I've always believed and seen that it is not God that moves but us throughout our daily ins and outs of life. It is not HE that pushes us off the balance beam but us, ourselves that lose balance and focus and fall with deductions!
I opened my mailbox Saturday and had totally forgotten that I ordered
Angie Smith's new book
I Will Carry You about 3 months ago. I said, "Oh, yeah" then put it on the counter thinking it would add to the mounding stack of almost finished novels I have accumulated on my night stand. But something (I know what that something was;) kept telling me to pick it up this morning before church so I did. And after 5 pages wondered if anyone would notice me reading while driving or during the sermon...it's so pure, truthful and humbling to anyone's heart.
But of course God was setting me up for a different epiphany from the next few pages.
Our small group tonight discussed becoming 'lukewarm' in today's society and the book
Crazy Love questions if christians are actually capable of beoming lukewarm if they are as they say they are, belivers in Christ?? Why do we believe what we do or follow unwritten bylaws that our church society has set before us without even asking why we do these things?
We discussed ways to "do better" at this lukewarmness and after lots of discussion and opinions I came home to pick up my book, with the magnet in it, to find a passage where Angie is disecting the relationship Jesus had with Lazurus, Martha and Mary's brother, and the love He had for him. When he became sick Martha and Mary didn't tell Jesus HOW he could perform His miracle (Lord, heal her cancer; Lord, stop his addiction....we all do it)
yet it's what they DON'T SAY that shows the true faith in their hearts that God truly is the healer of all things. They simply say, 'the one you love is sick'. Well, God loves me and I love Him and when I am hurting HE knows and is faithful to fix what HE sees fit to 'fix'. (John 11)
So often I find myself telling God what I think is the best answer to a problem or cure to an illness but I don' give MY GOD enough credit that He is the same God that created this world and surely is the same God that knows what is best for any situation if we would only allow Him this opportunity!!
I say all this because in the grand scheme of my every day I really do forget to LET GO and LET GOD. For He is the only one that cares more than me to see that I don't become lukewarm for Him. It is He who lights a fire in my heart to chase after Him with arms raised high and an abandoned heart!
PLEASE do yourself a favor and read this book. It really does open up your heart as God wants it to be and fills you with a peace of understanding that only He can offer.
