I have a playlist of music I play every day. I usually listen to Pandora when I'm cleaning or working around the house, but at least once a day I get through this certain playlist. The funny thing is that if the music goes off, I feel panicky. I'm not sure that's a good thing!
So one of the songs on this playlist is "Psalm 145" by Shane and Shane. It starts off with "great is the Lord and so worthy of praise..." I could just stay there all day. Oh Lord, that "...[Your] praise will always be on my lips." (Psalm 34:1)
So one of the songs on this playlist is "Psalm 145" by Shane and Shane. It starts off with "great is the Lord and so worthy of praise..." I could just stay there all day. Oh Lord, that "...[Your] praise will always be on my lips." (Psalm 34:1)
I love that it it flows into this:
the Lord is gracious
and slow to anger
He is rich in love
He is good to all
all who call on Him
I've always sung this as a praise to Him, thanking Him for his lovingkindness to me and for being so patient with me. I've even blogged about this song before, as I meditated on His goodness to all. I love this song.
Yesterday, though, God had something to teach me. {Thank you, Lord.}
He told me as soon as I got up that I would be facing a challenge. Um, Okay. I spent time in the Word, prayed and praised. I really asked God to let me please Him through whatever He had for me. I wanted to do what was right. The verse I've been mediating on, Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself..." rang in my heart and my mind.
I told God I wasn't going to sin. Really, I did. Stupid or not. If Daniel can do it, so can I, I reasoned.
So, sure enough, my little challenge happened. I didn't sin on the outside, but I failed on the inside. I'm not sure that I really "passed" but I do know that progress was made. So there.
As I was washing dishes later in the day, this song was on. I was singing it with the usual gusto, and God said, "Okay. Here Me on this."
I don't know what you do when God says this to you, but I know that a kicker is coming.
He said, "Yes, these verses you're singing reflect Me and My goodness, but I want them to be how you treat others."
Specifically people who have not acted the way I think they should act.
I literally felt the breath leave me.
Let me get this straight. You want me to be gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and good to all, especially those who attack You and the things of You and the people who love you and are walking that narrow path?
Because it's this. I get that the path is narrow. I get that a few are on it. (Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14)
What I don't understand is that if you don't want to be on the path, which is cool, why do you want to stand beside the path and throw stones at the people that are on the path? I really don't get that. I mean I do, I know why, but I don't know why.
But that's not the point.
The point is that God is asking me to love these people. Real love. Not consending love, not placating love, not false love, but real, Godly love.
And He wasn't done yet. He reminded me that He loves these people, and that the Spirit lives in me, and if I can't love these people, then I'm stopping Him from loving these people through me. I'm stopping His love from flowing through me.
Oh. Kay.
That's a lot. For me anyway.
So that's it. I'm not going to process this anymore. I'm going to love those who I don't think deserve it. (That was hard to type, but it's true. Once you "do" something, I don't think I have to love you anymore. Good grief.)
I'm really just hoping that God gives me a couple of days to work on this before He provides another opportunity for me to test drive myself on this. Okay, God?
the Lord is gracious
and slow to anger
He is rich in love
He is good to all
all who call on Him
I've always sung this as a praise to Him, thanking Him for his lovingkindness to me and for being so patient with me. I've even blogged about this song before, as I meditated on His goodness to all. I love this song.
Yesterday, though, God had something to teach me. {Thank you, Lord.}
He told me as soon as I got up that I would be facing a challenge. Um, Okay. I spent time in the Word, prayed and praised. I really asked God to let me please Him through whatever He had for me. I wanted to do what was right. The verse I've been mediating on, Daniel 1:8, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself..." rang in my heart and my mind.
I told God I wasn't going to sin. Really, I did. Stupid or not. If Daniel can do it, so can I, I reasoned.
So, sure enough, my little challenge happened. I didn't sin on the outside, but I failed on the inside. I'm not sure that I really "passed" but I do know that progress was made. So there.
As I was washing dishes later in the day, this song was on. I was singing it with the usual gusto, and God said, "Okay. Here Me on this."
I don't know what you do when God says this to you, but I know that a kicker is coming.
He said, "Yes, these verses you're singing reflect Me and My goodness, but I want them to be how you treat others."
Specifically people who have not acted the way I think they should act.
I literally felt the breath leave me.
Let me get this straight. You want me to be gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and good to all, especially those who attack You and the things of You and the people who love you and are walking that narrow path?
Because it's this. I get that the path is narrow. I get that a few are on it. (Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14)
What I don't understand is that if you don't want to be on the path, which is cool, why do you want to stand beside the path and throw stones at the people that are on the path? I really don't get that. I mean I do, I know why, but I don't know why.
But that's not the point.
The point is that God is asking me to love these people. Real love. Not consending love, not placating love, not false love, but real, Godly love.
And He wasn't done yet. He reminded me that He loves these people, and that the Spirit lives in me, and if I can't love these people, then I'm stopping Him from loving these people through me. I'm stopping His love from flowing through me.
Oh. Kay.
That's a lot. For me anyway.
So that's it. I'm not going to process this anymore. I'm going to love those who I don't think deserve it. (That was hard to type, but it's true. Once you "do" something, I don't think I have to love you anymore. Good grief.)
I'm really just hoping that God gives me a couple of days to work on this before He provides another opportunity for me to test drive myself on this. Okay, God?
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