Stubborn Self-Will BY: KB © 1.19.15

I was house sitting this weekend..and I'm exhausted. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed in your own surroundings...creature comfort.

I wanted nothing more than to be lazy today doing nothing and I attempted to do just that but I kept getting a nagging sensation to get up and do what I was called to do...get up and deliver a message. The thought kept saying "if you continue to do nothing your life will continue to manifest the fruits of your labor" ...NOTHING! To be honest, I want to live a life...pleasing and acceptable to God; I want to honor Him in everything I do. I want to live out  the scripture Psalm 19:14 - let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

People who are running on self-will usually depict God and speak of God as a mean old man who will only be nice to them if they measure up to His standards, but nasty to them if they don’t.  First wrong move! People try to superimpose their standards over God's. They see His standards as too high and too much work. They think the potential for pleasing Him is impossible, so they have resigned themselves to living outside of grace.

Question: How and why would you serve a God that you could never please?

If we believe it impossible to please God we begin to do things out of a sense of obligation attempting to curry favor. If  we feel guilty it is because we are guilty. We have broken God’s laws or conscience tells us  and we know it. The Bible says that we are not unique in this;  the whole world is guilty before Him (Romans 3:10-20). The Bible teaches that we have all fallen short of His standard (Romans 3:23), and because we are guilty (disobedient) we deserve to be chastised (Romans 6:23). An infinitely holy God must show His displeasure with sin. People living on self-will  will be quick to criticize and to attack God and His word at this point.  Maybe you've heard “See, God is rigid and intolerant.” The critics are right to a certain extent. Sin cannot enter His presence nor can God allow you to operate in it.  He must judge it. But what the critics fail to see is that He is also loving, gracious, merciful, and kind, and that those traits motivate Him to forgive us and us to serve Him.

How ya livin'?!!!