Friday, January 02, 2009

One new love, one (really) old love

I love GTY.org where I can listen by podcast to the 'Grace to you' radio program in podcast form on my windows media player. This connects me to the voice and passion of John MacArthur Jr., under whose preaching I first came to faith in Jesus Christ. Just recently, God's grace was renewed to me as I came under the conviction of my repeated sins and continued foolishness.
I am once again realizing that a testimony of faith in my mouth is useless unless it was matched by the testimony of my feet and hands, the demonstration of that faith in my walk and in my work.

To you who know me, I ask forgiveness for my failings and the neglect of the gift of salvation these past years and I commit to living on the higher plane of obedience to God's will and acceptance of His design for my life. Thank you for your prayers. Only God knows how much they have meant in this season of my life.
The blinders have come off, the lure of the easy solution and instant "happiness" are now clear to me as just that: LURES. Any fisherman will tell you that at the end of a lure is a hook. Once hooked the direction of ones life is altered, changed and no longer characterized by freedom, as the pull of the line and the pain in the mouth take over and like an energetic and purely reactive rainbow trout, I was running, jumping and zig-zagging through my days, without much hope of really getting anywhere.

Through prayer, and His word, God has removed the hooks from my soul and set me on a path of freedom. Not freedom to do as I wish, but freedom to live as He intended from the beginning.
"Grace to you" and the podcasts are my new love, God is my first love that I am returning to in this January season of my life. I am new again, and you know what? It just feels great!

4 comments:

Bobkat said...

It sounds like you have had an epithany and the fact that you feel great is wonderful!

Netchick sent me to wish you a Happy New Year. May this feeling you have last througout the year and beyond.

mw said...

The sense of commitment and strength in your writing of this post, and even more than that, the joy that manifests itself in your final paragraph is wonderful and amazing. It is inspiring to read, and I think some of your joy has been spread through your words, as I am smiling happily as I write this post. Congratulations, and thanks!

Netchick gets credit, though I check in anyways...

CozyMama said...

i second this comment:

May this feeling you have last througout the year and beyond.

Anonymous said...

I admire your striving to better yourself through Thy Will Be Done. For me, I think so much of religion hinges on the semantics of language, but actions speak louder and transcend words, and I do know what you MEAN. Who feels it, knows it. I have my glimpses.

Netchicking.