Tuesday, August 7, 2012

decisions that help us make good decisions…

now there are some decisions that all of us can make that in turn will help us make every other decision in our life. they are decisions that help us make good decisions.

one of them is, i can decide to live life GOD’s way.  that’s a decision we can make.  romans 12.1 (esv) says, present your bodies as a living sacrifice to GOD.

in our modern world the idea of a sacrifices is a foreign concept.  we’re not all that familiar with sacrifice.  but in ancient times people would take animals, they’d put them on stone slabs, usually cut their throat or in some way have all the blood drain out and offer that dead animal as an offering to GOD.  but in this verse the bible says, GOD doesn’t want us to be dead on an altar.  HE wants us to be alive.  HE wants us to be a living offering to HIM, a living sacrifice.  it’s really the essence of giving the full yes to GOD.  “GOD, i’ll give you my whole life!”

if i could use a driving analogy, it would be the picture of you getting out from behind the wheel of the car of your life and getting over into the passenger seat and allowing GOD to get behind the wheel and allowing him drive.  so then, instead of you being the leader or the director or the boss of your destiny you’re looking to GOD and you’re wanting HIS ways to become your ways.  you’re submitting to HIM. 

i know this is quite a challenge for us independent types.  we have a hard time giving our whole life to GOD.  i’ve talked to enough of you to know the reasons why.  some people have said things like this, if i ever give a complete yes to GOD, if i ever say, GOD, you do what you want to with my life, some of you believe that from that moment on your life will be miserable.  you’ll have to stop having fun.  GOD will dress you weird.  you’ll have to talk funny.  you’ll have to move to the remotest parts of the world. 

where do you get the idea that living for GOD is a miserable life?  that’s not what the bible says.  the first sermon that JESUS ever preached was a message on how to find happiness in difficult situations. there’s a book in the bible called philippians.  the whole point of that whole book is about how to find inner contentment and joy in a very challenging world.  JESUS said in john 10.10 “I have come that you might have life and have that life miserably.”  that’s not what HE said.  (gnt),  I have come in order that you might have life – life in all its fullness.

just a thought from the front porch…

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