1 Samuel 2:6, 7

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts ~ 1 Samuel 2:6, 7

 

When we come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we come as we are. An old saying goes something like this: “you don’t clean the fish before you catch them.” So it is with coming into faith in the Lord Jesus, for we come with all our baggage, our sin, our past, and our hurts. We come to Him unclean, unsanctified, unholy. What a blessed Saviour he is that he takes me as I am, and so he takes you as you are too. Then, the miracle begins to transpire within us, for gradually we are transformed. We must be emptied of self before God’s grace can begin its healing power within us. We must die to that old self and his ways, his urgings, his longings, and in his place a longing for more of God begins to fill us. Guthrie says we must be “stripped of our rags before we can be clothed with righteousness; we must be unclothed that we may be clothed; wounded, that we may be healed; killed, that we may be made alive; buried in disgrace, that we may rise in holy glory.” Powerful words for a powerful remaking by the God who pursues us, loves us, and longs for us to belong to Him. Our dependence on God grows stronger as we submit more of our self into His power. The truth is that when we depend upon our own powers, upon our own wealth and talents our dependence on God wavers. God therefore brings us to the place where lessons of dependence upon Him are taught. God is more concerned about the state of our heart, and until our true position in Him is known we cannot know independence in the midst of poverty, peace under duress, and contentment in adversity. The heart naturally leans toward gratification and tends to look for the fleeting, sensual resources. Our temptations lead us away from God. God wants our heart wound around Him, not around worldly desires. There is no life without God at the helm.

Pastor Julia

image: Zulmaury Saveedra