"I've been reminded that it's okay to be weak because that's when God works in crazy amazing ways. I'm honored to serve an awesome, mighty God!"
Instantly, when I saw that I began to have a mini-shout in my head especially because of the first part of that statement. It's ok for me to be weak. I don't have to do it all. Thank God for that!
I recall that in my series about relationships (What's Goin On [part 1]) where I interviewed ladies on what annoyed them about me, one of the surprising things that popped up was that they don't like it when men try to fix everything. Sometimes they just like to vent to us. And if I'm going to be honest, that, as a man, as a man that loves to fix problems, shocked me. Actually, it kinda rattled me. But after hearing woman, after woman saying the same thing, I knew that it was a problem.
Now, when I look back on it, I'm thankful that ya'll don't expect us men to be Superman; it's ok to be Clark Kent! To be honest, I'd rather be Clark Kent than Superman. God is similar, but different at the same time. Let me explain what I mean:
There are over 600 Laws in the Old Testament (OT) that God gave the Israelites to follow which were transcribed through Moses. The reason for the amount of laws, is because that would be Israel's way to prove to God that they loved him. If they didn't follow the laws, God's wrath would be placed upon them (which happened PLENTY of times). However, if they did, God would bless them and keep them from harm. The problem is, they went through ebs and flows of doing the right thing, and then turning around doing the wrong thing. They would worship only God for 20 years, and then devote themselves to idols for five years. And that drove GOD crazy! (The book of Exodus articulates this topic a ton)
It not only drove God crazy, but it also broke his heart. He didn't want to see his people keep doing stupid self. It got to the point, that there was soo much blood on their hands, sin had stained their souls that it was basically irreversible. The only way to fix their faults was for a sinless man to be offered up a sacrifice.
Now, there wasn't a sinless man alive until God sent his only begotten son, Jesus into this earth. And let me tell you, Satan tried EVERYTHING in his power to blemish Jesus...butttt...it didn't work. When it all came down to it, Jesus took on the wrath of God, conquered the deepest depths of Sheoul (Hell) to wipe our slates clean and to set us free from the wrath of God.
Because of that, we no longer have to be perfect under the law. I'm hear to tell you that Christianity is not a set of do's and don'ts. It's not about who is the "better" Christian. It's not about legalism. It's about love.
God wants you to have a good time. But we have to keep in mind that every single commandment given to the Israelites also centered around one principle: love. Take a few of the 10 Commandments, Do not love other Gods (because God loves you, so why would you love others), Do not murder (murdering implies anger towards your neighbor, complete opposite of love), Do not commit adultery (cheating on someone is for one a selfish act that act isn't loving others as you love yourself). I can go on...and on.
But here's the thing. Yes, Christianity, following Jesus isn't about legalism. Because if it was....I would've failed a looooooonnnnng time ago and so would you have...don't front! BUT, when you commit yourself to love. When you commit yourself to God. Something changes. The Bible tells us that, "when you are in Christ, you are a NEW Creation, the old ways have become new." So, what does that tell me? It tells me that, when you fully devote yourself to God, there's no way you can possibly do all the stuff you used to do and it feels the same. There's a thing called the Holy Spirit that lives in us and that connects us to God and I don't know about you, but everrry once ina while, when I do something that I KNOW I shouldn't be doin, I get a little inner pull. Now I can choose to ignore that tug and then I have to repent, butttt I've learned that it hurts a heck of alot less to listen and concede to that pull than not.
I have a problem with "religious" people that have placed the myth in peoples heads that God wants to keep you in bondage. That God wants you to be boring. That God wants you to be unattractive to others. Nahhhhhhh! (I'm going to steal a line from Pastor Waller right here):
God doesn't want to keep you in bonds; He wants to keep you from going OUT-OF-BOUNDS.
He wants you to be safe in his arms. He doesn't want you to get hurt. You are his chilren'. Ya hear me?? That tug, that kick, that pull you get from the Spirit isn't anything but God saying, hold on, if you keep going down that road something negative might happen. It might not happen today, or tomorrow, or this year, but it will happen.
Despite all the warnings in the world we get. We still choose to go down the "bad" paths. And the amazing thing is that we aren't going to Hell for it. No one here is able to keep all 600+ rules faithfully to a teed. But, you can easily confess that you are a sinner and that you need to be saved, and instantly, that weight is lifted off your chest. I mean can you imagine trying to lift a 600lb barbell...I sure can't!
I'm so thankful that Jesus called to me when he said: "come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Ahhhh rest. A book I just finished called Disciples of a Godly Young Man sums this point up perfectly:
"God save us from the misery of such a system that sets up spirituality as a series of wooden laws and then says, 'If you do these six, sixteen, or sixty-six things, you will be godly ' Christianity godliness, is far more than a checklist. Being 'In Christ' is a relationship, and like all relationships it deserves disciplined maintenance, but never the 'shrink-wrap' of legalism." - pg. 175
Mistakes are made, we live through them, we learn from them, but we don't go to Hell just because of them. And I thank GOD for that!
--MJA
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