Writeous Living http://writeousliving.posterous.com Most recent posts at Writeous Living posterous.com Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:52:52 -0800 23 Reasons I've Been Ruined By God http://writeousliving.posterous.com/23-reasons-ive-been-ruined-by-god http://writeousliving.posterous.com/23-reasons-ive-been-ruined-by-god In my post, “9 Reasons Why I Used to Be a Christian” I listed reasons that motivated me to become a Christian. But those reasons were not enough to convince me that there was any significance or merit to the title, “Christian.” We can all think of people who call themselves Christians but are the biggest hypocrites we know. I’m sure we can also think of times where we ourselves have been hypocrites and the finger should’ve been or was pointed at us. We all mess up – but being a Christian isn’t about us. It’s about Christ – and His awesomeness (…what an inadequately inefficient and grammatically incorrect way to describe God. Apologies.) Today I give you reasons why I can’t follow anyone but Christ…how God has ruined me for anyone but Himself… whether or not that makes me a Christian is up to you…
  1. God loved me first and He’s never stopped (Isaiah 46:3).
  2. He gave me the choice instead of forcing me to love Him in return (Ephesians 2:4-5) (1 John 4:9-10, 19-20).
  3. He doesn’t determine His love for me based on how I treat Him (Psalm 130:7) (Isaiah 54:10).
  4. God is patient (1 Timothy 1:16)…a complete gentleman that never forces His way but always waits for my response.
  5. He doesn’t flip out on me when I mess up (Exodus 34:6) (Psalm 86:15) (Psalm 103:8) (Nahum 1:3).
  6. He forgives every mistake I’ve ever made – regardless of what it is (Numbers 14:18).
  7. His standards are perfection and yet (because of Jesus) He accepts progression instead. No matter how many times I fail Him, He still accepts me with open arms (2 Timothy 2:13) (Titus 3:4-5).
  8. He sees everything I do (Job 34:21) (Psalm 11:4) (Psalm 139:2-4) (Proverbs 15:3) (Hebrews 4:13) but…
  9. He also sees everything I go through (Psalm 10:14)… He doesn’t miss anything (Psalm 56:8).
  10. He knows me intimately…every single detail... (Psalm 139: 1) He even knows my name (Isaiah 43:1).
  11. He knows what I need (Matthew 6:8).
  12. He knows what’s coming up for me…He helps me prepare for it (Proverbs 3:5-6) (Jeremiah 29:11).
  13. He wants me to spend time with Him (James 4:8)…to come looking for Him so that He can show me who He is (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
  14. He doesn’t leave me when others seem to disappear (Hebrews 13:5) (Psalm 27:10).
  15. He hears me…He listens to what I say… (Psalm 6:8-9) (Psalm 116:1-2).
  16. He never has a weak moment (Isaiah 40:28) (Ephesians 1:19-20).
  17. He rescued me from a dead-end life (Ephesians 2:4-5) that caused me heartache, confusion and disappointment (Psalm 18:16-19).
  18. He fixes what I’ve ruined (Joel 2:25). Not because He has to…simply because He wants to.
  19. He took my place because He considers me a friend (John 15:12-15) (Revelation 3:20).
  20. He is the only Man who has always kept His word (Joshua 23:14b) (Psalm 33:4) (Psalm 146:6).
  21. He has never ever lied (Numbers 23:19) (Titus 1:2) (Hebrews 6:18).
  22. He’s not indecisive (1 Samuel 15:29).
  23. He doesn’t change…I can always count on who He says He is (Malachi 3:6).
I don’t need another obligation for my calendar. What I need is a Friend who is committed to me regardless of how I act because I am so wishy-washy. All of the reasons in the other post for being a Christian are very common – but the problem is that they are all me-focused rather than God-focused. Those are all reasons that I benefit from or that have to do with me receiving credit or recognition for doing something. But, it’s not about me – it’s never been about me. And that my friends, is the mistake we’ve made as the Body of Jesus Christ. We’ve misrepresented Him because we each want to be seen/heard. It’s not about us…not then, not now, not ever. The message of the cross is essential, but it is just a demonstration of the love that God has been consistently showing for generations. Eternal life isn’t just being spared from hell…it’s about getting to know the One who sacrificed it all to be with us. Unwarranted love. So romantic! God has ruined me by revealing Himself to me. How could I settle for being a “Christian” (as in my other post) when I have the opportunity to know Christ personally?

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Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:31:19 -0800 Keepin' It Real...24:7 http://writeousliving.posterous.com/keepin-it-real247 http://writeousliving.posterous.com/keepin-it-real247 Think about the biggest stressor in your life right now. Got it? Now, listen carefully – the thing you are most worried about may not be your biggest problem in life. In fact, the real "biggest" problem we face is something we’re usually least worried about…Wanna guess what it is? Here’s something to get you thinking…

We talk ourselves into loving someone within a matter of minutes - but we don’t have a clue how to love the One who loved us first – the One who has always loved us. We spend hundreds of dollars on clothes to make us feel attractive and feel like we belong – but we don’t know the One we belong to and we allow ourselves to remain distanced from Him. We can spend hours with someone we care about (or are interested in), but we only have a few minutes for Him before we need to get other “stuff” done. We have a list of things we’d like for Him to do but are unsure if we have time or if we would be willing to do what He asks. We get riled up at football games but worship with one eye open and sing between yawns.

Here it is, as real as I can be – Jesus Christ thought of me and all of the junk I've done to mess things up. His love was strong enough, and my sin was great enough to keep Him hanging on my cross. He gave up His life to put our behinds back in line, enabling us to keep walking forward with Him…even though we’re a mess. Oscar de la Renta can’t design something more beautiful than this and it’s something Bill Gates can’t afford to buy. My biggest problem isn’t finding a job or waiting for my husband to come and get me. My biggest problem is not being honest with myself or Him about my apathy…and I fear that many have fallen short alongside of me. It’s easy to become wrapped up in our daily struggles…but the biggest problem we face? Not knowing who He is. About the time we start feeling like we have a handle on our relationship with Him is about the time we need to be hitting the floor on our knees because we’re walking the tightrope of apathy. Jeremiah 24:7 says,

“I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.”

Praise God that we don’t have to try and get our act together on our own because I’d give up. He said He’ll give us the heart (the desire) – if only we recognize His place in our lives. I’m preaching to myself here… When you feel you’ve messed up too many times, or if you feel that your current circumstances are about to swallow you up – just remember to “keep it real,” 24:7. Let God put our priorities back in check.

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