I live in the real world. Though I'm a recovering perfectionist, I stumble on a regular enough basis that I wonder if I'll ever fully recover. A continuous goal to replace pride with humility looms always and is an infinite battle of my will.
A real life snip-it. Teaching my daughter to cook. Spill on the stove. Perfectionist freaks. Battle lost. Heart hurt. Fun turned to shame. Stove cleaned. Eager student lost. Lesson done. Apology offered. Accepted. Hug. New beginning.
Had I submitted to humility in the first place and simply forgave the spill and wiped it up without my prideful will, the blessings would have far outweighed the backwards, real life scenario. But, I'm thankful for do-overs, forgiveness and grace.
God is a specialist in new beginnings. He delights in giving His children clean, white pages. Thanks be to God! He loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). A love we cannot fully comprehend. Through His grace, He gives us room to grow and make mistakes and come to Him with our pure heart apologies which He ALWAYS accepts and forgives our sin.
In this verse of thanks, Paul is thanking God for the freedom from sin that the new converts in the early church (Christians) were experiencing as a result of their willingness to obey the teachings of Christ (the Gospel).
"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted." Romans 6:17
Christian obedience is not forced or legalistic, but willing - from the heart - "wholeheartedly obeyed." When we submit in humility to God, through Christ's sacrifice, we receive His grace. We receive the blessing of trading masters. Naturally we are slaves to sin. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become willing servants to righteousness - clean, white pages.
Thoughts from Oswald Chambers about God's providence in our new beginning.
"But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future... He will keep watch so that we will not be tripped up again by the same failures, as would undoubtedly happen if He were not our 'rear guard.' (Isaiah 52:12)... Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ... Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him." - from My Utmost for His Highest
In 2015, please prayerfully join me in the daily pursuit to lay down my pride for humility and my will for His, and receive clean, white pages of grace from Christ's loving presence. With that, thanks will be our continuous companion and our master One of grace and love.
"And be thankful." Colossians 3:15b
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