ps. the first track of the Pass It On Tour was pretty sick too... check it out at www.gopassiton.org or check out the video links on the right of your screen!!
Monday, June 25, 2012
God loves me... wut??
If this looks too long for you, at least read the second half :P
Over the last few years I realized that God wanted me to serve Him, and I knew I should spend time with Him, but I didn't get it. It was a struggle to constantly read and pray and try to listen. I didn't simply spend time with God because I enjoyed it, but because I knew I should. Sometime my relationship with God even felt like a burden. I sometimes felt that the more I knew about God, the more burdensome life was getting. The thing was, I knew a lot of things about God, but I didn't actually know God Himself.
Its like you're going to start a new job. You hear a lot about your new boss from people who know him. You hear that he's a super hard worker and only allows the best work to pass. He wants to see you do your best. After hearing different stories, you're probably going to be a bit intimidated going to work your first day. But, that first day you get to actually meet your boss and work with him. You get to know him better and better. You realize that although he wants to see you do your best, he knows that you're just learning. He knows you'll make mistakes, and when they come, he is ready and willing to help you fix them and keep learning if only you're honest about your mistakes. Over time you realize that he really is a great person and you're no longer intimidated to work with him, but rather its enjoyable!
This is a lot the way it was with me. I knew so many things about God, and there were certain things that stuck out and formed who I believed God was. I didn't have an extreme view of God as being harsh and mean, but totally did not understand His love for me. I didn't understand that He would simply want to hear from me, for me to spend time with Him because I enjoy it, not because I have to. To understand that He's made rules for me to follow that aren't there for no reason, but because they are what is best for me and help me. They keep me from hurting myself and the people around me.
Its interesting that God always refers to himself as a father, because a lot of fathers in this world really aren't that great. Even the best fathers fall short. But when we look at a good father, we realize that he wants to spend time with his children, and he wants his children to want to spend time with him. He loves them and does what is best for them. He builds them up and helps them to grow into good people. He's willing to sacrifice and help them when they screw up. He doesn't simply count them as a write off when they make a mistake. No matter how big the mistake, the father still loves them and wants to help them recover and come back to what is good. I've come to realize that if I was to pick out all the best qualities of the best fathers and throw away all the bad, they would still never compare to God my perfect father.
I always thought when I screwed up that God counted me as a write off. I thought that after I screwed up that I had to do extra well to prove myself good enough for God to still love and help me. God doesn't enjoy when we screw up and sin, but his reaction is like that of a good father. He doesn't just get angry and punish me in His burning anger, but He does what He knows is best for me. My sin has a consequence, but it never comes without God's grace. God's doesn't punish because it will make Him feel better. Rather, like a good father, God wants us to learn and grow. He wants the best for us, and thats why we are punished, and His punishment always comes with grace. As I recognize my mistake, God is glad. He looks at me with joy, because I got it. I didn't miss the point, but I understood, I learned, I grew.
Like a good father, God isn't simply there to tell us when we do wrong, He's also there with us excited when we do right, excited when we grow, when we succeed, when we overcome, when we forgive and show grace to others. Its been over the last month that I have finally really begun to understand just a bit of the extent of God's love. Every situation that I've gone through, God has been revealing His heart for me in the situation, His love for me in every situation. His desire for me to spend time with Him out of love.
God never wanted me to be burden with simply having to read and pray and follow a bunch of rules. God has always wanted me to enjoy spending time with Him, and to include Him in all my day. To miss Him when I don't spend time with Him each day.
I know this may sound like really basic "churchy" information, and to me it seemed that way in the past too, but when God spoke these things to me, when He opened my heart to actually just begin understand them and His love for me, thats when things changed. I've just begun to grasp the very basics of God's love, and already it blows me way. I remember hearing people say that they've fallen in love with God and I could never understand that. But now I have to admit, I have finally just begun to truly fall in love with God myself. I have finally begun to not only know God through Bible knowledge and such, but also now with my heart!
I want to encourage anyone who read this, if you don't really really know God's father heart, begin to chase after God's heart. Ask Him to reveal to you more of himself, to give you more desire for Him, to open your eyes and heart to who He is! It might be a long journey, but when you find Him, you'll find peace and rest and good things! I used to think life was pretty cool back in grade eleven when I was smoking pot, but now I've come to realize that that was nothing compared to where God has brought me! Yeah, I had to lay down a little, but God gave me so much more as I did!
I thought being a rebel and doing risky things at school was sick, but this, knowing God, and walking into what He has for my life, now thats sick!
Over the last few years I realized that God wanted me to serve Him, and I knew I should spend time with Him, but I didn't get it. It was a struggle to constantly read and pray and try to listen. I didn't simply spend time with God because I enjoyed it, but because I knew I should. Sometime my relationship with God even felt like a burden. I sometimes felt that the more I knew about God, the more burdensome life was getting. The thing was, I knew a lot of things about God, but I didn't actually know God Himself.
Its like you're going to start a new job. You hear a lot about your new boss from people who know him. You hear that he's a super hard worker and only allows the best work to pass. He wants to see you do your best. After hearing different stories, you're probably going to be a bit intimidated going to work your first day. But, that first day you get to actually meet your boss and work with him. You get to know him better and better. You realize that although he wants to see you do your best, he knows that you're just learning. He knows you'll make mistakes, and when they come, he is ready and willing to help you fix them and keep learning if only you're honest about your mistakes. Over time you realize that he really is a great person and you're no longer intimidated to work with him, but rather its enjoyable!
This is a lot the way it was with me. I knew so many things about God, and there were certain things that stuck out and formed who I believed God was. I didn't have an extreme view of God as being harsh and mean, but totally did not understand His love for me. I didn't understand that He would simply want to hear from me, for me to spend time with Him because I enjoy it, not because I have to. To understand that He's made rules for me to follow that aren't there for no reason, but because they are what is best for me and help me. They keep me from hurting myself and the people around me.
Its interesting that God always refers to himself as a father, because a lot of fathers in this world really aren't that great. Even the best fathers fall short. But when we look at a good father, we realize that he wants to spend time with his children, and he wants his children to want to spend time with him. He loves them and does what is best for them. He builds them up and helps them to grow into good people. He's willing to sacrifice and help them when they screw up. He doesn't simply count them as a write off when they make a mistake. No matter how big the mistake, the father still loves them and wants to help them recover and come back to what is good. I've come to realize that if I was to pick out all the best qualities of the best fathers and throw away all the bad, they would still never compare to God my perfect father.
I always thought when I screwed up that God counted me as a write off. I thought that after I screwed up that I had to do extra well to prove myself good enough for God to still love and help me. God doesn't enjoy when we screw up and sin, but his reaction is like that of a good father. He doesn't just get angry and punish me in His burning anger, but He does what He knows is best for me. My sin has a consequence, but it never comes without God's grace. God's doesn't punish because it will make Him feel better. Rather, like a good father, God wants us to learn and grow. He wants the best for us, and thats why we are punished, and His punishment always comes with grace. As I recognize my mistake, God is glad. He looks at me with joy, because I got it. I didn't miss the point, but I understood, I learned, I grew.
Like a good father, God isn't simply there to tell us when we do wrong, He's also there with us excited when we do right, excited when we grow, when we succeed, when we overcome, when we forgive and show grace to others. Its been over the last month that I have finally really begun to understand just a bit of the extent of God's love. Every situation that I've gone through, God has been revealing His heart for me in the situation, His love for me in every situation. His desire for me to spend time with Him out of love.
God never wanted me to be burden with simply having to read and pray and follow a bunch of rules. God has always wanted me to enjoy spending time with Him, and to include Him in all my day. To miss Him when I don't spend time with Him each day.
I know this may sound like really basic "churchy" information, and to me it seemed that way in the past too, but when God spoke these things to me, when He opened my heart to actually just begin understand them and His love for me, thats when things changed. I've just begun to grasp the very basics of God's love, and already it blows me way. I remember hearing people say that they've fallen in love with God and I could never understand that. But now I have to admit, I have finally just begun to truly fall in love with God myself. I have finally begun to not only know God through Bible knowledge and such, but also now with my heart!
I want to encourage anyone who read this, if you don't really really know God's father heart, begin to chase after God's heart. Ask Him to reveal to you more of himself, to give you more desire for Him, to open your eyes and heart to who He is! It might be a long journey, but when you find Him, you'll find peace and rest and good things! I used to think life was pretty cool back in grade eleven when I was smoking pot, but now I've come to realize that that was nothing compared to where God has brought me! Yeah, I had to lay down a little, but God gave me so much more as I did!
I thought being a rebel and doing risky things at school was sick, but this, knowing God, and walking into what He has for my life, now thats sick!
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