WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR YOU?
That’s the question I wrote in my journal this morning around 6:15AM.
As I’ve shared with you over the past few months, journaling for me is paying attention to what God is putting on my heart… and this morning, that’s the question the LORD impressed on my heart.
And for sake of clarity, I’m not sitting there with my eyes closed just listening as hard as I can to what question the LORD might have for me.
The way it normally works is that with my Bible open, I read His Word, listening for anything and everything that the LORD 'might’ have to say to me about Him, or me, or a situation I’m navigating.
And this morning, I read and then re-read Romans 12:1…
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you.”
I read on a bit further, but then I got stuck on the question…
WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR YOU?
When the Apostle Paul penned Romans 12:1, fresh on his mind was everything that He had spoken of in Romans 1 through Romans 11. In short, in the 315 verses prior to Romans 12:1, the Apostle Paul shines a spotlight on ALL that God has done in Christ Jesus to make knowing God possible.
For Paul, the exhortation of giving ALL of who we are to the LORD is the most logical thing one could do in light of ALL that God has done for us.
This might be true of only me, but I quickly forget ALL that the LORD has done because my focus quickly turns towards what He hasn’t done. And if does not go there, it heads towards thinking of all I think He should be doing.
Again, this might only be true of me (I hope it is), but if I’m dwelling on what I think He hasn’t done, or what I think He should be doing, well, rather than giving ALL of who I am to ALL of who He is, I will hold back.
And here’s what I mean by ‘hold back.’
Rather than respond in obedience to what the LORD might put before me, I’ll delay. Instead of saying ‘yes’ immediately to what the LORD is entrusting to me, my attitude might sound like…
‘I don’t feel like doing that.’
I’m not sure I could quantify the percentage for you, but somewhere north of 95% of my disobedience is rooted in me not ‘feeling’ like I want to do what the LORD is calling me to do. And when I begin to peel back the layers of my ‘feelings,’ what I discover is frustration; namely, that God is not acting or behaving as I think He should. That was not a fun sentence to write!
Journaling is NOT always pretty. Meaning, in journaling, the LORD reveals aspects of my heart and soul that need surgery. And if you’ve ever had surgery, it’s not always fun… ok, surgery is never fun! But thankfully, God is a Good Surgeon who brings about healing to my heart and head.
WHAT HAS HE DONE FOR YOU?
If you want to see forward progress in your walk with God… and just so you know, He wants that for you, rather than dwell on ALL that you want God to be doing, take time to dwell on ALL He has already done for you in Christ Jesus.
And just you know, the more we dwell upon ALL that God has accomplished for us in Christ, like the Apostle Paul, we’ll have countless numbers of stories of getting to see God on the move in and around and through our lives. There is something powerful that happens in the soul of a man or woman who is freshly aware of the Gospel… of ALL that God has accomplished for them in Christ Jesus.
Thanks for the continued privilege of being able to share with you what the LORD is sharing with me!
