Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Saturday, July 21, 2012
His Needle Does Not Move
This phrase - "His needle does not move" - is repeated regularly by a pastor who is counseling us over the phone. He's referring to God the Father, who, just as the needle of a compass does not move from true north, loves us exactly the same no matter what we do, AND who approves of us exactly the same no matter what we do. I have trouble believing the latter, because I don't approve of people I love no matter what they do. But the pastor's point is that none of us has any righteousness in ourselves; "all our righteousness is like filthy rags," because even the best deeds we do are tainted by impure and even wicked motives - a desire to be paid back, to be recognized, to earn God's love, to earn His approval, to prove I'm better than others, to manipulate others, to ....well, you get the idea. For me, it really is all about me. So the only righteousness we have in God's eyes is Jesus' righteousness, earned on the cross and given to us freely. "When He looks at me He sees not what I used to be (and still am) but He sees Jesus," as the song states correctly. The pastor encourages us to embrace our sin by freely acknowledging sin whenever and wherever the Lord points it out to us, and repenting of it in true humility. Then we are free to thank God for His forgiveness in Christ, and trust Him that He is working in us to will and to do His good pleasure. We don't have to try to keep the law or do good works; we simply trust that God is transforming us, and keep walking with Him. I don't get it all yet, but it does make a lot of Scriptural sense. More later on how He plays it out in daily life. Praise God that "His needle does not move."
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Frustration at Wal-Mart
I haven't been so frustrated in quite a while.
On Thursday, Pete took the kids to town for a flute lesson, errands and the YMCA. Joel & Daniel were already in town after classes, and Pete sent Daniel home to get me; we were to meet at Wal-Mart to look at cordless phones and then go out to eat before the Concert Series at 7:30. As I was talking to him on the phone lining all this up, the thought came to my mind, "Better bring your cell phone." A mental picture flashed through my mind of unplugging the phone from its charger and putting it into the pocket of my purse. LISTEN TO THAT STILL SMALL VOICE! I got distracted, as usual, and didn't bring the phone. Big mistake.
At about 5:15, when Pete & I agreed to meet at Wal-Mart, he thought Daniel was already at the house and we were going to leave pronto. Instead, Daniel hadn't even left town yet. He and I left the house at 5:35, stopped to pick up Joel, and then I got out at Cub and walked to Wal-Mart because Joel & Daniel had to get to their class by 6:00. So I didn't get to Wal-Mart until probably about 6. By that time Pete had given up and thought I must have gone somewhere else with the boys; he tried our phones but got no answer, so went to the YMCA.
When I reached the phone section, I figured Pete wouldn't have stood around waiting all this time but was looking at something else and would return shortly, so I waited. And waited. And waited. "Maybe he went out to the van," which I thought I had seen in the far corner of the parking lot as I walked in. Outside the store, I couldn't see any large brown van, so I went back to the phone section and waited some more. At 6:25, I finally asked the cashier if I could use the phone and called. Pete was on the treadmill, so it took another 20-25 minutes before he rounded up the kids and got to Wal-Mart to pick me up.
As I waited in the WM entryway, I was almost in tears from frustration. Then it occurred to me, "Why am I so upset?" The thoughts going through my mind were, "I HATE wasting time!" "How could he think I'd go somewhere else without calling?" "If ONLY I had brought the phone!"
In reflecting on all of this, I'm struck by what it reveals about my fears. I'm so afraid of failure - in this case, I failed to heed the still small voice, I failed to think ahead, and I failed to communicate with Pete. And I hate it when my expectations are not met. Why is that? Where am I guaranteed a life where everything I think will happen, happens? Pride is such an insidious enemy. "Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!"
On Thursday, Pete took the kids to town for a flute lesson, errands and the YMCA. Joel & Daniel were already in town after classes, and Pete sent Daniel home to get me; we were to meet at Wal-Mart to look at cordless phones and then go out to eat before the Concert Series at 7:30. As I was talking to him on the phone lining all this up, the thought came to my mind, "Better bring your cell phone." A mental picture flashed through my mind of unplugging the phone from its charger and putting it into the pocket of my purse. LISTEN TO THAT STILL SMALL VOICE! I got distracted, as usual, and didn't bring the phone. Big mistake.
At about 5:15, when Pete & I agreed to meet at Wal-Mart, he thought Daniel was already at the house and we were going to leave pronto. Instead, Daniel hadn't even left town yet. He and I left the house at 5:35, stopped to pick up Joel, and then I got out at Cub and walked to Wal-Mart because Joel & Daniel had to get to their class by 6:00. So I didn't get to Wal-Mart until probably about 6. By that time Pete had given up and thought I must have gone somewhere else with the boys; he tried our phones but got no answer, so went to the YMCA.
When I reached the phone section, I figured Pete wouldn't have stood around waiting all this time but was looking at something else and would return shortly, so I waited. And waited. And waited. "Maybe he went out to the van," which I thought I had seen in the far corner of the parking lot as I walked in. Outside the store, I couldn't see any large brown van, so I went back to the phone section and waited some more. At 6:25, I finally asked the cashier if I could use the phone and called. Pete was on the treadmill, so it took another 20-25 minutes before he rounded up the kids and got to Wal-Mart to pick me up.
As I waited in the WM entryway, I was almost in tears from frustration. Then it occurred to me, "Why am I so upset?" The thoughts going through my mind were, "I HATE wasting time!" "How could he think I'd go somewhere else without calling?" "If ONLY I had brought the phone!"
In reflecting on all of this, I'm struck by what it reveals about my fears. I'm so afraid of failure - in this case, I failed to heed the still small voice, I failed to think ahead, and I failed to communicate with Pete. And I hate it when my expectations are not met. Why is that? Where am I guaranteed a life where everything I think will happen, happens? Pride is such an insidious enemy. "Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)