Sunday, November 16, 2014

There is only 1 way to experience full life!

We weren't designed to live in this world apart from our father. When we try, we get desperately lost. Our father invites us to walk with him, but will never force us. As long as we breath, he will never leave us or stop wooing us with his love. Living life on our own, apart from his guidence leaves us stumbling around in the darkness. We end up becoming slaves to sin, that so easily entangles, as it slowly destroys every good thing in our lives. Sometimes when we see that's not working for us, we search for programs, systems, rules to live by. We weren't created to live by the rigidity of a program. It only leaves us feeling frustrated and never measureing up. Jesus never asked us to follow a system, but to follow him. We were created for a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Drinking in his unconditional love transforms us. As we begin to awaken (yes, it's a process, a lifelong process) to that pure love, that grace that loves us and forgives us despite our ugly choices and reminds us of our incredible worth, we begin to love as we've been loved. When we experience unconditional love rather than harsh judgement, we can't judge others because we weren't judged at our ugliest. It's a fruit, not something we produce by self effort. It's the fruit of fellowship with a loving father. You've heard the expression, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... Well if we see father as a harsh, angry judge that will punish us or withdraw his love if we disobey, that's the way we treat others. If we see him as a the loving father full of mercy and compassion that bends down and helps us up when we fall, not only do we begin to trust him and turn to him rather than trusting in our own ways, but we begin to reflect that kind of love to those around us.

We all know that hunger in our soul. That God shaped vacuum. It is there because we were designed for a relationship with him. Only his love can fill that hole and give us the full life that we hunger for.  If we fill it with sin, we will find pleasure, but only temporary pleasure followed by the natural consequences of our choices.  Often quite painful. When we fill it with a system, a programs, or meetings, we wonder why we still have that gnawing hunger. Sin and religious obligation are poor substitutes for a relationship with father. That hole was never meant to be filled by an "it", but only by a relationship with him. As we are won by his love and learn to tune into his voice and trust his guidence, he will help us navigate our way through this broken world. He'll show us the land mines to avoid and the way to experience the full life  he created for us to experience.