Today I live full and yet the nagging hallow, the ugly empty bellows in my ear and surely I did fill today but only full of that which does not satisfy. And the infantile lessons that He so recently whispered were so soon forgotten. How can the full of our lives weigh so empty on our hearts, our souls? For surely it is a counterfeit full, the deceiver distorts all that is good and plenty and sells a counterfeit story. Today I am kindred to my ancient sister Eve and I took a bite from the counterfeit and immediately I too was ashamed in my nakedness and my emptiness.
This early evening I hear His gentle call in my ears that are too full of the distorted truth and He beckons me in the cool of the garden and I return ashamed. Ashamed. And He gently blows over me and simply says, "Ask me to forgive you and certainly I will." And I babble and stammer and whine about how weak I am and He says again, "Just ask me to forgive, and I will." I am reminded again, and again that my weakness or strength are of no concern, it is not contingent on my sacrifices or gluttony of self; it is simply grace. Grace that is given freely and solely based on the truth of the Giver.
I ask and He gives for He delights to give, this Giver of mine.
He picks up my shame shadowed face and tells of truth that chases the shame shadows back to the darkness where He cast them over 2,000 years ago.
Truth ~
Philippians 1:6 ~ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
And He empties me of well, me and He fills again with goodness; goodness of this good work He will complete in me.
Am I confident that I will run this race empty and lite, filled only with the Light? No, I am not.
This is the confidence that I run this race in ~ that He has begun a good work in me and He is a God of completion and when exhaustion and spiritual amnesia set in and I crash hard onto hot asphalt and rip shreds of flesh I am assured that they were earthly flesh and that my Surgeon will certainly bind my wounds in a heavenly sort of way. Being fully confident of this very thing ~ I race on.
This early evening I hear His gentle call in my ears that are too full of the distorted truth and He beckons me in the cool of the garden and I return ashamed. Ashamed. And He gently blows over me and simply says, "Ask me to forgive you and certainly I will." And I babble and stammer and whine about how weak I am and He says again, "Just ask me to forgive, and I will." I am reminded again, and again that my weakness or strength are of no concern, it is not contingent on my sacrifices or gluttony of self; it is simply grace. Grace that is given freely and solely based on the truth of the Giver.
I ask and He gives for He delights to give, this Giver of mine.
He picks up my shame shadowed face and tells of truth that chases the shame shadows back to the darkness where He cast them over 2,000 years ago.
Truth ~
Philippians 1:6 ~ being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
And He empties me of well, me and He fills again with goodness; goodness of this good work He will complete in me.
Am I confident that I will run this race empty and lite, filled only with the Light? No, I am not.
This is the confidence that I run this race in ~ that He has begun a good work in me and He is a God of completion and when exhaustion and spiritual amnesia set in and I crash hard onto hot asphalt and rip shreds of flesh I am assured that they were earthly flesh and that my Surgeon will certainly bind my wounds in a heavenly sort of way. Being fully confident of this very thing ~ I race on.
Sometimes I think God uses you to break it down or me. Does that make me selfish to think this one was just for me? ;) I love you to pieces and appreciate your obedient keystrokes every Tuesday. Magnificent as always. God is good. -Kristen
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