Shut Up about the whole God is Good Thing
OK, let me preface this devotional tonight with a little intro. I may say some terms that might shock you but if we are honest with our hearts, we have all felt a little bit like this at some point. I have prayed about this in my soul and I recieved a warming confirmation in my heart that this subject needed to be shared. It has always been a practice of mine to never force a devotional just so I can write something new. I will never step outside of my original intentions. I will always sek God first and if I don't have anything, I won't write. I believe it does more harm to force a devotionl than it does to not write one. So, now that I have said that, let me try to explain exactly what I am talking about tonight.
We've all had crappy days. You know the one's. Where it seems to only be raining where we are at an everyone else is basking in the sunlight of happiness. We've all been kicked in the face by life at some point and after the initial shock we wonder "what was that for?" What did I do to deserve that?
For years while I was a teenager, it seemed that my birthday always brought about some major grief in life. One year, I spit in my teachers tea pot after school on a dare, 1 day before my birthday and my whole family was driving in from West Virginia. I spent that birthday in some much trouble and I got lectured over and over and over again. I deserved it though. One year i was given like $150 in the mail from family and on my way to the store I somehow lost my wallet. I found it 2 days later, on my birthday in the middle of the street totally empty. In other years i was always having to worry about my dad coming home drunk and bringing presents for my sister on my birthday and him bringing me nothing. Not even a "Happy Birthday" came out of his lips.
You get the idea of what I am talking about. It seems like one day is coasting along smoothly and then the crap hits the fan. Recently, with my father and law and my sister in law passing away within a month from each other was a shock. It was and still is very upsetting. And I know that people mean well when they open thier mouths but in reality you just want them to "shut up!!!" I got so sick of hearing, "well God has a plan and we don't know what it is." Another was "God takes the bad and makes things work for the good even if we don't understand it." Oh yeah, another one was, "God is still good." BLAH, BLAH, BLAH was my response.
I wasn't seeing anything good in this. My wife is now sister-less, lost her best friend, lost her father, with whom she was just now starting to get to know all over again, her sister left behind a grieving husband at the young age of 28 and a 1 1/2 year old baby girl.
The worst part about the stuff coming from peoples mouths were the stories of when they lost someone. "Well, i lost my uncle Fester 15 years ago to so and so." You know what, "stop validating yourself to me. I really don't care about what you went through." Those were my thoughts anytime someone dared waste my time while grieving over the loved one's I had just lost. "SHUT UP" and "Save the air in your lungs for someone else." I was so pissed at God and I am here to admit that it wasn't the first time in my life.
What about you? Have you ever been so utterly frustrated with God? Have you ever questioned His "reality" because of some pain or trauma you were going through in life? Did you start to question your faith? Did you think about all of the wonderful Biblical promises and think they were a bunch of garbage? Where are you at right now? Are you at this point?
Here is a verse I read during this time in my life, Colossians 4:17, "and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." My immediate reaction uon reading that was, "Shut up God!!!!" What if I just don't feel like it today? You don't want my words or deeds right now God because you would find them very unacceptable but since you asked, let me explain how I feel. And I did and I have many times. But, then everytime, I would get this guilt feeling in my gut. i felt so ashamed. I felt so wrong and like less of a human. But, I read Colossians 4:10 a few weeks later and it helped me put everything in perspective and if you are where I was at I hope that you can find some solice in these words. Colossians 4:10 says this, "and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowlwdge in the image of it's creator." What?
When you become a christian, you take of the old way of life and put on the new life. It is metephorical of a change. Your old ways begin to go away and are replaced by new ways. The life you once lived was in seperation from God but now you are being joined togather with God in your new life. Are you starting to see it yet. Here is the key word in all of this that warmed my heart and restored my faith to my heart. It was almost as if God touched my heart with his hand and I could feel it and He was telling me, "hey, it's OK to feel this way, I got your back." That keyword is "being renewed"
The renewing of something is a process. To renew something means to "restore" someone or something to a new condition. It also means to regain or replenish, "start over." To renew also means to reaffirm. Do you see it yet. In order for something to made new, the old must fall apart, crumble and be destroyed. Then in this process, the old makes way for the new. My friends, we aren't made into the image of Christ at the exact monent we accept Christ into our hearts. It is a process.
The other night I did a devotional on how our human nature is still at war with our new spiritual side. That is where conviction comes into play. That is also where the renewing transformation is taking place.
The christian faith is all about changing out of one skin and into the next. Shedding the old skin and putting on new. It doesn't just happen once either. It will happen many times in life and that is God moving us out of our comfort levels.
So, tonight, if you are at that point with God where you are about to break, go ahead a break because it must happen so restoration can begin to take it's place. It is a "starting over" Our souls will be replenished because He provides all of the needs of our lives. Don't think you are immoral for getting mad at God. It is very biblical and now you know what to call it. It is a renewing of your faith. It is a restoring and in that restoration you will find a new you.
I don't say this without having experienced it myself. I was so confused just 2 weeks ago but know that I can identify it, my soul now rests knowing that I don't have to a robotic Christian. I have been through a renewing period and I do feel restored. Who is ready to experience some restoration tonight and allow God to replenish the spiritual nutrients we all need?
We've all had crappy days. You know the one's. Where it seems to only be raining where we are at an everyone else is basking in the sunlight of happiness. We've all been kicked in the face by life at some point and after the initial shock we wonder "what was that for?" What did I do to deserve that?
For years while I was a teenager, it seemed that my birthday always brought about some major grief in life. One year, I spit in my teachers tea pot after school on a dare, 1 day before my birthday and my whole family was driving in from West Virginia. I spent that birthday in some much trouble and I got lectured over and over and over again. I deserved it though. One year i was given like $150 in the mail from family and on my way to the store I somehow lost my wallet. I found it 2 days later, on my birthday in the middle of the street totally empty. In other years i was always having to worry about my dad coming home drunk and bringing presents for my sister on my birthday and him bringing me nothing. Not even a "Happy Birthday" came out of his lips.
You get the idea of what I am talking about. It seems like one day is coasting along smoothly and then the crap hits the fan. Recently, with my father and law and my sister in law passing away within a month from each other was a shock. It was and still is very upsetting. And I know that people mean well when they open thier mouths but in reality you just want them to "shut up!!!" I got so sick of hearing, "well God has a plan and we don't know what it is." Another was "God takes the bad and makes things work for the good even if we don't understand it." Oh yeah, another one was, "God is still good." BLAH, BLAH, BLAH was my response.
I wasn't seeing anything good in this. My wife is now sister-less, lost her best friend, lost her father, with whom she was just now starting to get to know all over again, her sister left behind a grieving husband at the young age of 28 and a 1 1/2 year old baby girl.
The worst part about the stuff coming from peoples mouths were the stories of when they lost someone. "Well, i lost my uncle Fester 15 years ago to so and so." You know what, "stop validating yourself to me. I really don't care about what you went through." Those were my thoughts anytime someone dared waste my time while grieving over the loved one's I had just lost. "SHUT UP" and "Save the air in your lungs for someone else." I was so pissed at God and I am here to admit that it wasn't the first time in my life.
What about you? Have you ever been so utterly frustrated with God? Have you ever questioned His "reality" because of some pain or trauma you were going through in life? Did you start to question your faith? Did you think about all of the wonderful Biblical promises and think they were a bunch of garbage? Where are you at right now? Are you at this point?
Here is a verse I read during this time in my life, Colossians 4:17, "and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." My immediate reaction uon reading that was, "Shut up God!!!!" What if I just don't feel like it today? You don't want my words or deeds right now God because you would find them very unacceptable but since you asked, let me explain how I feel. And I did and I have many times. But, then everytime, I would get this guilt feeling in my gut. i felt so ashamed. I felt so wrong and like less of a human. But, I read Colossians 4:10 a few weeks later and it helped me put everything in perspective and if you are where I was at I hope that you can find some solice in these words. Colossians 4:10 says this, "and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowlwdge in the image of it's creator." What?
When you become a christian, you take of the old way of life and put on the new life. It is metephorical of a change. Your old ways begin to go away and are replaced by new ways. The life you once lived was in seperation from God but now you are being joined togather with God in your new life. Are you starting to see it yet. Here is the key word in all of this that warmed my heart and restored my faith to my heart. It was almost as if God touched my heart with his hand and I could feel it and He was telling me, "hey, it's OK to feel this way, I got your back." That keyword is "being renewed"
The renewing of something is a process. To renew something means to "restore" someone or something to a new condition. It also means to regain or replenish, "start over." To renew also means to reaffirm. Do you see it yet. In order for something to made new, the old must fall apart, crumble and be destroyed. Then in this process, the old makes way for the new. My friends, we aren't made into the image of Christ at the exact monent we accept Christ into our hearts. It is a process.
The other night I did a devotional on how our human nature is still at war with our new spiritual side. That is where conviction comes into play. That is also where the renewing transformation is taking place.
The christian faith is all about changing out of one skin and into the next. Shedding the old skin and putting on new. It doesn't just happen once either. It will happen many times in life and that is God moving us out of our comfort levels.
So, tonight, if you are at that point with God where you are about to break, go ahead a break because it must happen so restoration can begin to take it's place. It is a "starting over" Our souls will be replenished because He provides all of the needs of our lives. Don't think you are immoral for getting mad at God. It is very biblical and now you know what to call it. It is a renewing of your faith. It is a restoring and in that restoration you will find a new you.
I don't say this without having experienced it myself. I was so confused just 2 weeks ago but know that I can identify it, my soul now rests knowing that I don't have to a robotic Christian. I have been through a renewing period and I do feel restored. Who is ready to experience some restoration tonight and allow God to replenish the spiritual nutrients we all need?