At times there is no godliness in me, just jealousy and competition to be better than someone else: a deep abiding wish to be more correct, more holy, more right, more powerful.
In the past I have griped and complained and judged, nursed bitterness over debateable matters, ignored warnings given by the Spirit, not recognised direct intervention from angels. I have been wreckless with God's gifts and promises.
This is the type of man you have been reading. Want to read on? Or am I too contaminated? Is this too close to the bone?
We want our leaders to have a dark night of the soul elsewhere, in private, so we can invest some of our God-stock in them and we don't have to deal with the mess. Ignorance is bliss. Would we invest in something that was as totally bankrupt as this? A total loss? Perhaps we wouldn't, but God definitely would. In fact he invests in nothing else. But we are so ingrained with our own value and worth through what we do that we cannot conceive of coming to God with empty hands. We bring our 'talents' and 'gifts' and we expect God to import these into the new life. We bring the shame of our conduct and past lives and expect God to forgive it over and over again. How can life be new if it has the old? Until all is considered a complete loss how will we ever know the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus? Even the greatest things we have done in our own strength must be considered unclean and must be expelled through the Dung Gate. For all the 'good' and 'bad' we have done are all alike under God's gaze. Only God is good, so be prefect as your heavenly Father is perfect. If you are His child then inheriting his nature will bring this perfection forth unconsciously.
How often have you heard it said: "God could use a man like this . . .". God will use no such man or woman, not until they are 6 feet under or at the bottom of the River Jordan or in the stomach of a whale.
We want our leaders to have a dark night of the soul elsewhere, in private, so we can invest some of our God-stock in them and we don't have to deal with the mess. Ignorance is bliss. Would we invest in something that was as totally bankrupt as this? A total loss? Perhaps we wouldn't, but God definitely would. In fact he invests in nothing else. But we are so ingrained with our own value and worth through what we do that we cannot conceive of coming to God with empty hands. We bring our 'talents' and 'gifts' and we expect God to import these into the new life. We bring the shame of our conduct and past lives and expect God to forgive it over and over again. How can life be new if it has the old? Until all is considered a complete loss how will we ever know the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus? Even the greatest things we have done in our own strength must be considered unclean and must be expelled through the Dung Gate. For all the 'good' and 'bad' we have done are all alike under God's gaze. Only God is good, so be prefect as your heavenly Father is perfect. If you are His child then inheriting his nature will bring this perfection forth unconsciously.
How often have you heard it said: "God could use a man like this . . .". God will use no such man or woman, not until they are 6 feet under or at the bottom of the River Jordan or in the stomach of a whale.
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