Still part 1
One of the hardest things to do in life is what the Bible says in Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Be still. Stop trying so hard. Stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to earn love and acceptance. Stop trying to be someone you're not in order to get something you think you haven't got. Just be still. And here's a really hard one: Stop trying to follow in Jesus' foot steps. Because nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. But, then again, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). Almost sounds like Jesus was telling us to take the ball and run with it. To emulate Him, and to even take it a step further than He took it. But here's the key, "Because I go unto my Father." Because when Jesus went to the Father... He also took up abode in all of us. No longer was it just God WITH it, it was suddenly God WITHIN us. He didn't leave us comfortless, but gave us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit. The love receptor. The Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The truth that God is love and He loves you. The truth that you don't have to be somebody you're not. The truth that you don't have to do in order to be. The truth that you ARE loved and accepted. And look at how the Holy Spirit leads us into that truth: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (John 15:26). Jesus went to the Father, and the Holy Spirit came from the Father. To testify of our true selves by testifying of Jesus. Because He IS our true self. Jesus is God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. That's who we really are. And that's why we don't have to try to be someone we're not. Who we are is good enough. The trick is knowing (and believing) that we are who our heavenly Father says we are. The trick is knowing that we are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Knowing (and believing) that we are loved... and because we are loved... we are love! That's the truth of the matter. The ultimate truth of the universe. That's what we stand on. And that's how we can be still. We don't have to run around trying to be someone we're not. We don't have to fight against anything. We can--listen. Love never fails, right? Because love never gives up. Love endures. No matter how many times we reject Him, He has sworn to never leave us nor forsake us. Like I mentioned the other day, every time the people of Israel turned back to God, He was right there. So when you're making your stand... stand. Be still. Let what's inside come out, instead of trying to get something. Love is never about getting, because love IS giving. And you have what you need. You are who you're supposed to be! So be still!