Happy Wednesday! (08/12/09)

sup guys,

decided for today im not gonna go by what im currently reading and instead share what i think God's been trying to teach me this past week. namely the fact that we are God's children. My own initial understanding of our God at the time of my conversion was as God my Father, yet i frequently catch myself trivializing this ASTONISHING truth - that God would call me "son." as if i could shrug and say "...yah, so?"

i had the wonderful privilege of sharing romans 8 with a friend this week and took the time to read it myself. paul talks about receiving a spirit of sonship, and how we are MORE than conquerors. I never fully understood what that last bit meant! we can talk about purpose in light of suffering, we can talk about doing God's work and pursuing holiness, we can talk about how God has jeremiaic plans for our lives. BUT, how im choosing to understand romans 8:37 is that we are worth SO much more than purposes, works, and plans in the eyes of God. that it isn't our successes and failures that draws Him to us. that we are NOT chess pieces to Him but sons and daughters that He would choose to bleed for! in light of that, reading on through v38-39 brought me down to my knees.

i think, so often, we are too caught up w/ what we're supposed to DO with our lives (ie our purpose) when we should be standing in constant amazement at who we're called to BE. My prayer and encouragement this week is for all of us to find worth in being a child of God - to see beyond purpose and trials, and to stand in awe of this simple truth that we so easily forget.

many, MANY thx to the brothers and sisters who nudged me to this realization this past week.

happy wednesday and have an awesome rest of the week!

edward

here's another cute kid doing cute things - girl's got a piercing voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR4PQ30VkBk&feature=related


"15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (or daughtership). And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." - Romans 8:15-16

"37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8: 37-39