Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Being Changed by Love

God doesn't have to guilt trip you to make you change your behavior. Romans 2:4 says it is His kindness that leads us to change our minds for the better. You never have to feel guilty about anything you've done. But understand having empathy, sympathy, hurting feelings, etc for someone you've hurt isn't guilt, its compassion. Guilt & shame are when you turn in on yourself & make everything you do wrong about you & your goodness or performance instead of it being about anyone else. It is also when you feel like you've lost favor with God because of what you've done.

Titus 2:11-12,14 says, "God's love for us trains us to reject godless ways & worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. His love for us makes us eager to do what is good. He gave Himself for us to restore us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people who belong to Him as His very own dearly loved children."

God doesn't change us by demands, punishment, & guilt. He changes us by walking with us in love. If you're evaluating your life as to what you should change about yourself you need instead to listen to God for what He wants to change first. He knows you may need to learn things & unlearn other things before you could ever be ready to legitimately stop behaving certain ways.

So don't approach your life as, "that's a sin, I need to stop doing that sin." Instead ask God everyday, "What do you want to do with me today Lord?" And don't assume what He always wants to do with you will involve making you sin less often. We can have a rich journey with God but we limit the richness by our beliefs, assumptions, & expectations.

God holds nothing against you (2 Corinthians 5:19) so don't hold anything against yourself. Consider yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11), that means you stop keeping track of sins (dead men can't count) & just focus on being alive to God by listening to Him & talking to Him. "Trust in God at all times. Pour out your heart before him." (Psalm 62:8)

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