Control

Last night and this morning, I have been struggling with my body, getting very frustrated. Let's be honest here. I'm overweight. I don't follow the exercises my chiropractor has given me for my back. I struggle to exercise on a daily basis so as to keep healthy. And my body is giving me problems that I think I shouldn't be having.

So my first thought this morning was, "I need to get in control!" And then it hit me - nope! To take charge would be the obvious answer. That's the wrong answer. I need to give up control.

        But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all 
        these hings shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)

The LORD is so gracious and though I couldn't put my finger on it, this was the idea He was hinting at to me. I need to seek His kingdom and His righteousness first. When Matthew wrote these words, he was talking about being not concerned with what you eat, or your body what you will put on. (Matt 6:25) But I believe the principle still applies.

Now I know there's some things I cannot control with my FM. BUT there are ways that I can keep my self from adding to it - diet and stress. These are big factors with my FM and I know that I think I can keep these in control. My problem is I don't talk to God about these factors. I figure I can manage these. WRONG!

As I was contemplating writing this, I opened my emails and there was my devotional from Jim & Elizabeth George. The title of this devotional is: Finding Strength in Weakness. (Who says things are coincidences? Not me.) She talked about the passage in 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul had been given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble. He prayed 3 times for God to take it away, but God's answer was no. His grace was sufficient for Paul. When Paul realized this, he could then write, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor. 12:9-10 emphasis mine).

It is all for His sake and glory that I go through my life. Do I bring things on myself? Of course, but He allows this to happen so that I might bring Him glory.

        And we know that all things work together for good to those who love
        God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom 
        He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His 
        Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 
        (Romans 8:28-29)

He wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son so that we might bring Him glory. Do I believe it? Absolutely! Do I remember it and act accordingly? Very rarely.

One other verse that came to mind this morning is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

        Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit Who
        is in you, Whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you 
        were both at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your
        spirit which are God's. 

I do not own this body; it is NOT mine. It is the temple of God and as such He has granted me permission to care for it. If I truly seek Him and His glory, there will be problems, but they won't be uncontrollable because He will be the One controlling. If I can get a grip on all of this, most of the battle will be won.

Scary

This morning I was reading in Hosea, the last four chapters. I came across this verse:

        Ephraim provoked Him to anger most bitterly;
        Therefore his LORD will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him,
        And return his reproach upon him.

(emphasis mine) What a terrifying statement. "His LORD will leave the guilt of his bloodshed upon him."

I struggle as I write this because I'm not sure what I'm trying to get at, I know I'm forgiven because of the grace and mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ because of His dying on the cross and taking my place. Yet I need to see God wholly, for Who He is.

Israel had been chosen by God to be His special people. BUT Israel had chosen to turn away from Him and worship false gods. As I look closer at the verse, I notice the first part now. God was provoked to anger. Why? Because He had been replaced with a golden calf. Jeroboam decided to have it built because he didn't want the people who were following him to go back to Jerusalem to worship because then they might follow Rehoboam.

God had promised Jeroboam that if he followed God, God would bless him - God would be with him, and He would build him a sure house (they would be kings from then on) and God would give him Israel! But Jeroboam couldn't risk it. Even after seeing all the ways that God had blessed Solomon, he couldn't trust Him. So he built his own god and the people he led, followed after him.

When we choose to take the Real God out of our lives, the choices we make reflect it. So do the consequences. Israel wanted to do their own "thing." It led them to do everything that was against God.  God let them; but they would suffer for it. Their consequence: For God to leave the guilt upon them... wow!

Guilt is a thing that can kill. It torments and eats at us. We cannot run away from it because it comes from within. There's ways of trying to mask it, but it is still always there.

"Confession is good for the soul." AMEN!!! It surely is! To get right with God and confess that whatever I did that was against God was wrong and to ask His forgiveness through the LORD Jesus, is the only way to be rid of the sin and that guilt.

I am thankful that God has forgiven me through the blood of Jesus Christ. But I am reminded this morning that I serve a Holy God. It cost Him a great deal for my forgiveness. And even though I am forgiven, sometimes the guilt of what I've done takes longer to go away. Thankfully, He does take it away because of His Son and not because of anything I do. I am so thankful He has not left the guilt on me.