Allowances part 3
Believe it or not, God doesn't want us to fail. He doesn't put us in "mission impossible" situations. Let me explain using Genesis 17:1 as an example. "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." Now, on the surface, it seems like God is telling Abram, "Walk before me, and you better be perfect." That's how we seem to think about Him. Like He's up on a cloud with a bolt of lightning just waiting for us to mess up so He can get us. Well... first of all, on the cross He got us. Jesus was lifted up from the earth and He drew all men into Himself. And secondly, the word "before" is number 6440 in Strong's Hebrew Concordance and it means, "the face." So instead of God saying, "Walk in front of me so I can see if you mess up," what He was really saying was, "Walk facing me and you WILL be perfect." He wasn't giving us mission impossible. He was telling us HOW to accomplish what He had set out for us to do. Because what happens when you walk facing God? You see the grace in His eyes. You look in the mirror with an unveiled face and you see the glory of God. And you are changed into that same image from glory to glory. The glory within works it's way out until it's on display. Until HE is on display. Until LOVE is on display. Because if we're walking facing God... we're walking facing love. We see it wherever we look. The eyes of grace. The doves' eyes that represent the Holy Spirit that we see in the Song of Solomon. Let me say it another way. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). And, again, this isn't Jesus telling us to be perfect OR ELSE. This is Jesus telling us HOW to be perfect. "Even as" our heavenly Father is perfect. His perfection IS our perfection. How much more perfect could you be than to have the perfect One living inside you? And before Jesus told us to be perfect, He told us HOW to be perfect. "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:44-45). And HOW do we be perfect, just the same way that our heavenly Father is perfect? By loving. And not just by loving, but by loving "our enemies." Loving those people that are hard to love. Which is super important. Because the people that are hard to love are the people that aren't giving any. Freely you have received... freely give. Don't worry about how "hard" or "easy" someone is to love. Just love them. Just fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. Don't "try" to be perfect. Just let what's inside come out. Naturally. And IF you happen to stumble, or fall... don't worry about it. Pick yourself up, or better yet let someone help you up, and try again. Because God has made allowances for you. He didn't set you up to fail. He did the work so that you could enjoy the fruit of His labor. The fruit of the Spirit. Which is love. We love because He first loved us. He did it all so we could get it all. And now we have it all. So now we can share what we've got. We ARE loved, we ARE perfect, and complete in Him. So now we CAN love, perfectly and completely!