"Don't let the wise brag of their wisdom. Don't let heroes
brag of their exploits. Don't let the rich brag of their riches. If you brag,
brag of this and this only.That you understand and know Me. I'm God, and I act in loyal love. I do what's right and set things
right and fair, and delight in those who do the same things.These are my
trademarks." (Jeremiah 9:23-24, TM)
"There is only one happiness: to
please Him. Only one sorrow, to be displeasing to Him..." Thomas Merton
"Living for God alone involves a
radical reorientation, a stripping away of anything that might lure me from the
primary goal of pleasing God. Living in faith involves me pleasing God, far
more than God pleasing me." Philip Yancey- Reaching for the invisible God
I have been through a difficult time in
my life for the last couple of months, never much fun, but always good for
lessons. I feel I am slowly coming out, and because He knows me so well, it feels almost as
if He's distracting me. Like I stare in one direction aimlessly and He puts His hand on my face and
turns my eyes towards something else. And the discovery of this makes me love
Him even more. I feel like He gave me a mission:-) "Stop focusing on what
you can't handle, Emma, and focus on living a holy life."
Now, we all seem to cringe a little bit
when we hear the word "holy", as if looking at this unreachable
target. Some of us don't even bother because "Jesus made me holy, by dying
for me", others try so hard on their own that they end up quitting. But
still, all across our Bible ("old and new") He tells us "Be
holy, for I am Holy." “What a thing to focus on when you come out of the
pit of depression, Emma...”
Perhaps. But if not now then when? After
all, this is what I am called to do in my journey- Seek God and live for Him as
if I would see Him. It's called a life of faith: "And without faith it is impossible
to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)
For those who don't even bother,
"because Jesus made them holy"- you're absolutely right. It's called justification and it gives us free access to God The
Father, through Jesus- the Lamb
that was sacrificed for our sins once and for all. But
after we were justified we have to follow Him and obey His commandments: "Then Jesus came to them and said,
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
This is the life of faith and holiness
He called us to live based on which we will receive our reward and it's called sanctification: "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all
you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy. "Since you
call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as
strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable
things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life
handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of
Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:15-19)
For those who tried so hard on their own
and did not make it- you are already accepted by Him, so stop focusing on that
and start living for Him.
How do I live holy? It's hard to make a
list without turning it into something that would kill someone’s spirit. Every person's relationship
with God is unique, because we are unique (Chris, please note I did not say
"special" :-)) So we still have to live this uniqueness because that's what's beautiful about
us, but at the same time there are some things which are common sense and we
should keep in mind. Such as it will not just happen, I have to be intentional
about it. I have this rule where I force myself to do something I don't want to
do, every day, so that I learn discipline and self-control (ex. I am tired
coming from work and I vacuum today and not leave it for tomorrow or
I really want to just chill out and watch TV, but I feel this prompting in my heart to go and seek God, so I
switch off the TV). These are examples of being intentional and until they
become a habit, I have to force myself to do them, because they don't come
natural to me. I do it because I want to live for Him not for me, and if I am
not disciplined enough today to switch off the TV, how will I be disciplined enough tomorrow to give up something that
sounds amazing but it's not God's will for my live. Pastor Rob Prokop says the little things we do build up
momentum for the great things that will come along. And I agree with him,
because in the Parable of talents (Matthew 25), the master (the Lord) tells the
good servant: "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your
master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21)
And this verse brings me to my point. I
know it's hard to live for God when a whole world tells you that you don't need
Him that we are self-sufficient and we are gods ourselves. It's hard when you're
in a pit, and like my sister said once on her blog, you're eyes are lying to
you by showing you a false image of God. One reflected through your
circumstances, as some pair of wrong glasses which show you a distorted image
of something you know very well.” But it's in hard times that we have to
remember why we are here. It's not about here and now, it's not about us. It's
about Him and living a life that's pleasing in His sight. I still can't explain
God, and after all I have been through these months, all I have seen in the
lives of my dear ones, I am the last to give advice. That's not what I am doing
here. What I am hoping is to maybe be daring enough to do for you what He did
for me- put my hand on your faces and turn your eyes to Him. It doesn't matter
that we don't see Him, we all know He's here.
"When you reach wilderness, Emma,
breath and close your eyes. If you're still breathing it means He didn't go
anywhere. And if your eyes don't help you anymore, at least don't allow them to
lie to you." My sister, Cristina Pop (Bat Melech)
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