Auld Lang Syne - Part 2

Which is why seeking after God really does have to be a daily and even an hourly thing for us. Not for His sake – though He does really want a back and forth relationship with us but rather for ours. God wants to help us acquire the peace He has to give. He loves us! How often we forget that. Even more, we have trouble accepting it. God loves ME? But I have so many worts. I am such a pain and SO unlovable. God knows our faults. He knows our failings but He loves us. We are HIS children and like any good parent He loves us, no matter how much we disappoint Him. His fondest hope is that we will accept the wisdom He has to offer and will grow into the faithful, loving members of His family that He has called us to be.
Now – how do we get to know Him better with a schedule jam packed with stuff? Let me offer a suggestion. Reorganize your schedule. We have been told that we are to love the Lord with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. That being the case, there should be nothing more important in our day than taking time to seek Him. I have learned that any day that does not begin with me seeking His guidance and peace at the beginning is usually not nearly as good a day as when I start my day with prayer and seeking Him in scripture. Even if that means getting up 15 minutes earlier – I can guarantee you that those will not be wasted minutes. Maybe you have to cut out something else. It will be worth the loss – I guarantee it!
When I started writing this message I was having a terrible time getting started. I had all these ideas running around in my head and just could not settle down…and then it occurred to me: I never sought God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit. The first thought that came to my head was: IDIOT!! The second was: stop and talk to God – and so I did. I asked the Spirit to guide me and to settle my mind to deliver whatever message He wanted. I can tell you that within 10 minutes I was able to settle down and start writing.
Our God wants us to know Him better, because He loves us deeply and wants to help us get through the day and through our lives. Later in Romans we read: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. God wants us to know Him better, He wants to be happy and peaceful and He wants to make our lives better, where it counts – in our hearts.
Now, in the few short years in which I have begun to establish a relationship with the Father I have learned that if I ask – He will answer. Probably not in the way I expect or when I want Him to but He will answer. The problem with God’s answers is that as often as not, we don’t like or maybe don’t even understand the answer. Time and again in scripture we are called upon to respond to God’s grace with faithfulness and yes, even service.
Can I just say for a moment that just seems totally unfair! Oh wait, is that a childish thing to say? Probably, and yet I constantly find myself trying to ignore what God is saying to me because it is hard, or inconvenient. I don’t want to help other people – they scare me. I don’t want to take on this task – I might fail. I don’t want to have to go to that meeting; I would rather go home and just veg – I do not want to take that leap of faith, it’s totally imprudent and people will question my motives. Sound familiar at all?
God is not about convenience nor is he there to cater to our arrogance or ego. God is about faithfulness. God is about love. In fact, He loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to atone for our fallen nature and to renew relationship with Him - to create a new covenant. Now, a covenant is a contract and in every contract there are requirements and responsibilities for both parties. The funny thing about a contract based on love is that, if you are really committed to the principles laid out in the contract you find yourself doing your side of the bargain willingly and even eagerly. But there is a catch: You have to know the other party in the agreement. It’s hard to really meet the terms of any contract if you do not know the character or expectations of the other party. God already knows you – do you know God? Do you seek to know Him? That’s what He really wants, for you to know Him more intimately, more lovingly, more completely. And the more you know Him, the more you will love Him and the more you love Him the more you will love serving Him.
Love should be at the center of your most important relationships and this one should be a love unlike any other. All that we have we owe to God. In America we have a tendency to gloss over that part of the relationship. Sort of “Gee thanks for all the cool stuff God – what are you going to do for me next?” In many ways we have an extreme entitlement mentality in this country. I believe that we in America have developed this so much that even a little suffering causes us to blow things completely out of proportion.
I heard a story that I have not been able to confirm however, the story goes: Someone once asked her if we didn't face suffering in the US because we were a righteous nation. She replied, "Oh no, I'm afraid you're so wrong." They said, "What do you mean?" She said, "I don't think you suffer because I don't think you're worthy to suffer."
Think about that one for a while…You see, a little suffering causes you to reflect on the important things in life and also begins to show you where you should be focusing your energies. In James we are encouraged with these words: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him”.
I know about this. I have been out of work for 6 months and in that entire time I have tried to make sense out of the situation and about my own failings. What I have figured out is that my own arrogance and foolishness put me in the situation I am in. I believed that I deserved everything that I had gotten and in fact – I was owed plenty more. I was wrong. I deserve nothing. I have earned nothing that God did not give to me. It is only my own self centeredness that makes me believe I am somehow more special than others.