God Rewrote the Text of my Life

To Compose again!  Recompense as the King James Version of the Scriptures say… or as Eugene Petersen says in The Message

God rewrote the text of my life

when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Learning to trust God is a simple matter for some people.  However, for those whose hearts have been hurt by someone else it is a challenge to “open the book of my heart to his eyes”.  It is a difficult thing to do at times.  But I am glad that I can trust him.  He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet…the song says.

I am glad that God is helping me rewrite the text of my life.  I wasn’t real good at listening to the teachers at school (imagine that for those who know me).  Many times they sounded like the teacher on the Charlie Brown show – some monotone garble – and most of it did not make sense to me.  I hate to say it but there are times when I am slow in hearing God speak.  I am doing better than before.  I am learning that listening breeds more listening – hearing words that change my life.

Starting over is wonderful news of the gospel of Christ.  You take the messy life and rewrite the text.  I am excited about seeing where God’s inexhaustible riches and the generosity of Christ takes me.

Personal Responsibility

There are many things in our faith that are in the context of doing it with other Christian brothers and sisters. On the other hand God holds us personally responsible for specific Christian Biblical items. Jude is a lot of help here in verses 20-21…20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

In talking with my friends Elbert Smith and Fred Kosin, I was helped to discover that means –

1. Building yourselves on you most holy faith (individual praise, worship, study, meditating)

2. Praying in the Holy Spirit

3. Keep yourselves in the love of God (this suggest a picture of God’s love overshadowing us like a cloud or bathing us like sunshine- if anything blots out the cloud or sunshine by coming between us we are not remaining in the shadow of the cloud or the light of the sun- sin and negligence are such blocks)

4. Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Rest, patience, consistency in the firm expectation of Christ’s return to finish what he started in us)

God voice is clear. Our personal responsibilities cannot be avoided. I move it from my head to my heart and on to walk it out before God. Thank you, friends! It is time to go to work.