How to Behave: Part XII
Romans 15:7-13
7. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. 8. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. 9. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name.”
10. And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.”
11. And yet again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth.”
12. And in another place Isaiah said, “The heir to David’s throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him.”
13. I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Okay, once again I’m getting something from this that is probably not so important to anyone else, but God has this gem for me and I plan to treasure it. God is the source of hope. Didn’t we establish that earlier in this “How to Behave” journey? Didn’t I make a big fuss over it then too? Yeah, I know, I did. But for some reason I can only explain as me having a thick skull and not allowing it to become real, I have managed to allow myself to spiral downward once more, staying busy, thinking I’m okay until I’m so far from okay that what I desperately need (God) seems unobtainable despite how simple His love, mercy, and forgiveness are to find.
When I remember to rest in His love and mercy I am full of peace, contented, happy with life and everything around me, yet for some reason at those moments I feel I don’t need to talk with Him every day, one day “off” turns into two, two turns into four, and eventually I find myself doing my next Bible Blog 11 days later because I was “okay”. Let me tell you just how okay I’ve been. I’ve been so okay that I had to have a friend hold me while I cried my eyes out because I was overwhelmed with everything life had been throwing my way. I’ve been so okay that I’ve started to isolate myself from those I love and care about. I’ve been so okay that I’ve been grumpy, irritable, and generally miserable company. And I’ve been so okay that even though my Savior is holding me in His arms constantly, offering the most perfect and intimate relationship anyone has ever known, I found myself feeling alone and unwanted. That’s how okay I am without God. I’m not happy with it… I’m happy with God! When I live in Him and the hope He gives, my life does fill with joy and peace. No, that doesn’t mean that all life’s problems disappear, it just means that I don’t fret over everything and try to control life. I have no control over this life or anyone else living on this planet, why would I try to take control of it?
Tonight I’m giving it all back to God… I don’t want it. He wants me and I want Him and that’s how it should be. I’ve made amends, again… seems like I do that on a daily basis sometimes, and He has once again welcomed me home with open arms. I’m going to go spend some time with my Daddy now… goodnight.
Hugs & Love
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