“‘If you love me, keep my commands.'” John 14:15
My husband looked at me with his stunning blue eyes, “Sometimes we make God into our image to make us more comfortable.”
I had never heard it said like that.
How many times do we try to make God into our image instead of remembering we were made in the image of God? That we are made to live above the world’s standards and walk in a way that is difficult here on earth, but means everything in eternity.
We try to put God in a box. We talk about His love, forgiveness and that He is the Peacemaker, but we ignore that HE IS HOLY.
What is holy? Set apart. He is set apart from any other. There is no “other.” HE IS.
Have you ever met someone that credited God for something that was completely against God’s Word?
God does not only want our adoration but our obedience.
There is a difference in Him being our Savior and our Lord. He is our Savior because he saved us from hell. He is our Lord because He gets say in our day to day decisions.
“But Samuel replied: ‘Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'” 1 Samuel 15:22
Now, is this to say that Christians don’t sin?
Absolutely not!
I sin everyday.
But I don’t need to give God credit for my sin. He doesn’t want it. Neither can I blame my sins on being a “sinner.”
As my mother-in-law says, “If we see ourselves as sinners we give ourselves liscense to sin, but if we ourselves as blood bought saints that totally changes our perspective.”
When we see Jesus as not only loving, but holy, it changes our life.
He would love for me to give Him credit for my redemption, for my salvation, for the time I spend with Him and the growth that produces- but He does not want credit for my wrongs. He deserves all credit for turning those wrongs into something beautiful, for taking my mess and showing grace, for blessing me despite my bad decisions, but I can not say, “Glory to God,” for something that does not glorify Him and is sin.
Let’s be more aware of what situations we bring God’s name into.
He deserves all the adoration and glory in the world.
But He bore the sin on the cross and left it there.
He is holy, perfect, sinless and blameless.
He loves us and not only wants a relationship with us, but for us to obey what He says. That is what every parent wants. To have a relationship with us, but for us to also make good choices.
Obedience is better than sacrifice.
This new year let us see God as holy and discover His true character.
You are loved, valued and useful.