Yesterday as I was getting ready for church I had to iron my shirt. Paige normally takes care of the ironing for me but it has been a bit hectic at my house the last few weeks. The label on the shirt I had picked said “easy care” so I thought I could handle it. The shirt was anything but, “easy care”. It is 100% cotton and it seemed the more I ironed the more wrinkles got in it. As I was ironing the Lord was talking to me about this simple task. I needed to look at it two ways. The label was not true and in our lives that is often the case as well.
1) There are labels that others place on us or that we place on ourselves that simply are not true. We fail or simply feel we have failed and others and we label us a failure when the true label is that we are more than conquerors through Christ. We wear other labels that have nothing to do with who we are. God says who we are; we are His children, sons and daughters of the most High God; princesses and princes in the Kingdom of God. It is not a matter of pride but of truth. Jesus said we will know the truth and the truth will set us free (John 8:32). We must begin believing God’s word and not our feelings and the reports of others. We must believe who God says that we are not as a matter of pride but as a matter of living in God’s truth.
2) The second part of this label is a little more frustrating. There are many that wear the label Christian and aren’t. I am not talking about people who fail in their walk with Christ; we will fail as we are daily walking with Him. You might say that sounds pessimistic. The truth is as men and women of God we are called to walk by faith, faith being the evidence of things unseen or to take it a step further to daily walk as a Christian we will always be covering new territory being stretched to do things we have never done before we are destined to make mistakes as we do the new things and go places we have never gone before. I am talking about those with a Pharisee heart, purposely playing religion and living without relationship. Like the Pharisees Jesus confronted they sounds very righteous but in reality have no idea who God really is, who much He loves them and others. They have accepted a cheap imitation of Christianity rather than a living relationship. You know them they are constantly critical, are rarely happy, and as Paul said have a form of godliness but deny it’s power.
My heart is broken for both of these carriers of the wrong labels. God has so much more for both groups of people. There is so much wonder and awe the Lord has for us. He amazes me everyday with who He is and how much He loves me. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says that we have really have no way to fully comprehend all that God has for those who love Him. Don’t live under any false label. Our faith should actually be “easy care”, coming to Him and laying down our burdens and allowing Him to lift us up, lead us to where we need to go, and accomplish all the amazing things He has for us.
Ask the Lord if you are wearing any false labels and if you are allow Him to strip the bad labels away and place the correct one on you. God loves you, He really does!
No comments:
Post a Comment