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)
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
What Do You Mean "How Do I Grow?"
The Christian life is better lived by God displacing than by our disciplining. The more we know God's love the more that love takes the place of our unloving ways. We live out of the overflow of His kindness towards us. Discipline forces us to use our own strength & own knowledge (which is often wrong) to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps to be Christlike. Truth is, the only way to be Christlike is to like Christ. The more time you spend liking Christ the more like Him you'll become. The more time you spend trying to be like Christ the more you'll become like any given person practicing any given religion.
"It is the loving kindness of God towards us that trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. The loving kindness of God towards us makes us eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:12)
Most change is effortless but almost no change is instant. When effort is required we've already been fully equipped by standing on the firm foundation of His love for us. That type of change will be hard but if we are equipped with His love we will not be afraid.
Most change is growth. What do you have to do to grow? Nothing, it is a natural process of life. God is Life. My baby daughter doesn't have to do anything to grow, her mommy & daddy take care of everything she needs to keep her growing. Oh that we would trust God our Daddy to do this for us! Babies & children grow by watching what their mothers & fathers do. How did Jesus live His life? In John 5:19-20 He said, "I only do what I see my Father doing." SURPRISE!
The problem with Christians today is that they've effectively been kidnapped by an orphanage (the institutional church). In that orphanage they are told that their Father will only show up if they are really good all the time & make almost no mistakes. If they do make mistakes they have to send Him apology letters (confess their sins to Him/repent). The orphanage blinds the children to their Father's presence & personality. They are taught that even when He does show up He only comes to "visit" for a little while. Don't believe me? Then ask yourself when the last time you've heard yourself or someone you know pray "God be with us.."
"It is the loving kindness of God towards us that trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. The loving kindness of God towards us makes us eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:12)
Most change is effortless but almost no change is instant. When effort is required we've already been fully equipped by standing on the firm foundation of His love for us. That type of change will be hard but if we are equipped with His love we will not be afraid.
Most change is growth. What do you have to do to grow? Nothing, it is a natural process of life. God is Life. My baby daughter doesn't have to do anything to grow, her mommy & daddy take care of everything she needs to keep her growing. Oh that we would trust God our Daddy to do this for us! Babies & children grow by watching what their mothers & fathers do. How did Jesus live His life? In John 5:19-20 He said, "I only do what I see my Father doing." SURPRISE!
The problem with Christians today is that they've effectively been kidnapped by an orphanage (the institutional church). In that orphanage they are told that their Father will only show up if they are really good all the time & make almost no mistakes. If they do make mistakes they have to send Him apology letters (confess their sins to Him/repent). The orphanage blinds the children to their Father's presence & personality. They are taught that even when He does show up He only comes to "visit" for a little while. Don't believe me? Then ask yourself when the last time you've heard yourself or someone you know pray "God be with us.."
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