Religion, Relationship, and the Emptiness Between

I recently began reading a book by Mike Guzzardo, called "The Great Divide." (I know what your wondering, how can she read anything else, lol well i found time) In it he says something very interesting in reference to the disciples, "Because they responded exactly the way he asked, they experienced God exactly the way he promised." This thought has been toiling through my head since I read it. How often do we consider the practicality of this within our own lives. So, then I further explored what those promises. Galations 5:22-23 says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Curious is it not? What limits are experience with God? The great reality is that we are the great limiters. Whether it is through our excuses or our compromise, we limit ourselves from experiencing the fullness of God's promises.

As I consider myself, I consider the exchanges that occur or need to occur in my life. Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." My perception throughout my faith journey camProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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to an incredibly crucial point, that is starting to unveil itself even more now. The best life I can possibly lead, is only possible by my submission to God and his will for my life. Anything less than complete submission, is me settling for less than God intended. As I read through the Old Testament I realize just how important this exchange really is. God was constantly reminding the Israelites that if they submitted to him with all their hearts, and obeyed him in all their ways, he would fulfill all he had promised.

So often we look at obediance as a chore, not considering that the outcome is the best life we can possibly lead. Consider the fruits of the spirit, one of the many promises we see throughout his word. As we live in obediance, we in turn experience the benefits. Oddly enough, we look for these benefits in the world around us, when eventually we all have to face the fact that they are incredible temporary. God offers a constant state of peace, a consistent expression of his love, and the list goes on and on. But if we never meet our part of the exchange, how can we recieve the benefits.

It's very easy to get caught up in obediance, to the point where we view it as a burden. Living in obediance isn't simply something we do to get to heaven, it's the most beneficial thing we can do for ourselves on this earth. Our lives are testimonies to his glory and his love.