Fire and Enzymes

Galatians 5:24 says, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." This was the verse I chose at random for my quiet time last night. I was yearning to be in the Word last night. I haven't yearned for His Word in that way for quite some time. I opened to the concordance, closed my eyes, dragged my finger across the center, and then stopped. This was the verse I was pointing to. I guess doing my quiet time like that saved me from choosing the same old topic over and over again, the one that is "on my heart." Anyways, this Galatians verse really spoke to me. I prayed about it before I read it, asking that the Lord would reveal something, anything, to me so that I may be able to reflect (AKA write). This verse does not mean that passions and desires are wiped away forever; but it rather attempts to purify, align, and illuminate them in a Godly way. This purification may be what is referred to as "pruning." Pruning is one of the many ways in which God proves and reveals His overwhelming love for us, despite our sinful natures and imperfections.

Titus 2:12 says, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good." Oddly enough, it's the last verse (that is technically not part of what I told myself to read) that strikes me. But, like I always do, I read further so that the verse might make more sense. "Jesus wants to purify for Himself a people who belong to Him." We belong to Him! And not in a negative, selfish way. We know of His love already. We know what is has done, and yet we are capable of rejecting it at the same time. This may not even be on purpose. It's like trying to build a fire with soaking wet kindling and no flint. It's like looking back on your life and asking, "Why have I missed so much? Where have I been?" That is kind of what has happened to me. That fiery furnace where the Lord used to reside at the core of me-- made me who I was-- has cooled to just an ember. I have not been searching for the Lord like I should be; and if I was, it was pretty nonchalantly. We know how it is to love something-- someone-- so much that all you want is the best. You don't want the rain or the thunder or lightning, you just want the rainbow that follows. But life doesn't work that way, as we know. That said, can you just try to imagine what love the Lord has for us that we can't even fathom? We can't even recognize His love half the time. Our brains are the mere size of ants. This is what makes His love all the more crazy, all the more sweet and necessary, all the more out-of-this-world. We don't need all the answers all the time. We don't have to understand. If we were to understand without question there would be no fulfillment in the declaration of faith. We have just have to know that it feels so darn good to be loved by Him. We can't refuse it; not after what He has done for us. I want His love so much that it flies off the charts. Better than any human's love, and too great to ever be cured.