I'm Better Yours than Mine
A couple weekends ago I went on an overnight retreat with 6 other people. The goal was to just spend some time in silence and solitude, refocusing our relationship with God. Boy was that needed! It's ironic how easy it is to not spend time with Jesus at Bible College. It's as if the Bible is used as a textbook, but the fact that it can encourage, convict, guide, strengthen, and teach me is overlooked. The weekend was a great reminder that God is patient, and even when I forget about him in my busyness or just don't prioritize him, he still waits for me. He still loves me and wants to spend time with me. He still has things he wants to tell me.
Think about that for a second (or more...) The GOD who created the entire earth and all the universe simply by SPEAKING them into being...who formed me "in my mother's womb" with his OWN HAND...who paints the skies at every sunrise and sunset...who SUSTAINS the world and keeps it running every day...this same God LOVES me. The same voice that spoke creation into existence wants to speak PERSONALLY to me! This is what sets our God apart from all others. No other God is so personal. Oh, if only I could truly grasp this, how eager I would be to hear him speak!
He waits for us. As my friend here, Christine, challenges: "have you had a date with Jesus today?" He invites us. How many times do we stand him up?
A poem came out of this retreat. It's kind of a bunch of ramblings and different thoughts meshing together. I'll share it anyways:
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The door's shut tight; we're alone again
I can't find the words to tell you what I feel.
You've given me so much; I can't understand
What I could offer back to you that is
Beautiful
I want to live a sacrifice that is
Pleasing Lord
I choose to walk the humble road through more than
Empty Words
And at the end still be your Bride that is
Beautiful
We're face to face; I can feel your touch
Could the longing of my soul be more real?
All of you is all I want; I surrender
My dreams, my hopes, my fears, my heart--for you are
Beautiful
I want to live a sacrifice that is
Pleasing Lord
I choose to walk the humble road in more than
Empty Words
And you still see me as your Bride
in you I'm Beautiful
Take all of me; I hold nothing back
Your hands mend the pieces that are dirty and cracked
Take all of me; it's all I have left
And I'm better Yours than Mine.
Your grace is all by which I am made
Beautiful
I'm staying on this altar to be
Pleasing Lord
My love for you is much more than just
Empty Words
I want to live a life for you that is
Beautiful
Beautiful
Take me now...'cause I'm better yours than mine.
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A couple themes:
1) God takes what we offer. Who are we? Do we really think we can be of any service to God? The Bible says even our "righteous acts are like filthy rags". Nothing we can give can even remotely measure up to God's standards. But he doesn't expect perfection; he expects obedience. When he tells us to do something, our greatest sacrifice to him would be to obey. The Bible says if we love him we will keep his commands.
2) A Sam Geleynse theme: "God takes the broken pieces of our life and makes them into a beautiful mosaic" (or something along those lines!) When we offer God ourselves, that's all he needs! He doesn't want our talents (he gave us them in the first place) or our money (again, it's not really ours) or even our time (God works with time, not in it; he is not bound by time). Surrender means letting go of our entire selves. It's easy to surrender certain parts of our life. God wants it all.
3) As I've heard from numerous sources, "The problem with being a living sacrifice [Romans 12] is that we can crawl off the altar." Again, surrender is a moment-by-moment choice. Often the easier and less painful way is to try it on our own. In the end though, our plans and dreams do not compare with what God wants to do in us.
4) The Bible refers to Christ as the Bridegroom and the universal Church as the Bride. It's a beautiful picture when you think of it. Except in North of Tomorrow's song, "Bride"--the Church has messed up and her "dress", her purity, is stained. But as illustrated in the book of Hosea, God is a faithful husband who will love us even when we turn from him, and always welcome us back. Of course he wants to hear us say sorry when we've messed up, but he is so willing to forgive and in his eyes we are still Beautiful.
5) As I've said before, if we really trust that God is good, we shouldn't be afraid to surrender. In reality, God can do more with us than we can. So we're "better his than our own".
Think about that for a second (or more...) The GOD who created the entire earth and all the universe simply by SPEAKING them into being...who formed me "in my mother's womb" with his OWN HAND...who paints the skies at every sunrise and sunset...who SUSTAINS the world and keeps it running every day...this same God LOVES me. The same voice that spoke creation into existence wants to speak PERSONALLY to me! This is what sets our God apart from all others. No other God is so personal. Oh, if only I could truly grasp this, how eager I would be to hear him speak!
He waits for us. As my friend here, Christine, challenges: "have you had a date with Jesus today?" He invites us. How many times do we stand him up?
A poem came out of this retreat. It's kind of a bunch of ramblings and different thoughts meshing together. I'll share it anyways:
------------------------------------------------------
The door's shut tight; we're alone again
I can't find the words to tell you what I feel.
You've given me so much; I can't understand
What I could offer back to you that is
Beautiful
I want to live a sacrifice that is
Pleasing Lord
I choose to walk the humble road through more than
Empty Words
And at the end still be your Bride that is
Beautiful
We're face to face; I can feel your touch
Could the longing of my soul be more real?
All of you is all I want; I surrender
My dreams, my hopes, my fears, my heart--for you are
Beautiful
I want to live a sacrifice that is
Pleasing Lord
I choose to walk the humble road in more than
Empty Words
And you still see me as your Bride
in you I'm Beautiful
Take all of me; I hold nothing back
Your hands mend the pieces that are dirty and cracked
Take all of me; it's all I have left
And I'm better Yours than Mine.
Your grace is all by which I am made
Beautiful
I'm staying on this altar to be
Pleasing Lord
My love for you is much more than just
Empty Words
I want to live a life for you that is
Beautiful
Beautiful
Take me now...'cause I'm better yours than mine.
------------------------------------------------------
A couple themes:
1) God takes what we offer. Who are we? Do we really think we can be of any service to God? The Bible says even our "righteous acts are like filthy rags". Nothing we can give can even remotely measure up to God's standards. But he doesn't expect perfection; he expects obedience. When he tells us to do something, our greatest sacrifice to him would be to obey. The Bible says if we love him we will keep his commands.
2) A Sam Geleynse theme: "God takes the broken pieces of our life and makes them into a beautiful mosaic" (or something along those lines!) When we offer God ourselves, that's all he needs! He doesn't want our talents (he gave us them in the first place) or our money (again, it's not really ours) or even our time (God works with time, not in it; he is not bound by time). Surrender means letting go of our entire selves. It's easy to surrender certain parts of our life. God wants it all.
3) As I've heard from numerous sources, "The problem with being a living sacrifice [Romans 12] is that we can crawl off the altar." Again, surrender is a moment-by-moment choice. Often the easier and less painful way is to try it on our own. In the end though, our plans and dreams do not compare with what God wants to do in us.
4) The Bible refers to Christ as the Bridegroom and the universal Church as the Bride. It's a beautiful picture when you think of it. Except in North of Tomorrow's song, "Bride"--the Church has messed up and her "dress", her purity, is stained. But as illustrated in the book of Hosea, God is a faithful husband who will love us even when we turn from him, and always welcome us back. Of course he wants to hear us say sorry when we've messed up, but he is so willing to forgive and in his eyes we are still Beautiful.
5) As I've said before, if we really trust that God is good, we shouldn't be afraid to surrender. In reality, God can do more with us than we can. So we're "better his than our own".