Monday, July 25, 2011

Watch What God Does

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents.  Mostly what God does is love you.  Keep company with him and learn a life of love.  Observe how Christ loved us.  His love was not cautious but extravagant.  He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us.  Love like that.      Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG

I was feeling frustrated this morning and looking for some answers in God’s word about obedience.  As of late, it seems my kids’ brains have taken a summer break and they have forgotten how to use their instruction following skills.  I thought that by praying and seeking God would share a jewel with me this morning.  I think I found more than I wanted to find, but just what I needed to find.  Know what I mean?
     Last night we were sitting at church, we had just finished singing our praises to the Lord and Brother Bob had just gotten up and started to preach, when my lovely daughter leaned over to inform me that she thought she left home with poor Wilbur, her guinea pig, sitting on her bed.  Talk about Daniel in the lion’s den….remember Betty Betty Birddog?  So I sighed and got up and left to go home to a possible massacre in my living room.  I do care about Wilbur, but I care about my carpet and couches more.  Is that bad?




     We arrived home and everything was fine.  Betty was still in the exact same position she was in when we left, lazily loafing on the couch.  She acted like we were disturbing her nap when we came in frantically rushing around.  How dare us!  We put Wilbur away and went back to church.  We talked on the way back.  Abbey asked me how I remember to do everything I do, and was beating herself up for not thinking.  I told her some helpful tips, but also talked with her about the obedience part of the problem too.  When something means a lot to us we tend to remember to do it.  Basically I threw a small lecture in while I had the chance.
      It’s not the first time she or James has “forgotten” to obey the rules, so I was seeking something that I could share with their hearts, not a lecture.  Then I found the verse above.  Wow, talk about a slap in the face.  My lecture from the night before, all of my words I had so freely doled out, came back in a flash.  Do I do what I have watched God do?  Do I model the proper behavior for my children all the time?  Do I love like that?  I can now share with them the lecture that I got this morning.  I was seeking an answer for them and got one for myself.  We have to depend on God’s grace to live this life effectively.  We have to keep watching God, so we can keep trying to emulate what he shows us.  If we take our eyes off of our Father for too long, we forget what is important in life.  We complain and become complacent and forget what he did for us and how much he loves us.  He never forgets to care about us.  He gave his all.  So then, should I.


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