I’ve been pondering some song lyrics, that I believe God reminded me of, while I’ve been a bit disturbed from what I’ve seen lately, among some in the Body of Christ-
becoming the Bride of Christ.
It’s been some time ago, that a famous country singer declared what she was looking for in a man.
“Any man of mine better be proud of me. Even when I’m ugly, He still better love me. And I can be late for a date, that’s fine, but he better be on time.”
After hearing, yet another person say, “what they are looking for in a church” and my having the same line of thinking at times,
it occurred to me that what we are looking for, and what our Heavenly Father is looking for is quite different.
I used to think those lyrics were clever back in the day.
Why shouldn’t we want someone like that?
Someone to dote on us.
We can, act however we please-
(there’s much of the same thinking when we get saved)
and they still have to put up with us.
It’s the feed me tacos and tell me I’m pretty mentality.
But then, I realized, Jesus died, for me.
And even though when I’m being ugly, He still does loves me, why would I treat Him with such disrespect?
Let’s say He’s late for a date?
How many complaints are made because of God’s seemingly unfair timing?
But what about us?
We can be late when He prompts us to do something and that’s fine?
I’m not ranting, but rather reflecting.
I love Him.
Because He first loved me.
This brings me to how I love Him.
He said if I do….in fact, love Him, I will keep His Word.
If I change these lyrics in my heart, to not what He can keep doing for me, regardless of my behavior, but rather, working out His love He already proved to me-
And give it to others, then I begin to Worship by how I live-
That’s seen by how I love.
He said, if I love Him, I would keep His commandments, and His commandment is love.
Then He took me a step further and reminded me yesterday of how He loves.
Did you know that Hebrews 12 says that as many as the Lord loves, He chastens?
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Vs6
I encourage you to look up that word, chastise, in the Blue Letter Bible concordance, but you will find the Word, correct.
Jesus said the same thing in Revelation.
19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
This is after, He was seated at the right hand of the Father.
From there, He is talking to the churches and desiring that they repent!
The Love of God desires the best for our life.
Here.
Not just in heaven.
In order for that to happen, any Good Father will correct His children.
So, I believe He’s starting simple with me.
By reminding me of this song, to challenge myself and others to look at it different.
To look at His church, different.
We shouldn’t be asking how much we can get away with and our Savior still love us.
We should be looking at Him, so we can conform to Him.
He desires for us to share His likeness.
To become One with Him.
Hebrews 12:9-10 says:
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave themreverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for ourprofit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
When the Father corrects you, it means that He loves you.
You are His Beloved and Too Beautiful in His sight, to keep being ugly!
We really are, better than that.
Jesus paid for us to be different.
It’s time to change our tune!
ThankFully Restored 