Reading in my Building Faith with Bible Pathway under the introduction to Ezekiel, I come upon this sentence –
“After Jerusalem’s fall (in 586 B.C.,) Ezekiel began a message of hope, consolation, and reconstruction.”
Reconstruction. That is what God does with us. It’s not exactly a beautiful word, like metamorphosis.
Reconstruction is a rough word. You tear down all that isn’t right and healthy and solid in a building. You go all the way back to the foundation and the basics if necessary. You have to remove and haul off the debris.
And all this before you can even begin to rebuild. Before it can be made new. And so it is with us. God has to bring to our attention our foundational, deep-seated, hardened attitudes that make our whole lives off-plumb if we are ever going to be God’s children.
Pride? He works at humbling us. Lying? He works at revealing and uncovering it. Bitterness? Yep – He’s at work to bring it to light. Fear? Greed? Selfishness? Yes. Yes. And Yes.
Who Me?
And all the while we are trying to deny and cover-up that these things are a part of us. God then has to work even harder and ever more diligently just to get down to the bedrock so we can see what our heart is really made of and what we cling to. He has to work until we get to the point that we say, “Okay God. I give up.”
And then, and only then, can He begin to teach us His ways. And to build us up.
What things would God love to remove in your life? Anger? Jealousy? Pride? Fear? Low self-esteem? Kickin’ yourself for past mistakes? What things would God love to see your life built on? What good things does He want to pour into your life? His love and provisions!
What would happen if you co-operated with God and said to Him, “God I know that you don’t like this ____________ attitude and it isn’t pleasing to you. I know you don’t like this crutch that I use. But I don’t know how to change on my own. I am willing for You to remove these things. Help me to be more willing. Help me to see the opposite of these actions and how incorporating them into my life would reveal Your glory and let me draw closer to You.”
Real Beauty and Cool Blessings
Lord God, open my eyes to the beauty of Your ways and Your character. Help me to see what a good thing it is that You want me to be like You.
In My Utmost for His Highest, I see it again. Oswald reminds us that God is about making each of us Holy – instead of being some eternal, cosmic blessing machine for us to use for our benefit.
We say – “Well God, I wouldn’t be this way, if it wasn’t for this person, or these circumstances.” God just smiles, and keeps chipping away, waiting for the day we look up and say, – “Okay, God, whatever my problem is in this mess, I’m willing to look at if you’ll help me.”
And God says, “Ahh, now we’re getting somewhere.”
Very good….Very God! He’s all about this sanctification process, and no it ain’t pretty and sometimes it’s very painful and humbling, but it’s so worth it. God has promised us so many blessings if we just believe and obey and submit to the work that He is doing in us. After all the word says “He who began a good work in us is faithful to complete it!”
Dear Alix,
Amen – God’s purpose is to do a work in us. I want God to make my circumstances right, and He wants to make me right so that I reflect His goodness.