His love is Deep....

My morning drive into work today I was praying, asking God to break us open, renew us, restore us to who we are intended to be and that we will truly seek to be holy, set apart from this world as He expects us to be. Immediately after I prayed these words, I felt His presence pour love upon me and I immediately prayed His love be poured out upon those who are desperate need of Him today. Do you know how deep the Father’s love is for you? To the point He will discipline us when necessary and I promise you it will not be easy to bear. His discipline is necessary, but He is a good and loving Father who promises to love and care for us deeply. Are we ready for what’s coming?

My devotional this morning was spot on with what God was speaking to me this morning on the way in to work. Numbers 12:1-15 we find Moses, Miriam and Aaron immediately thrust into the reality of God’s expectation of us to be obedient, and when we are not, He will show Himself to be a just God by providing His discipline. Miriam and Aaron didn’t understand and talked among themselves about how God seemed to only speak to Moses, as if they weren’t in as great a position of authority as Moses was that they felt they deserved. God knew, and He called them out on it. He immediately told the 3 of them, (as if God is required to explain it to us! He owes us nothing!) that He spoke to and appeared to Moses because he was called, a prophet of the Most High God. God was angry with them and He made His discipline clear. Miriam was struck immediately with leprosy, and even though Moses pleaded with God to spare her, God made it very clear that the choice had been made so the punishment had been dealt as He intended.

None of us likes to be punished, but why are we surprised when we choose to act upon our weak, selfish and prideful humanity that God allows us to deal with the consequences? What’s your excuse?

“I’ve just done so many bad things in my life, why bother changing now? How could God forgive or even love someone like me after what I’ve done?”

“Life is life, right? I’m already on a roll, leaving a path of destruction wherever I go so what’s the point of changing now? There’s no hope for me.”

“I like living this way. I do what I want, go where I want, do whatever I want to do, and I don’t care who gets run over in the process. As long as I get what I want, I could care less what anyone thinks.”

“Who do you think you are? Telling me things would be so much better for me if I simply accept that this God of yours actually cares about me and loves me? Look at my life! He doesn’t know me or care about me, or He’d reach down and stop the madness that is happening in this world and give me whatever I need right now!”

How far will we go to push God away? How incredibly selfish we are to think that God would meet us only according to our idea of Who He is? What is it going to take to convince you that there is more to life than what you are doing with it right now? Take a good, hard look at yourself right now and hear the words I am speaking to you now: God loves you, God will forgive you, and God will provide for you precisely what you need! He will not pluck you out of whatever circumstance you are in because He is not some puppet master in the sky. You have free will, and therefore you have the power and ability to take hold of your life and make it better! He will allow whatever you are experiencing to play out because He is teaching you something through it. I say this from experience my friend, and I know what it is like to hit the bottom of that pit thinking there is no way out, it is not going to get better, it is hopeless. There is only one way out when you are at the bottom and that is up. I promise you, if you are willing to see Him, His hands are stretched down to you and ready to scoop you out and up into the light of life lived fully and completely in Him! It is hard, but it is worth the climb out of that pit, the effort you will have to make to improve your life and it will be a life long journey. I know, I’m living it too. Life is hard, it doesn’t get easier when you choose a life in Christ. It is very hard. But He is good, and He is faithful, and He will be with you every step of the way.

We have to choose to live life better, and many days the choice is near impossible. So we have to choose it even when in our minds and our hearts we simply don’t feel like it. Look at what Christ did for you and for me, and I don’t think you’ll have to consider very long whether or not it is worth it to live life better. He endured the worst, so we could experience His best.

I know what my choice is, so what is yours?

I am praying for you, not sure where your heart is today but I believe God is going to do a mighty work in you that will change you forever. I promise you’ll be so glad you did!

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