Our Part-"To Let"
Jesus said of Nathaniel, "That man has no guile in him." What is guile anyway? Could it come from the word "disguise," implicating falseness or pretense? As I looked it up, I found out that it does mean "doing something by deceptive means."
How deceitful are we; am I? "The heart is deceitfully wicked, what man can know it?" His word says. Yes, only God, who looks at the heart, can truly know the deceitfulness within. Our desire, as lined up with His, however, is to be clean within. As David so sincerely prayed, "Create in my a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." When we are born of the Spirit, we receive a new heart and mind, and so, in that aspect, we are clean.
But, if we are the least observant we see ourselves doing deceptive things by deceptive means. We try and present ourselves "good" for other people's approval or admiration. We say the "right" answers, even though on the inside we feel the effects of not really believing what we say. We do things from selfish ambition, and try to make it seem like we are really doing them for other people. If we look too hard and long, we get sickened by the putrid flesh operating in and through us.
So, how do we resolve this? How do we become a "Nathaniel" and not a "Jacob"-the deceiver? It happens as we trust God to perfect us into His image. The bottom line is that we can't change our hearts; only God can. When we truly want His righteousness to flow out of us, we humble ourselves to "let His substance" flow through us to others. It's not a matter of "what would Jesus do?" and then do it, it's a matter of denying ourselves (what we do in our flesh) and "letting" His love have it's way. Again, it goes back to "not my will, but Yours be done, O Lord," and then "letting" that happen.
As we "let" Him have His way through us, Jacob becomes Nathaniel through us. Putting it like this, I can see that I very seldom "let Nathaniel" come out of me, but instead Jacob has his way, and I am saddened by this. Although good to recognize our sinful part, it is not the position to stay in. I just need to decide to "do it" instead of just write about it, or talk about it. In doing so, I truly am full of guile.
O Lord, give me the courage to "let go of Jacob, and release the heart of Nathaniel" in me. Forgive me for being a deceitful, hypocrite. Amen.
How deceitful are we; am I? "The heart is deceitfully wicked, what man can know it?" His word says. Yes, only God, who looks at the heart, can truly know the deceitfulness within. Our desire, as lined up with His, however, is to be clean within. As David so sincerely prayed, "Create in my a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." When we are born of the Spirit, we receive a new heart and mind, and so, in that aspect, we are clean.
But, if we are the least observant we see ourselves doing deceptive things by deceptive means. We try and present ourselves "good" for other people's approval or admiration. We say the "right" answers, even though on the inside we feel the effects of not really believing what we say. We do things from selfish ambition, and try to make it seem like we are really doing them for other people. If we look too hard and long, we get sickened by the putrid flesh operating in and through us.
So, how do we resolve this? How do we become a "Nathaniel" and not a "Jacob"-the deceiver? It happens as we trust God to perfect us into His image. The bottom line is that we can't change our hearts; only God can. When we truly want His righteousness to flow out of us, we humble ourselves to "let His substance" flow through us to others. It's not a matter of "what would Jesus do?" and then do it, it's a matter of denying ourselves (what we do in our flesh) and "letting" His love have it's way. Again, it goes back to "not my will, but Yours be done, O Lord," and then "letting" that happen.
As we "let" Him have His way through us, Jacob becomes Nathaniel through us. Putting it like this, I can see that I very seldom "let Nathaniel" come out of me, but instead Jacob has his way, and I am saddened by this. Although good to recognize our sinful part, it is not the position to stay in. I just need to decide to "do it" instead of just write about it, or talk about it. In doing so, I truly am full of guile.
O Lord, give me the courage to "let go of Jacob, and release the heart of Nathaniel" in me. Forgive me for being a deceitful, hypocrite. Amen.
posted by Patti Blount @ 9:17 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home