It takes sacrificing our BEST.

Exerpt from "Recovery from the Fall" by Mike Brenininger-

"The fear of missing the will of God relates to a godly fear of having wasted our earthly lives because we do not fulfill the purpose that God has for us. I believe there will be a time for people when God will reveal all that He had planned for their lives. It will be a sad day for everyone because no one has completely fulfilled the plan of God for his life. We should especially think about the Christian who goes about his life with little consideration for the will of God. When that person stands before the Lord, instead of Jesus saying, "well done my good and faithful servant," He says, "I had all this for you, ubt you chose your own way."

"A revelation of the fear of God that brings a heightened awareness of His will always draws us to more obedience and service. So many Christians are concerned about how much of this world they can love and still be all right with God. What we should be asking is, "How much of God can we have while still in this world?" When we have a revelation of the fear of God, the question is no longer how much we can do and et away with, the question is, "How much am I missing out on that the Lord wants for me?" This revelation and impartation challenges us to always be asking, "Is this really what the Lord wants me to be doing?" There are many temptations that are trying to capture our attention and affections; however, when we have the fear of God, we will have a longing for His will, which is likely to make the temptations not very tempting."

I went for a walk with a person who means a lot to me. In some ways I see her as a second or third mom, but really I am able to see her as somewhat of a spiritual mentor. Yesterday we were dumped with a good amount of snow, and she and I (with the day off) went for a walk. Most hadn't gotten up to plow out the sidewalks yet, so we walked along the road; her in her boots and me in my 'soon to be wet' sneakers.

As we walked along we came across a couple. One was working hard to shovel out the heavy snowfall while the other was skirting from one angle to another taking pictures. On top of things, my aunt initiaited conversation with the couple. Turns out, they were first time home owners and this was their first winter in their new house; in fact it was the first time they would have to shovel the driveway in their new home so the wife had taken on the task of documenting this occurance. My aunt quickly found a connection with the couple as they were all teachers in the Wausau school district. It was fun to observe this friendly and comfortable first interaction, and to my surprise my aunt quickly asked if the couple had found a church home yet and invited them to take a look at the church we attend. As many first meetings can go (coupled on with a potentially intimidating proposition) this one lacked the akward slow back and forths between individuals who have first met.

We continued on our walk to be met with a strong wind as we turned the corner from the new homeowners, and our conversation took on talk of what it means to be bold in our presentation of what God has done for us. My aunt had recently been convicted by the Holy Spirit that her life has become so busy that she doesn't feel like she has the adequet time to invest in relationships that lead to a further commitment towards the Lord.

She began to tell me another story of how God had opened up the door for her to share the gospel with a woman who was going through rough time in her marriage and how God graciously helped her to share the gospel with this woman in a way that really seemed to open her eyes to the reality of what salvation really means.

You see- I think a lot of us can identify with saying, "How much of this world can I love and still be alright with God?" It's easy for us to have a stronger fear of man than a fear for God when we don't rightly understand who God is and how we truly look before Him. But this is what God'w word has to say about the issue;

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through wha has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Romans 1:18-21

That honestly frightens me. To think that God has revealed the truth to us and yet in my heart I desire things that are more about my own happiness then about what God wants to do through my life. I have inhibited him from acting through my life when I am more concerned about my own opinion or the opinion of others than about sharing His name and glory with others.

Until I see the depth of my sin before God, I will never understand the incredible sacrifice that His own death and resurrection means for mine. A picture of this is found in Exodus at the passover. The angel of death was the last plague and it hit both the Israelite and Egyptian settlements. The angel of death was to come and kill the firstborn of every family, but God made a covenant with His people and told them to take the best of their lambs and sacrifice it to use its blood to make as a protection for their household. They were to place that blood on the doorframes and the angel would see that blood and acknowlegde that a sacrifice had been made as an atonement for their sins. He would then pass by that home and their firstborne would be safe.

This is what God asks of us. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God, JESUS is eternal life in Him and through Him. There would be death on our part if it weren't for the blood of Christ covering that. But it takes sacrificing our best so that Christ can live.

Think on that, "It takes sacrificing our BEST so that Christ can LIVE."