God's rules are outdated; outmoded and frankly I've had enough of rules rules rules!
Sound familiar? - Well who hasn't wanted to ignore God's standards and do something immediately satisfying? I know I have - heaps of times - sometimes in what seems to me to be a never ending circle of What if? OK do it? OH Sorry Lord and then off we go again!
And... who hasn't wanted to take full credit for personal accomplishments.
For all of God's love and generosity there is one thing that He will not share and that is His Glory.
He alone is God - No one can sit in His place and your best bet is to not even try!
Sure! it is just so tempting to take the reigns off God and do the 'moral shortcut' thing when simply doing the 'right thing' is just too hard.
However if we believe that God alone is all powerful; all knowing; and all loving, you also have to conclude that he is the only one with the credentials to guide our lives and basically HE is the only reason we have a life in the first place.
Now that all sounds great when you read it off like that! - easy - just hand it over to God and DaaDaa there you go - magic all accomplished! But it isn't as easy as you may think.
We can go "God chasing" as I like to call it! - Simply I mean we can do all the right things and 'chase' after God all we like but get nowhere in the long run.
Chasing God or trying to be a 'good' christian is a waste of time take it from me - I have been there and done that. For donkey's years I did the right things and went to all the right places.
Amazing really the more I tried to catch God on my own the harder it got until one day - the One I was trying to catch actually caught me!!
He is the only one that can change you - You can't possibly change yourself - you can try - you can bust a gut trying - you can give it 100% and still fail - because humans are so fallible and fickle - we change our minds as the wind changes.
If you try to 'chase' after God using your own strength all you will get is frustration; disappointment; embarrassment; abuse and heaps of misunderstandings.
We carry around with us our dark little secrets; our doubts and our despairs! Some weighty problems no doubt; sometimes we feel like we are walking under really dark clouds and storms about to burst right on top of us.
We simply can't do it on our own - Chasing after God is like trying to grab a whirlwind by it's tail - it is pretty pathetic to even try and if you do you will flat on your backside in the attempt.
What is interesting about feeling like this is that they cause us to focus and centre on US! The very thing that God does not want us focusing on: Ourselves.
The world loves to tell us that we 'Need to do what is right for me; I need to focus on myself.'
BUT when we stop looking at ourselves and start focusing on God - miracles can happen. He can transfer our selfish ways to His selfless ways.
After we have given up the attempt to change ourselves and come to the realisation that we aren't going to win; it is then that God can work a miracle!
The change He can make in our lives is incredible - stunning actually - amazing and awesome because God is an AWESOME God - terrifying, yet merciful and gracious - always willing us to keep going with Him, trusting and obeying him more and more.
Trade in chasing after God and become a follower of His instead - such a difference - we can't strive on our own to catch him BUT we can follow in His footsteps.
Open our hearts and wills to God - Give Him all - Love Him more than anyone or anything else - your whole life will change and change forever.
Sin will no longer have it's hold on you - you will be able to move on with your life but with a whole new meaning and purpose.
God chasing or God following - both so different; and both leaving a legacy! Choose to follow!
Following leaves clear tracks - chasing only leaves skid tracks- skidding off the path; crashing and burning!
Leave tracks as a FOLLOWER not as a CHASER! - Tracks for others to see; a lasting legacy.
You CAN make a difference as you submit to God's will; carrying the Glory of God with you as you travel the path after Him.
Leave tracks that will give a lasting impression of Jesus on everyone you meet this week.
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