Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Getting through the day



Be honest. How many times have you read this, and smiled?  It is a joke and meant to be funny but there is also a lot of truth here!

We all do this. We keep score. We think we need to make sure we are measuring up to some mark on the holy wall of our hearts, church, Bible study or family.  We think: so far so good.  We forget that good, no matter HOW GOOD falls short. EVERY TIME.


Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

No matter how hard we try to be good we will fail.  Human kind left being good behind a long time ago.  HOWEVER we have not left DOING GOOD behind at all.

Titus 3:6-8 NIV

whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

Devote themselves to doing what is good. Not being good.  There is a world of difference there my dear brothers and sisters.  Neither is possible without God's grace. God's love. God.

Don't quit when you think you aren't being good at something.  Concentrate on doing good with the talents God has blessed you with.

I admit I struggle with this.  I am a human being not a human doing and yet God wants me to stop worrying about the being part and prayerfully and with grace work on the doing part.  Why?

Because being good, being holy, being right isn't going to get us one step closer to heaven. Not an inch. And it doesn't bring anyone else closer either.  UNLESS WE ARE BEING GOD'S CHILD DOING GOOD HIS GOOD.  Not our good. His good.

When you want to quit, give up, stop trying ask yourself this: is this because I think I am not good enough or am I not doing enough good?

When we do good things with grace and God's love shining through us we show others living grace, living good that draws them closer to God. Not closer to us.  If we are good, how does that draw people to God instead of to us?  

Don't be like me! Please. If sarcasm became unavailable I'd be stuck doing interpretive dance some days to communicate.  I'm short tempered, I get down, really really down.  I lose my cool. I forget to put God first and see things through the eyes of grace.

I am a very fallible human being, however, I am also a grace covered, faith filled redeemed doer of all the Good I am able to for God.  And some days that doing of good is getting through the day being a Godly wife and mother.  For a few minutes at a time. With prayer breaks.

I want you to be encouraged though. God blesses us with gifts and talents we can use to do good for Him.  They don't have to be great or grand. They don't have to be all day, every day.  They just have to be His, just as we have to be His.

The best days are the ones where I can surrender my being to His doing.  When I can step back and say, "Okay Lord, one step at a time let's do this!" instead of me saying, "Check this out God, I got this!"

I am learning, slowly some days so so slowly, that when I don't get distracted by the dark whispers of the devil telling me who I am and I dwell, instead, on what my Lord wishes me to do the days are better. Even the hard ones are better because I put Him first.

What are your thoughts and experiences on this?  Share and pray together won't you?  

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