As
I sat down to write a prayer letter this week, I couldn't help but be
overwhelmed with gratefulness to God. He's been so good to me this year and
every year. Yet, how many times have I forgotten Him or doubted His
goodness? He is so precious indeed!
This
morning, I awoke with hymns and verses about the awesomeness of God running
through my head. I felt like I had a personal invitation into the throne room
of God. (Of course, we always can approach God boldly, but this was different,
this was special.) So, I rolled over, opened my locker and grabbed my Bible.
Where to start? Lately, God’s had me
reading a Psalm and Proverb a day, a chapter in Leviticus, and a chapter in
Mark. At first I thought it rather
random, but the Lord began to put the pieces together for me.
Starting
in Leviticus, I began reading in chapter 17. For the last few days, God has
been telling His people laws on cleanliness and sacrifices.
It amazes me that people actually lived and were able to do anything right according to those laws. I don’t think I would last a day without messing up somewhere! Then again, the whole point was that they would be separate from the other people around them.
This chapter in particular was on blood. Blood is life. Therefore, God commands His people not to eat it or drink it. Anyone who killed an animal and shed its blood was unclean.
Yet the priests did it every day. It was their “job.” (And Jesus became unclean for me, shedding His blood so I could have redemption.)
Flipping to Psalms, I read chapter 78. The chapter started with an exhortation to share God’s work and Word with the next generation, and then expounded on the unfaithfulness of His people. God did so much for them, and yet they forgot Him.
All those rules, all those sacrifices, and they still somehow forgot about God… hmm.
Proverbs 19 (I had the wrong day, but oh well, God knew.) had a few verses that seemed to jump out at me, and I underlined key words. “He that keepeth the commandment keepeth His own soul…” and “The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied…”
But, the Israelites kept all those commandments and somehow were still not satisfied. They must have missed the point.
I was beginning to see, and was excited about the chapter in Mark that I was yet to read. Chapter 14 is where Jesus spends time in the garden with His disciples. He tells them that they will run, and that Peter will deny Him three times.
Peter was a Jew. He had trained personally with Jesus for three years. What happened? He surely knew God’s commands.
Then it struck me like a lightening bolt.
The
Lord gave one law “Thou shalt love the Lord with all your heart…” However, He
knew how easy it would be to get distracted, to desire to be satisfied from the
allures of the world, so He gave more laws to the people. These were merely
guidelines to keep them looking and living for Him. The whole point is that
they were to be working so hard loving Him by doing ________ that that WAS
their life. They didn’t have time for anything else. Others, looking on, say, “wow.
They must really love their God.”
Yet,
just as I do so many times, they got tired of the duties because they quit
truly loving the Lord. True love obligates. In leaving off the first command,
the others were empty bondage. They were
not satisfied, so they began to look other places. Surely there was more to
life than seeking to please God…
And
so, I found myself, with Peter. I’ve been raised in a godly home. I’ve been
given all the tools. Yet, how many times do I forget God and leave Him because
it is all emptiness. It becomes an
embarrassment to share about Christ.
Sometimes, I even deny Him in certain areas of my life.
Why
is it that am I not satisfied????
I
forgot THE commandment. Lord, I love you! Help me to seek You more; -with ALL
my heart, my soul, and my strength, so that I am IN LOVE with you. May I be so
passionately in love with You, that it changes my life and the lives of those around
me. Don’t let me lose sight of the purpose of the Christian life.
True Love
This
week has been filled with amazing things. I can’t even begin to tell you of all
of the workings of my Jesus, because some of them “have not yet been released”
to the public. However, I can say, I am thankful.
Through
all the trials, tests, and tumults of life, God has always been faithful. He has brought me out of the miry clay and
set my feet on a rock. He has given me
supportive family and friends. He has loved me with an everlasting love. He has entrusted me with His work here in
Taiwan.
What
more can I say?
Thank
You Jesus!!!
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