I am what I am

"I am not what I ought to be, 

I am not what I want to be, 

I am not what I hope to be in another world; 

but still I am not what I once used to be, 

and by the grace of God I am what I am."

{John Newton} 

Mission of marriage?

"Love is action and not emotion."

Marriage is mission - our purpose is to reflect the relationship between Christ and His bride the church, to be sanctified, growing more into the likeness of Christ, built on the Gospel, proclaiming the Gospel together, perfect, harmonious unity like that of the Trinity, God and His glory at the centre, our love for Him the basis for it all. 

Simply put? It was designed, graciously gifted to us by God, to give us glimpses of His wonderous plan of redemption, reconciliation and restoration, to display the sort of complete and sacrificial love that He has for us shown by Jesus' death on the cross, the process for us for us to be made holy, not necessarily "happy", but to be sanctified, humble, and grow in our dependence on God, who alone can bring true and lasting joy and fulfilment!

True rest.

" The heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in Thee."

{Saint Augustine} 

Sometimes I find myself living in a world of wishful thinking. I am consumed with "What if..." or "If only..." or "When that finally happens..."

It is an existence of longing, of waiting, of searching, of daydreaming, of discontentment (if I am being brutally honest). The reason for this is because I have taken God's place in my life, I am the centre of my universe, motivated by pride and man's praise, of finding pleasure in fleeting material possessions, or empty idolatry. I want to please myself instead of being fully satisfied in the cross of Christ or finding my true fulfilment in God's will for my life.

My story is not actually my story but God's - He wrote it, He is the lead character, I am humbled at the privilege of just being able to step onto the same stage...

Our purpose is life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I am humbled again and again to ask for God's gracious forgiveness, to turn from self toward God, to prioritize the Kingdom, to be saturated in my living, my breathing, my thinking with the Gospel as a child of God, to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus being freed by the innocent blood He shed for me, to live in the light of eternity! 

Lord, may I find my rest alone in You.