to God but you take us through it step by step and it is manageable. My biggest downfall is the complete surrender to God. I can give away part of me but all of me??? Not so sure due to my controlling personality. Thank you for causing me to reflect and dig deeper into myself.

    I am praying for the students of Redeemer Christian. I try not to get sucked into the news too often because it makes me anxious but the spread of hatred, anger and discrimination continues. I pray you and your family have a peaceful Easter. Love you friend!

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    1. Mary,
      I, too, like to be in control (are we ever totally in control?) and it causes this push me pull you effect with God. I lay it all down, but then moments later, I will take it back up again. Praying for us both that we can lay ourselves bare before Him and know the power of His love and purpose this Easter.
      Blessings sweet friend,
      Bev xx

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  4. YES!!!!!!!! Love this Bev!! So glad I was your neighbor today at Holley's. God bless you!

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    1. Meg,
      So glad you were my neighbor too - love seeing your pretty face here! Glad you found encouragement!
      Blessings,
      Bev xx

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  5. This is a message I need to hear often: "God is not after our tidiness, but He's after our holiness." I know it in my head, but I need to remember it in my heart. Have a blessed Easter, Bev!

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    1. Lisa,
      I am the queen of trying to tidy up my life, but that's not what God wants. He just wants me giving all of the sinful person that I am to Him. Praying we'll all take ourselves to Him and let Him do the transforming.
      Easter blessings,
      Bev

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  6. Beautifully said, Bev. Our attempts at perfection and tidiness don't begin to satisfy the criterion of holiness. What peace is found in putting it all down and wrapping ourselves in the holiness He's bought for us. Happy Easter, friend. ((xoxo))

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    1. Brenda,
      Amen! Only He can make us holy - fit to be in His presence. Celebrating this weekend what He did for us out of His awesome love. I love how you said that peace is found when we wrap ourselves in the holiness He bought for us...beautiful!
      Blessings sweet friend,
      Bev xoxo

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  7. I, too, appreciated that statement: "God is not after our tidiness, but He's after our holiness." Praise God for his transforming work that grows us into the holy likeness of Christ day by day--from ragamuffins to righteous ones, the moment we see him face to face (1 John 3:2-3)! Thank you, Bev, for such an inspiring message as Easter approaches.

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    1. Nancy,
      Thank you as always for your sweet encouragement! That hit me too - about God being after our holiness and not our self-manufactured tidiness. Joining you in praising God for His transforming work that grows us in the holy likeness of Christ. Oh, what a great God we have.
      Blessings sweet friend,
      Bev xx

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  8. He is risen indeed!

    Have a wonderful Easter celebration, Bev ...

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    1. Thanks Linda,
      I hope you had a joyous and blessed Easter as well!
      Bev xx

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  9. Wonderful thoughts! And praise God that He doesn't expect us to clean ourselves up, but humbly come before Him and allow Jesus to wash us with His blood and make us clean, sanctified and set apart for His glory!

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    1. Christin,
      Yes, humbly come before Him and He will wash us clean in the blood of the sacrificial lamb. I love your thought that we are set apart for HIS glory (not ours)! Amen.
      Blessings,
      Bev xx

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