Isaia 46:5-9
WHOM WOULD YOU COMPARE ME WITH, AS AN EQUAL, OR MATCH ME AGAINST,
AS IF WE WERE ALIKE? THERE ARE THOSE WHO POUR OUT GOLD FROM A PURSE
....THEY HIRE A GOLDSMITH TO MAKE IT INTO A GOD BEFORE WHICH THEY FALL
DOWN IN WORSHIP....REMEMBER THIS AND BE FIRM, BEAR IT WELL IN MIND, YOU
REBELS; ....
I AM GOD, THERE IS NO OTHER; I AM GOD, THERE IS NONE LIKE ME.
Isais 46:5-9
How easy we forget that there is only one God.
How easy we think of ourselves as gods.
How easy we think of our leaders as gods....our type of gods.
We like to make our own idols because we can manipulate them and put our expectations upon them.
God, the real God doesn't play along with our games so He is harder to worship- really worship. One thing is to go to church and sing a song, a very different story is to sit before Him and say "What do you want, my Lord?" and harder yet is to obey once we have received the command.
How important is to sit still before God long enough to remember that He is God and there is no other.
This time of prayer has been extremely refreshing for me. God is taking time to clean up my concepts of "pastor" or leader. I hated that term and avoided my ministry because I had this idea that once I was "the pastor" I would be expected to be a type of superman (or god). I would have to have the right answer for each problem and I would have to have the strength to carry each person to their promised land. Wisdom and power to save each one....only God can save....
Are you adding up? It is simple if only God can save that means that only God has the wisdom and the power to save each one.
I am not God. I am NOT God.
I am human. If you visit me while I am working in the garden you will discover that I even smell human.
I am human. I will go to the dentist next week.
I am human. I am often confused, totally confused.
I take a deep breath. It is just so nice, so right to have it clear in my mind that NO I am NOT God. And NO I am not superman. And NO God does not expect me to act like superman as I relate to the people under my cover.
So, what does God expect?
To share.
What??!??
Yep, that is all. I sigh with relief, huge relief. Basically I am to do exactly what I have always done. Share.
I have always shared my life and God is a central part of my life, so I share Him as I share my life. I share my struggles and my dreams. I share my anxiety and I share my anger. I share what I learn. I share cookies and tea. I share life, a life lived by God.
That is all.
And that is the way it is to continue.
I am so relieved.
Not only I am not expected to be a superwoman (sometype of god); I can tell from the verse here stated that I must be extremely careful NOT to play God.
And I finally begin to understand why God has asked me to write in such honest way. When I wanted to write the typical missionary letters, the kind that would get me supporters, letters that would include me feeding the poor or something of the sort...God always said "no"...and I was most confused.
Now I understand. God knew my heart well, He knew how fast it would have swollen up with pride and with an air of I AM. He knew the huge tempetation it would be for me to actually believe I was some type of wonderwoman or god.
God knows me well. That system was to be a trap for me. So He commanded that I write of my fears, and frustrations, and anger and lust and hopes, and dreams, and good days and bad days...but all extremely human. Very human. Because He needed to remind me that that is all I am. Certainly He loves me lots, but that does not take my human nature away-
I am so relieved...I can rub my knee if I fall, I can complain to my friends about getting a bad haircut, I can cry when I feel the loss of my boys bigger than my faith, I can even get upset because "I am hungry!"...
Share. I am relieved. That means I can continue sharing my own questions, my own fraiglity, my need for a hug and encouragement.
I am relieved. Becoming a pastor does not mean I will be placed in a pedestal and seen from afar. I can continue to walk side by side to my friends.
I am most relieved as I can see that it is a gentle relationship, the kind that I have had with so many people all through my life. Pastor+ disciples= friendship.
"Bea, but there is some kind of difference, some higher level, or position if one is a pastor"
Well, the way I picture it is not a "yes, a pastor is a more enlightened person, which gives him a higher catergory in the kingdom of God, so if you can sit by the pastor..you are real special"
Me, perhaps because I am a very simple minded person, I see it more like:
I have tripped more down the road than you have, so I may be able to tell you how to walk over the tree-trunk bridge without falling or I might just encourage you to get up after a fall reminding you that we learn from such mistakes.
I have taken many wrong turns so I may be able to prevent you from doing the same.
I have been crushed and broken by God, so when He is doing the same to you, I can simply tell you that you will be just fine and that what you are going through is "normal" in the kingdom of God.
I have been taken to the point of deep repentance, so when God takes you there and you tell me "I feel so bad as I now see my sin" I can tell you, "go on and cry and cry it is the Holy Spirit bringing deep repentance into your life, do not stop Him, when He knows it is time He will fill you with deep forgiveness"
BUT...many other times, I will only be able to stand by and watch you draw your own picture.
My heart has a happy tune this morning as I finally understand that my role as a pastor is to do exactly what I have always done:
To share my life, a life lived by God's side.
and
To let God be God. (this part I haven't always done...)
He is the one with all wisdom and power to save.
So let God be God and all honor and glory be to Him the only God who can save us from us.
The only God who can create in us a new heart.
AS IF WE WERE ALIKE? THERE ARE THOSE WHO POUR OUT GOLD FROM A PURSE
....THEY HIRE A GOLDSMITH TO MAKE IT INTO A GOD BEFORE WHICH THEY FALL
DOWN IN WORSHIP....REMEMBER THIS AND BE FIRM, BEAR IT WELL IN MIND, YOU
REBELS; ....
I AM GOD, THERE IS NO OTHER; I AM GOD, THERE IS NONE LIKE ME.
Isais 46:5-9
How easy we forget that there is only one God.
How easy we think of ourselves as gods.
How easy we think of our leaders as gods....our type of gods.
We like to make our own idols because we can manipulate them and put our expectations upon them.
God, the real God doesn't play along with our games so He is harder to worship- really worship. One thing is to go to church and sing a song, a very different story is to sit before Him and say "What do you want, my Lord?" and harder yet is to obey once we have received the command.
How important is to sit still before God long enough to remember that He is God and there is no other.
This time of prayer has been extremely refreshing for me. God is taking time to clean up my concepts of "pastor" or leader. I hated that term and avoided my ministry because I had this idea that once I was "the pastor" I would be expected to be a type of superman (or god). I would have to have the right answer for each problem and I would have to have the strength to carry each person to their promised land. Wisdom and power to save each one....only God can save....
Are you adding up? It is simple if only God can save that means that only God has the wisdom and the power to save each one.
I am not God. I am NOT God.
I am human. If you visit me while I am working in the garden you will discover that I even smell human.
I am human. I will go to the dentist next week.
I am human. I am often confused, totally confused.
I take a deep breath. It is just so nice, so right to have it clear in my mind that NO I am NOT God. And NO I am not superman. And NO God does not expect me to act like superman as I relate to the people under my cover.
So, what does God expect?
To share.
What??!??
Yep, that is all. I sigh with relief, huge relief. Basically I am to do exactly what I have always done. Share.
I have always shared my life and God is a central part of my life, so I share Him as I share my life. I share my struggles and my dreams. I share my anxiety and I share my anger. I share what I learn. I share cookies and tea. I share life, a life lived by God.
That is all.
And that is the way it is to continue.
I am so relieved.
Not only I am not expected to be a superwoman (sometype of god); I can tell from the verse here stated that I must be extremely careful NOT to play God.
And I finally begin to understand why God has asked me to write in such honest way. When I wanted to write the typical missionary letters, the kind that would get me supporters, letters that would include me feeding the poor or something of the sort...God always said "no"...and I was most confused.
Now I understand. God knew my heart well, He knew how fast it would have swollen up with pride and with an air of I AM. He knew the huge tempetation it would be for me to actually believe I was some type of wonderwoman or god.
God knows me well. That system was to be a trap for me. So He commanded that I write of my fears, and frustrations, and anger and lust and hopes, and dreams, and good days and bad days...but all extremely human. Very human. Because He needed to remind me that that is all I am. Certainly He loves me lots, but that does not take my human nature away-
I am so relieved...I can rub my knee if I fall, I can complain to my friends about getting a bad haircut, I can cry when I feel the loss of my boys bigger than my faith, I can even get upset because "I am hungry!"...
Share. I am relieved. That means I can continue sharing my own questions, my own fraiglity, my need for a hug and encouragement.
I am relieved. Becoming a pastor does not mean I will be placed in a pedestal and seen from afar. I can continue to walk side by side to my friends.
I am most relieved as I can see that it is a gentle relationship, the kind that I have had with so many people all through my life. Pastor+ disciples= friendship.
"Bea, but there is some kind of difference, some higher level, or position if one is a pastor"
Well, the way I picture it is not a "yes, a pastor is a more enlightened person, which gives him a higher catergory in the kingdom of God, so if you can sit by the pastor..you are real special"
Me, perhaps because I am a very simple minded person, I see it more like:
I have tripped more down the road than you have, so I may be able to tell you how to walk over the tree-trunk bridge without falling or I might just encourage you to get up after a fall reminding you that we learn from such mistakes.
I have taken many wrong turns so I may be able to prevent you from doing the same.
I have been crushed and broken by God, so when He is doing the same to you, I can simply tell you that you will be just fine and that what you are going through is "normal" in the kingdom of God.
I have been taken to the point of deep repentance, so when God takes you there and you tell me "I feel so bad as I now see my sin" I can tell you, "go on and cry and cry it is the Holy Spirit bringing deep repentance into your life, do not stop Him, when He knows it is time He will fill you with deep forgiveness"
BUT...many other times, I will only be able to stand by and watch you draw your own picture.
My heart has a happy tune this morning as I finally understand that my role as a pastor is to do exactly what I have always done:
To share my life, a life lived by God's side.
and
To let God be God. (this part I haven't always done...)
He is the one with all wisdom and power to save.
So let God be God and all honor and glory be to Him the only God who can save us from us.
The only God who can create in us a new heart.
posted by thisfool @ 7:26 AM
<< Home