When you truly give your life to the Lord he opens your eyes to just how vile and wretched you really were without him. In a way I do believe this "tactic" is to show you this was you for a lengthy period of time. Needless to say that when the Lord showed me myself it was more than I thought I could bare at the time. I went through a whole lot of growth changes this year and the first thing after giving my life to the Lord was time to face the music. I had to face me in all its "glory"....well lack there of so to speak.
I saw just how mean, selfish, evil, cold, damaging and complacent I really was. I was a liar, a thief, a cheater, a manipulator and everything else Gal 5:19-20 talked about. I just saw how my heart was damaged and needed replacement. Not mending but replaced. When I got on my knees and prayed I quoted Psalms 51:10 - create in me a clean heart Lord and a renew in me a right spirit. I wanted to be so bad that I begged him to give it to me. I wanted to not be anything close to what I was before.
True change can happen and true change can last, but it has to be given up to God. You can try and do it yourself and you will find out just how hard it is to maintain when you do it by your own strength and will. like it says in Luke 22:42 - ...not by my will but but yours be done.
God showed me mercy. Even all that I just explained to you who i was, he still showed me mercy. when people think of mercy you think of a judge passing judgment on you...No different. Imagine you are standing in front of God, the creator of the heavens and the earth, and you got this horrendous track record of sin on you. And the Lord looks at you slams his gavel down and says "Case dismissed, you are free to go" THAT'S MY GOD RIGHT THERE!!!
Even when I did not deserve freedom and another chance, he gave it to me. His mercy on my life gave me another chance to get it right. And trust me I have went back to the Lord several times before half-hearted. He not just the God of another chance, but the God of another and another and another and another.....His love is endless and it is not based on if we love him back. So why not love this entity this God this creator of life. Why not give your life to him. We are clearly ants compared to God and yet he raises us up like his own children.
God is a just God and since he pardons us for our sins when we come to him, we should give our all to him. Ill tell you what...people say they don't believe in God because he let certain things happen and they can't see serving a God that does that. I say to you this
For one read Isaiah 55:8-9 and after that read Psalms 7:11; Psalms 1:6; Psalms 1:5 - now you can just mouse over any scripture in my blog and it should take you to the text. I put these here to make a point. God is not a fan of sin at all right? Now you are reading the text for yourselves so you know that is the case. So if God hates sin that means he would more than likely turn away from sin and all that do sin correct? So you say I am not serving God because he lets children die that have never had a chance, or nations get wiped out; those people have not sinned have they?
I say to you this, that for one in the book of JOB, Job never sinned and on the outside looking in he was punished by losing everything. His family, home, wealth even his friends and wife turned against Job. But saw that we was faithful and so he didn't put Job through all of that for Job to feel separated fro God but to bring him closer. After the test was done, Job was blessed double all he had. This is no story this is an account in the book of Job. His example of staying faithful to God was not in vain. Yes he lost much, but because he stayed true to God and did not run away from him or curse God, he was blessed.
Is that a hard pill to swallow when we as humans want it our way and we want to understand it our was....YES. but in this instance the point is we are on this earth for God's purpose and not our own. Until you are ready to surrender to that you will never get it.
Second thing I wanted to stress about since you said you won't serve God because he let's too much happen. You read the scriptures posted above right? So once again you know God hates sin and wants no part of sin itself right? You are ok will God punishing sinners right that kill, steal, murder, cheat right. Well lets be 100% clear shall we. No man is perfect, no man/woman is pure and holy as Christ is now and when he walked the earth. So know that, that means each and every last one of US has sinned. If we all have sinned, big or litte (because remember all sin is sin) 1 John 5:17, then that means we all deserve death. We all deserve to die and perish and get that one way ticket to hell.
That's right, you, me, my parents, my children, my sisters, my church, my city and my state; all of us deserves to go straight to hell do not pass go do not collect 200 dollars. But because of God's mercy on us we get another chance. Because of God's mercy we get another day. Because of his mercy in my life I will still praise his name. I may not like the situation i am in, but I am still able to thank him for the little I have and so I will praise him. This is what the book of JOB teaches us. Its not all about our purpose in life that matters, but God's purpose for us in this life that matters. His will for us trumps science, logic and any other form of human intellect. I know we want to think we are all that, but until we can create a world by just speaking it into existence with just words....we aint even close!!
So my point is Thank God for his mercy. Every single day you wake up thank God for that day. My car not be running, but I thank you Lord for providing a way to and from work. I may not have much money, but I thank you I don't go completely hungry. I may not get to see my kids every single day, but I thank you Lord for the times i do get to spend with them.
As the scripture says Matt 25:23....faithful over few I will make you ruler over many. that also includes your life and spirit. Be faithful and thankful over your life and he will bless you with others to help and serve for his purpose to share of his goodness and mercy.
So the next time you are in church and you hear the preacher say "Thank God for his mercy" remember his mercy is priceless and undeserving. he didn't have to do it, but he did..I never should of made it.....but thanks be to God I have made it and you can too.
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