Thoughts on a Saturday ...
In Galations 5 we have a list of the "fruits of the spirit" which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We may be told at times that we are to conquer all sin and reconstruct a personality to reflect being a Christian. Praise God it is to be so but ... What of us who are lacking in some of those "fruits" no matter how hard we try? E-gads! There goes that temper again! Know what I mean? How many of us bang our heads against the wall being what we are supposed to be? I know I have. OK, I'm kinda good at self control, but the patience thing? Oh my! Not all that kind at times ... joyful??? ... well ...
Ultimately I had to face the fact my entire reconstruction project of my personality is in ashes. Here is a quote by J. Heinrich Arnold I would like to share. ("It) is not a question of our own doing; it is a matter of making room for God so that He can live in us." Letting God do the doing as it were. I cannot be reconstructed ... But must be grown, day by day, month by month, year by year by Gods indwelling presence. You know the Holy Spirit which we are to bear fruit of. God is not wanting to work with a whole different personality ... He chose and created me! Same with all those other personalities in the human mosaic! "Our duty is to become more of ourselves, not less" - Thomas Merton.
Most of us know the Lazarus resurrection story in John 11. I came across a commentary on it that shows an aspect I never thought about. It goes like this:
"Put yourself in the place of Lazarus as you read (the story.) He's alive again but wrapped in binding cloths. He needs help getting free of them, Identify what binding cloths are wrapped around you, keeping you from being the fully alive person God intended."
Actually this is a picture of our own "resurrected lives" in Jesus. We're alive for sure, but we need help getting rid of those binding cloths, the garbage binding us. Once started I found I can make a rather extensive list of things binding me. Things such as guilt in several areas, old hurts I seem to lack the faith in God to heal, my stubbornness, *gasp* this renegade thing I have going. The list can go on ....
Yeah ... God wants us to be more of ourselves, not less. When I get to heaven I'm not going to be asked, "Why were you not like Moses," or Billy Graham, fill in any hero of the faith. I'm not gonna be any of those. But Tim, this rather flawed personality God Himself has chosen to dwell! Obviously, with infinite resources, God can assist any of us who are willing in that custom process to be more of ourselves ... Cutting the ties that bind. It begins with a trust/faith in God's best, and He will liberate our true selves, not bind it ... With/in all circumstances.
The journey continues ...
In Galations 5 we have a list of the "fruits of the spirit" which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We may be told at times that we are to conquer all sin and reconstruct a personality to reflect being a Christian. Praise God it is to be so but ... What of us who are lacking in some of those "fruits" no matter how hard we try? E-gads! There goes that temper again! Know what I mean? How many of us bang our heads against the wall being what we are supposed to be? I know I have. OK, I'm kinda good at self control, but the patience thing? Oh my! Not all that kind at times ... joyful??? ... well ...
Ultimately I had to face the fact my entire reconstruction project of my personality is in ashes. Here is a quote by J. Heinrich Arnold I would like to share. ("It) is not a question of our own doing; it is a matter of making room for God so that He can live in us." Letting God do the doing as it were. I cannot be reconstructed ... But must be grown, day by day, month by month, year by year by Gods indwelling presence. You know the Holy Spirit which we are to bear fruit of. God is not wanting to work with a whole different personality ... He chose and created me! Same with all those other personalities in the human mosaic! "Our duty is to become more of ourselves, not less" - Thomas Merton.
Most of us know the Lazarus resurrection story in John 11. I came across a commentary on it that shows an aspect I never thought about. It goes like this:
"Put yourself in the place of Lazarus as you read (the story.) He's alive again but wrapped in binding cloths. He needs help getting free of them, Identify what binding cloths are wrapped around you, keeping you from being the fully alive person God intended."
Actually this is a picture of our own "resurrected lives" in Jesus. We're alive for sure, but we need help getting rid of those binding cloths, the garbage binding us. Once started I found I can make a rather extensive list of things binding me. Things such as guilt in several areas, old hurts I seem to lack the faith in God to heal, my stubbornness, *gasp* this renegade thing I have going. The list can go on ....
Yeah ... God wants us to be more of ourselves, not less. When I get to heaven I'm not going to be asked, "Why were you not like Moses," or Billy Graham, fill in any hero of the faith. I'm not gonna be any of those. But Tim, this rather flawed personality God Himself has chosen to dwell! Obviously, with infinite resources, God can assist any of us who are willing in that custom process to be more of ourselves ... Cutting the ties that bind. It begins with a trust/faith in God's best, and He will liberate our true selves, not bind it ... With/in all circumstances.
The journey continues ...
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