chapter 23 "poor smudges of paint..."

This morning, as I'm drinking coffee and listening to worship music, I read a devotional that spoke of God's artistry, workmanship and all around great talent in being God. It spoke of His purpose for our lives, and how He is not undecided in what that is. I've been asking the Lord lately what my purpose is, and as my brother very wisely (and quickly!) pointed out, His purpose is for me to be happy, truly. To travel, eat, pray, love, wander...and I am awed that the creator of this universe, created it just for me and just for you. For His glory, so that others can see it, so that others veils can be lifted and receive Him in their hearts.

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." |Degas

What I feel and what I felt this weekend when we were up at Broken Bow, OK was the unchanging truth that God is a big God. I was telling a friend that there's nothing quite like the mountains to make God bigness and man's smallness come into perspective.  And that He called me out of my darkness into His light fills me with joy.

"I am the work of your hands." |Isaiah 64:8

We're "poor smudges of paint" (C.H. Spurgeon), the reading said, that God uses to pour His grace into a dark World that desperately needs light to shine. The truth that I could be part of that light is daunting and exciting at the same time. What is my purpose?

When I am stirred to love someone, even in a small way, I see how awesome He is in creating me for that precise moment. That He would even consider me to carry out anything in His name is humbling. It fills my heart that whenever I say, "yes" to Him, He uses me to bless others.

When I say, "yes" to His promptings, His story is being told.

I'm thankful for that. So, so thankful. 

chapter 22 for freedom

Reading from a devotional tonight, I came across Galatians 3:23-29

"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to christ, that we might be justified by faith."

The law brought us to Christ. It show us our true nature and our need for a holy God to save us. In Christ, we're free from our nature because we receive His: Christ in us.

God calls us to freedom in His son, which means that before Christ, we were slaves to something else. We were held captive by the World and we served it. Now, in Christ, we're enslaved by His love that convicts us, moves us and makes us bold. We're a new creation. We no longer serve the World and its pleasures, we serve God almighty and He's good.

Who I am in Christ...is free. Free from my guilt and my anger, my frustration, stress, loneliness and sin. 

I confess I don't always live in this freedom; in fact, most of the time I go back to being enslaved all over again by who I used to be. I don't love like I should, like the Lord calls me to. I'm easily angered, frustrated and depressed.

If the life that resurrected Christ from the dead lives in me, why do I live like I myself died in that tomb but didn't come back to life?

"...for freedom christ has set us free." | Galatians 5:1

I don't want to live with a veil over my heart (2 Corinthians 3:15) when I know firsthand about the freedom I've been called to.

How can I talk to others about the freedom found in Christ, if I'm not living in it myself? How can I talk about Christ's love if I'm not loving others? The answer is, I can't. You can't pour out of an empty cup.

The Spirit fills our longings
for truth, freedom, love, joy

and pours grace over us
as we call out to a God
who calls us to freedom

whose very life is in us
Christ, the living God

Messiah

I'm praying for gentle reminders that in Christ I am free. I am free to love my family, friends, strangers...free to love myself.

for freedom.