The Lord has been speaking the same message to me for several days now. It has to do with righteousness…with fulfillment…with joy. The verse in my devotional this morning sums it up nicely.
Galatians 3:3
Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
I have been walking with the Lord for quite awhile. And still…still I try to create righteousness for myself with my own two hands. It never works. It never will work. So why do I, and most everyone in this world, keep trying?
Here is how it affects me. I am a perfectionist. I feel fulfilled and satisfied when everything around me is organized, put away, finished. I have this constant drive to “get things done.” I love marking things off my to-do list. Now, perhaps these traits are not bad in and of themselves. But, what I find so tempting is to place my happiness and self-worth on these very external, worldly things. And I can NEVER get everything done or have everything just exactly as I want it. My to-do list is never complete.
At our prayer group last week, my mom said the most profound thing. I knew it was straight from the mouth of God when she spoke it. She said that God does not want us resting in a righteousness that is not His righteousness. Ahhh…righteousness. My only righteousness comes from being washed clean by the blood of Christ. It most certainly does not come from having a clean house, organized closets, perfect relationships, etc.
My dear cousin Melody wrote something in her blog several months ago that really spoke to this phenomenon. She said, “It doesn’t have to be just so, for it to be so sweet.” Life (like my house) is not neat and tidy. Praise God that our joy does not rest on circumstances being perfect. True joy and peace come only from following Jesus. Ahhh...what a relief!
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3 comments:
I've been giving this issue a lot of thought, and have come to the conclusion that the heart of the difficulty is our unwillingness to be told what to do--even by the Almighty God. We'd rather make our own laws and try to live by them than to fall back into His arms and rest in His righteousness, which entails obedience. This resting in Him in combination with obedience to His voice is how we walk by the Spirit and not according to the ways of the flesh.
Melinda - This post is Rock solid! How it resonates with my spirit. I can relate so very much to all you said. I am working, praying, serving, striving, resting, growing in Him right along with you my blessed sister in Christ.
Love, prayers, and big hugs to you!!!
Melody
I am so thankful that it doesn't have to be "just right" to be so sweet ... a quick look in our house right now would have me doomed for eternity, otherwise! Thank you for sharing this, my friend. Although I have never struggled with the perfectionist/organizational need ... I have other things that I struggle with in the same vein ... thanks for sharing this!
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