Monday, January 8, 2007, 05:34 PM
Our Legacy to others
We must listen to our own lives to know what to leave as a legacy to others. We must look at our past to see how we felt in certain failures, sins and situations. Look at the people around us to see how they responded to the right or wrong things we did or did not do. How did all of this make you feel?
I heard a preacher say, “What is stupidity?” His answer went something like this—it is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results the next time. Wisdom is changing our tac-tics and even maybe our life style. Wisdom is looking at our past and really seeing where we went wrong. Wisdom can be writing it all down and thinking about the changes that can be made to correct the bad results from the past mistakes. Wisdom is using it in a positive way to help others so that they will not fall into the same trap (if possible).
I have personally lived a stupid life. I continued to make the same mistakes for many years. I lived in the delusion that this time it would be different. This time it will work out as I desire. I look back and I see it only brought emotional heartache and pain every time. It has taken all of my life to see this. Now, what have I done with it? I am using it for the good of others. I am writing it down. I am living it. I am experiencing a freedom that I have never experienced before. My heart is full of joy. I am content.
What changed all of this? My continued growth in Jesus Christ changed it all. Did I have the ability to do it myself? No I did not. Yes, I could change a part of my life style and my attitude might improve to a certain degree but would I experience what I am experiencing now. No I would not be experiencing anything close to it. The reason is because this inner peace, joy, love and contentment does not come from my own desires, experiences or a conscious change in my attitude. What I have can only come from the Holy Spirit. God has been changing me for 30 years. I have been a Christian for about that long. And it has been a gradual growing up just as we do physically. Many Christians remain stagnate in their faith. The reason is that they do not come to know God but remain in their childhood condition. Many do not desire to do the will of God but to continue to do their own thing.
We have a tendency at times to view the failure of our loved ones as personal. All we can see is the hurt the person has caused us. What about the hurt we ourselves cause others and God? We are to lay our feelings aside and look at them. What do they cry out for? We may experience feelings of despair and helplessness. We will feel disappointment in their words or actions. But we must continue to focus on their need—not our need. They are the one crying out for help. Our need is that they act the way we want them to. Their need is that we forgive and love them. What would Jesus do? He forgave and loved.
There are always consequences for our sins and our wrong decisions. We all must pay for our mistakes. But to point a finger and say you did such and such to me puts them on the defensive and they will withdraw and then there is no help for them. If our desire is to help them then we must lay our personal pain aside and reach out to them. I started this paper saying it is stupid to repeat the same way of life and expect different results. If I point the finger and say you did this or that to me every time someone messes up I too am stupid and expecting positive results from my repetitious response to the person that has hurt me. I have been on the receiving and sending end as most of us have.
If we see the remorse and the hurt in someone they do not need an accusation. They are already feeling guilty enough. We need to encourage. They do not need a sermon. They need love and acceptance. They struggle inwardly. God can work in their lives to show them His heart when we respond to them in a compassionate and loving way. God works through us.
Self-esteem is extremely important when someone has failed so badly. A path of put downs will never get them on the right path. When there is evidence of remorse build them up with forgiveness, love, respect and comfort. They will remember this when they fail again and know that their self-esteem will not be attacked. We all fail—we all need encouragement to not fail. I have been stupid more times than I can count. I will be stupid again. But I am wiser now and I do pray that God will be my guide. And I always know that by the sacrificial blood of Christ I am forgiven. He washed me clean by taking all of my sins on the cross—past, present and future. I am free because of His unconditional love for me. We are all free when we know God’s saving Grace through Christ. We are to love unconditionally because Christ loves us un-conditionally. There is always payment for sins and wrong decisions but when there is remorse then we do not need to add to it. I do not want to be stupid and come down on them and expect the results to be different this time. Try a new way and show love and compassion and watch the results. This should be our legacy to others.
You can reach Nancy at:
Crossing the GAP
PO Box 384
Marshall, IL 62441
art@nancysgallery.com
Monday, January 1, 2007, 05:32 PM
God Reveals Himself
Faith is believing in something we cannot see. We cannot see God—but wait; I believe we can see God very clearly. To see someone in the flesh does not mean we know them. All we can see is there features, how they dress, walk and if we are related or close to them we will know their temperament, likes and dislikes. But most people are very secretive and they do not allow others to see deep into who they truly are.
When I look back at the people I have known down through the years I did not truly know most of them. Because they refused to open up to allow me to see their inner desires and needs. I just saw the surface or what they wanted me to see. I will have to admit to being the same way.
God wrote a book and even though the things of God are so much deeper then we can ever see on this earth—He still has revealed more to us then we are willing to reveal about ourselves. We can see Him in the beauty of this earth and in the laughter of our children. We can see Him in all things if we only look. But most of all God shows us who he is in His Book. He shows us His nature and His attributes. He not only tells us of His love for us in a very dramatic and real way but He also puts this love in our hearts. He shows us the nature of His love.
We also can see His judgments and the consequences of our sins against Him. He tells us in no uncertain terms our fate if we do not have faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for us. He tells us that we cannot obtain salvation by our own works but only through Christ.
When we walk hand and hand with Christ each day, God reveals Himself to us in personal ways. He fills us with Himself and that is what we call love. God is love and we cannot separate God’s love from God. When we care about God more then ourselves and our own personal desires He fills us up with Himself. When we actively work at not committing actual sin God will bless us with more of Himself. When we know that trying to be good enough is not for our salvation but is to the glory of God to be a witness to others God will work with us and never let go of our hand. We experience His closeness and His love in a very tangible way.
I do have faith in the things unseen about God. But by having this faith of the unseen things of God has filled me with His personal presence. (John 14:6, 7) The wonders of God are awesome and He in His love for us reveals so many of them to us. One translation of wonder is, “a cause of astonishment or admiration.” If our hearts, minds and souls are filled with astonishment and admiration for God we will know God very well—or at least as well as He will allow us to know Him. As we grow we come to know and to see Him at work in our lives in a very tangible way. We watch Him answer our prayers in a very unique and personal way.
A wonder filled life can belong to all Christians for the asking. Have you ask God to fill you with His wonder? Have you ask Him to show you His deeper inner self? If you do be ready to have a hunger for His word that will not let you rest. You will desire the things of God and you will gain wisdom and insight into who He is. He will do this by His Holy Spirit living in you and God will have you in tears of the pure joy of knowing Him and loving Him and desiring Him above everything else. This wonder filled life will not be hidden under a basket but it will reach out to others and fill them so that they in turn will reach out to others because of us. It is the character and the attitude of God that will reach out to others. It does not come from us; it comes from the Holy Spirit living in us. He is filling us up with God’s unconditional love.
Am I special because God has allowed me into His inner most chambers of His personality and character? Yes, I am. Are you special? Yes you are. We are all special to God. But we must take advantage of God’s free offer of living a life that is pleasing to Him. This life is righteousness. Does this mean we have to be sinless; no it does not because we are sinful. Righteousness believes that Christ took all of our sins on the cross and set us free of them. We are totally forgiven and God wants us to see the wonder of this beautiful gift. He wants us to always look at Him for all things. He wants to be the center of your universe so that we can be all that He desires for us to be.
You can reach Nancy:
Crossing the GAP
PO Box 384
Marshall, IL 62441
art@nancysgallery.com
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