The "Less than: List

Another sleepless night. Most nights are like that with exception of the nights when the medications that help me sleep through pain actually works. Such is life at my age, I guess. I lie in bed most nights and repeatedly pray or say the name Jesus in order to lull myself to sleep and try to keep my mind from wandering. Some nights, lately, I lie there and think of all of the bad choices that I have made in my life, how much time that I wasted not following Christ, how many times I failed to follow His calling on my life… you know, all the what ifs that haunt us? You have them too, I suppose? I am not perfect. When people try to compliment me about being sweet or good, I have to try to set them straight. After all these decades, I figured out why people say things like, ‘it isn’t me, it is Christ in me.’ I say the same thing adding that if what was in my thoughts came out of my mouth, they would see that it isn’t me. I could picture some people thinking, “She is NOT a good person. She is still the same as she was when...” Others may say, “Nonsense, you are so sweet.” (Usually my kids :-) And still others may just tell me not to give God a black eye by being less than perfect in front of others. Whatever your thoughts on it, there is a battle in my mind telling me that I am failing, that I may not be chosen and I toss and turn over it until I sleep. So, if you are like me and you doubt yourself or your salvation, this one is for you, too. Even as I write it, it is for me. Again, He compels me to tell you this so that you will know. There are some hard and fast truths that we MUST remember. These are what I must tell myself. 1. God is omni-everything. Omniscience, Omnipresent and Omnipotent. ………….. Ps 147:5 If we know this, then why do we have trouble trusting in Him? Do you think that anything in your life is just too big for Him? 2. Christ loved us all so much that He died for us. ………………………………….. Jn 3:16 He literally chose death to save us, already knowing what we would do and be. All our warts and ugliness are not unknown to God. 3. We are chosen. We cannot seek Him except if He has called us. ………………….Jn 6:43-44 He chose us knowing what we bring to the table. We didn’t ‘find’ salvation. He chose us. We came to Him because we know His voice because we are His sheep. 4. God gave us to Christ and no one can snatch us out of His hands. ………………..Jn 10:27-30 We are on the list. We are His. He sought us out. It is not a mistake. Don’t let the evil one convince you otherwise. 5. None of us are worthy. ……………………………………………………………..Rm 3:9-20 I do not earn my spot as a Christian. I cannot ever be good enough to deserve my salvation. I always feel like I am ‘less than’ but I am still His. None of us are worthy. He loves us. 6. It is not by works but by faith. ……………………………………………………..Gal 2:16 I love him and desire to be better because I am a follower of Christ. Not by my own merit but by His love. It is my love and faith that gives me the desire to not sin. I changed my behavior and choices and now I simply continue to work on my thoughts. I desire to hold my thoughts captive. And frankly, my thoughts like to rebel. I fight them every day. Because we are human, this is always the case. 7. He works all things for our good. Even when it doesn’t seem like it. ……………..Rm 8:27-28 I have trust issues. Even when I stumble, even though I am not perfect and never will be, He works all things for His glory. The things that happen as a natural result of death and sin in this dark world are not the end of the story. All things work for good when we start acknowledging that. 8. Nothing is too tempting that, as Christ followers, we cannot overcome it. ……….1 Co 10:12-13 He gave us the tools to avoid temptation. He KNEW, see #1, that we would need help because, guess what? We are not perfect. We are human. When we stumble, it doesn’t mean that we have been orphaned. See #4. We cannot be snatched but we do still need to make choices that glorify God. Listen, we are and always will be human. I find the older that I get the more fractured my mind works. It is like trying to gather marbles in my hands with one swoop of the hands. It doesn’t work so well. But that doesn’t mean that I give up and call myself done. As the great Mandisa song says, “I’m just unfinished.” So I keep working at it. We all do. I just don’t like to pretend that I have it all together. I want to show you that God chose even me, in my imperfectness. I know so many broken people in this world who think they will never be worthy enough to be saved. Guess what? It isn’t about you. If you love God. If you are thinking about Him. If you believe in Him. If you know the Truth, you are on that list. See #4. You aren’t trying to get into an exclusive club that requires you to dress a certain way, speak a certain language, know the bible by heart and be a perfect Christian. You know why? Because that isn’t the Truth. Regardless of what some misguided souls tell you. He loves you where you are at and you CANNOT seek Him out unless you are already on the list. He meets you where you are at. He is calling you, chasing you and not letting you forget Him because He has a plan for your life and you just need to move towards Him and trust Him and believe. Reread those points up there again, please. Post them on your bathroom mirror. Carry them in your purse or wallet. Write them on your heart until you truly understand the depth of your own calling. Is it a free pass? Yes and no. Salvation is free to those who believe. However, you have some house cleaning to do because your love for Him makes you not want to stand before Him in a sinful state. But He gives you what you need to overcome temptation. See #8. We desire to make good choices and follow His prompting because of His sacrifice and love for us. No one will EVER love you better than Him. Unconditionally.