God and Nappies
Okay, so if the title of that didn't pique your curiousity, then there's something wrong with you (Unless you're Claire, in which case, you already know what I'm about to say :P).
What, I hear you ask, possessed me to entitle a blog entry "God and Nappies"?
Well, I'm glad you asked - and if you didn't, I'm going to tell you anyway.
See, Sunday morning there was mention of nappies, and God pointed something out to me.
One of my greatest struggles, is with condemnation and guilt. Perhaps the hardest thing in my life, is to understand God's love for me through my sin, over and over and over again. No matter how many times I bare my soul and my heart at the cross, it seems I still manage to fall and sin again.
The problem is, that even greater than the feeling of conviction that comes with knowing I've done the wrongo thing, is the feeling of guilt and condemnation that starts to wash over me. I'll beat myself up, not about the sin that I've committed, whatever it may be, but about the fact that I've cried out to God to help me, to change me, and yet I simply ignore his words, and my own words to say I want to be with him.
Knowing that I've turned my back - willingly - on God, hurts. It makes me feel like I'm not really a christian, it makes me question my salvation, it makes me wonder if I'm just going through the motions, and not really concerned with God at all.
And the truth is, that in those times when I'm walking away - yes, I am unconcerned with God, and more concerned with myself.
What God showed me on Sunday, though, was that it's like an infant, and changing that child's nappies. You can change that nappy, but sooner or later the new one is going to get dirty again. It's a fact of life - the parent expects it, and is prepared for it.
So it is with God and us, he's our father, and he expects us to become dirty again. Just like a parent and their child, God's always willing to take our dirtiness and clean us up again.
While that's far from any reason to just go on sinning. Romans 6:1-2 says this:
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
No, we're not licensed to sin just because God will forgive us! We should be accepting God's grace and letting it change our lives! As Paul said: We died to sin, and therefore we can't live in it any longer!
God, though, loves us. Just remember, that while you're striving for perfection, when you fall, that's when you have to run to your father. Let him cleanse you and forgive you, and continue to walk from that moment on in his grace. Don't walk around in a dirty nappy.
Love you guys,
~J
What, I hear you ask, possessed me to entitle a blog entry "God and Nappies"?
Well, I'm glad you asked - and if you didn't, I'm going to tell you anyway.
See, Sunday morning there was mention of nappies, and God pointed something out to me.
One of my greatest struggles, is with condemnation and guilt. Perhaps the hardest thing in my life, is to understand God's love for me through my sin, over and over and over again. No matter how many times I bare my soul and my heart at the cross, it seems I still manage to fall and sin again.
The problem is, that even greater than the feeling of conviction that comes with knowing I've done the wrongo thing, is the feeling of guilt and condemnation that starts to wash over me. I'll beat myself up, not about the sin that I've committed, whatever it may be, but about the fact that I've cried out to God to help me, to change me, and yet I simply ignore his words, and my own words to say I want to be with him.
Knowing that I've turned my back - willingly - on God, hurts. It makes me feel like I'm not really a christian, it makes me question my salvation, it makes me wonder if I'm just going through the motions, and not really concerned with God at all.
And the truth is, that in those times when I'm walking away - yes, I am unconcerned with God, and more concerned with myself.
What God showed me on Sunday, though, was that it's like an infant, and changing that child's nappies. You can change that nappy, but sooner or later the new one is going to get dirty again. It's a fact of life - the parent expects it, and is prepared for it.
So it is with God and us, he's our father, and he expects us to become dirty again. Just like a parent and their child, God's always willing to take our dirtiness and clean us up again.
While that's far from any reason to just go on sinning. Romans 6:1-2 says this:
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
No, we're not licensed to sin just because God will forgive us! We should be accepting God's grace and letting it change our lives! As Paul said: We died to sin, and therefore we can't live in it any longer!
God, though, loves us. Just remember, that while you're striving for perfection, when you fall, that's when you have to run to your father. Let him cleanse you and forgive you, and continue to walk from that moment on in his grace. Don't walk around in a dirty nappy.
Love you guys,
~J