I USE TO HATE WHEN IT RAINED but I wouldn't call myself a fair-weather Christian because I really did not want to be a fair-weather Christian...lol but honestly both literally and metaphorically that's kind of how my attitude towards God was at times. If it rained a little bit too hard on Sunday morning, I was one of those people who just might not go to church to the actual building, ooh I admit it...lol.. Now this was pre covid- before Church was live streamed online for convenience)but then my religious guilty conscience would feel bad about it and I would beat myself up about it. It's ok to feel bad about missing church, that's a good thing, right? Wrong, conviction is one thing but condemnation is another. But it wasn't just about missing church it was like that with several other things that I realized I was doing with the wrong heart intent and attitude. I thank God that I broke free from that religious law-based attitude to grow and know better now, I started to realize that I was looking at church attendance and a lot of things concerning my relationship with God, the entirely wrong way. I will have to post about that subject another day
THIS IS NOT AN ADVOCATION TO FORSAKE THE ASSEMBLY
PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY
Back to the fair weather Christian reference
Doesn't it seem that when things are great, we are all in with God, right? but the minute we have a hard test or trial until we are mature enough not to, we go into "fight or fight" mode and start looking for a way out, forgetting about who He is and all that He has done and will do. Many times we run from the process, I wouldn't necessarily say looking for a way out of our faith in God as a whole, but a way out of the fight sometimes! I'm Speaking for myself at least... and I really don't know why we do that because when you understand the scope of this Christian life with Christ and truly consider the finished works of Jesus Christ you can come to realize and know that Jesus has already done the hardest part and your part is to simply STAND on THAT! Yes, that part can be easier said than done but Glory be to God,
He even gave us His Holy Spirit so that we don't have to do it alone or without His help!
Embracing the Rain for Change- It's time to Grow
I remember the summer of 2016 being very a significant and pivotal time in my life. I was home looking out the window and thinking about the fact that it seemed like we had been having a substantial amount of rain for days. It just seemed to pour extremely hard and something just felt different. It was one year after, I had been sent to the hospital and confined to bed rest for the last 30 days of my pregnancy with my last child. (Remind me to tell you all about that story later lol) Now, it is befitting that the first volume of poetry in Speak Life also has a centralized theme of Identity and Confidence in the fact that we are indeed heirs to the Kingdom of God and therefore are His beloved Sons/Daughters. The book emphasizes the fact that it's our faith in Jesus and obedience to God's will and commands that makes us Sons and Daughters of God, doing His will not our own. It's this privilege that makes us truly ROYALTY.
But what does that mean and look like for us today?
It may not be all the glitz and glamour you may think of when it comes to reigning in life, based on today's society's definition of a queen or king. God's idea of reigning and ruling in life looks a whole lot different than what we tend to think of with our natural unrenewed minds. The way God's Kingdom works is in total opposition to the ways of the world systems and that is a beautiful thing, once we get a hold of what that truly looks like and means for us. We have to keep in mind that our rewards and treasures are stored up in heaven and are far greater and exceed anything we can imagine with our earthly minds. Our rewards are eternal and spiritual and may not be seen with our natural eyes. Now, I do believe and desire to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living, on Earth, and that God can reward us openly on Earth. However, a truly submitted, committed, and consecrated Christian life may not be or look like the most glamorous one on the outside looking in. But when your life is lived from the inside out, from a heart and soul rooted and fixed on the love of God, all those around you will see the beauty in His light shining through you.
Learning to R.E.I.G.N.
When I first got this revelation and word from the Lord to learn how to REIGN in life, that is become Rooted and Established in God's Nature of LOVE. I was operating a lot like the complete opposite, particularly in the relationships that meant the most to me, marriage and motherhood. I didn't realize how stressed out, anxious, and irritable, I had become. I often found myself being rude, easily angered, irritated, prideful, keeping records of wrong, everything that is pretty much the exact opposite of how God defines love. I mean, I thought I was all good but I see now that I was trying to relate to God through religious works more so than a real meaningful relationship with the Heavenly Father, that is where all the real fruit of His Holy Spirit really flows from. I felt like I was the epitome of being a hearer of the Word but not a doer in many areas, yep, hypocritical, ouch! I was lacking in consistency and execution and how many of us know that Faith without works is dead. (James 2:17 )But LOOK AT HOW GOOD AND FAITHFUL GOD IS....
GOD IS SO CREATIVE and intentional with us and I love that! I can see how He was constantly chasing and pursuing wooing me, to repentance and surrender, sending me reminders of His love through this catchy play on words REIGN...as I was learning how to reign through the literal rain. As, I mentioned earlier, there was an outpour of rain that I had never noticed before. I learned for myself that God IS Love. It is not just a characteristic of Him. It's His nature. Years ago. I remember hearing a Pastor say that he had to become a student of love. I don't remember what sermon it was or what he was even preaching or teaching about but it kept resonating with me. I know I heard the Lord telling me the same thing but in a way that was still personal for me. The familiar love passage came to mind 1 Corinthians 13. I had heard and read this passage many times growing up in church but I never really sat down and read it under the context and eyes of RELATIONSHIP with God and the revelation of GOD being LOVE. The Holy Spirit began to highlight each attribute of love. I had to look at it with fresh eyes. I heard God say that this was the foundation that would save my marriage, my whole life, and everything. Now, I would like to say that I heard this amazing word from God and everything was smooth all good but truthfully that's when it got the hardest to walk in love and I was and continue to be tried and tested and challenged in it every day. Like with anything we are called to do as Children of God, the more we try to carry it out on our own, the more difficult we make the journey. It wasn't until I recognized that I was trying to change the fruit with my willpower without dealing with the root issues of the heart which ultimately is true submission to God. The more I begin to spend time with this revelation of REIGN of Love I am realizing that God gave me a foundation to stand and build on this whole time as I spent years feeling lost shaken, confused and unstable. I can see moments where I would visit this Word and It slowly became the anchor of stability I needed. Even as I write this now I see that visiting the Word was the problem, we are called to abide, dwell in Christ not just visit. John 15:4-5 NKJV
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Thankfully, I realize that embracing the process of reigning/ (ROOTED and ESTABLISHED IN God's Nature-ing) is when I saw and continue to see not only the most growth in my life but God's loving character the most.
Many people say that rain is a sign of blessing anyway, so the next time it rain's on your parade, just go ahead and let it.
Let God's love be the rain that waters the seeds of faith your heart. That's why it is so important that we guard our hearts and be intentional to tend to the condition of it like Jesus teaches in the parable of the sower. ( Matthew 13)
As far as being a fair weather Christian, I learned the lessen you, have to have the "I'm going to push through and show up for Church, come rain AND shine" mentality. Yes, I said rain AND shine because with Christ the shining part is not an option. As we know and the saying goes, "we bring the sunshine when let the Son shine!"
And I don't know about you but after all of those lessons on learning how to REIGN through rain and pain. I will never look at the rain the same!
I pray that this post blesses your life and helps you to GROW up in Jesus Christ In His' mighty and precious name, I pray,
Amen!
Until Next time,
"Elle"
Comments