FROM: Banbury, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
ABOUT ME: Living the highs and lows of life in the adventurous pursuit of God Himself and of who I'm meant to be as the Bride of Christ.
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Monday, March 17, 2008,8:04 p.m.
I AM AN ANTIQUE (SORT OF.....)
My life is not my own.
I have known that for a long time, but last night at church I heard that message again. My life is not my own. I belong to God. Not just as a possession, though I am that - I was bought expensively. Not just as a creation, though I am that as well - I was made carefully and thoughtfully. Not just as one obligated by His actions, though I am that most certainly, as well as motivated by deep love.
But I also belong to God as a treasure. I am something that He bought not just because I was pathetic and needed to be rescued and cleaned up; I was bought because He treasured me, even before I was cleaned up.
If you know me at all, you know that I adore antique furniture. One of the great confusions of my life is how I ended up with friends who almost all exclusively adore Ikea. Don't get me wrong - Ikea is great - but personally I love antique styles, the rich patina of real wood as it ages, the carefully hand-done workmanship of each piece, and the fact that at this point in its life, each piece is thoroughly unique. When I wander the antique stores, I don't just look for something that will be functional in the space in which it will live (though it is part of what I look for), I actually wait to purchase until I fall in love with something that I just can't walk by. When I bring it home (often still expensive even though it might not look all that great at the time), I take great care and enjoyment in cleaning it up, fixing things that are broken or loose, and in general doing whatever I know how to do to restore the piece to what the craftsman originally intended it to look like. And once I have done all that, the piece is not only restored, it is mine, both by purchase and also by what I have poured into it.
I think that's a pretty decent picture of what our lives are before God. Purchased - most expensively, with blood. Restored - He works on us until we are what we were created to be. Adored - He fell in love with us long before we ever walked this earth. Unique. Enjoyed. Functional. Loved.
My life is not my own. I belong to the Lord. Hallelujah - I'm so, so glad.
If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8)
PS - People are still adding things to the March 7th post about revelation of God. Keep checking back - keep adding to it!
I have known that for a long time, but last night at church I heard that message again. My life is not my own. I belong to God. Not just as a possession, though I am that - I was bought expensively. Not just as a creation, though I am that as well - I was made carefully and thoughtfully. Not just as one obligated by His actions, though I am that most certainly, as well as motivated by deep love.
But I also belong to God as a treasure. I am something that He bought not just because I was pathetic and needed to be rescued and cleaned up; I was bought because He treasured me, even before I was cleaned up.
If you know me at all, you know that I adore antique furniture. One of the great confusions of my life is how I ended up with friends who almost all exclusively adore Ikea. Don't get me wrong - Ikea is great - but personally I love antique styles, the rich patina of real wood as it ages, the carefully hand-done workmanship of each piece, and the fact that at this point in its life, each piece is thoroughly unique. When I wander the antique stores, I don't just look for something that will be functional in the space in which it will live (though it is part of what I look for), I actually wait to purchase until I fall in love with something that I just can't walk by. When I bring it home (often still expensive even though it might not look all that great at the time), I take great care and enjoyment in cleaning it up, fixing things that are broken or loose, and in general doing whatever I know how to do to restore the piece to what the craftsman originally intended it to look like. And once I have done all that, the piece is not only restored, it is mine, both by purchase and also by what I have poured into it.
I think that's a pretty decent picture of what our lives are before God. Purchased - most expensively, with blood. Restored - He works on us until we are what we were created to be. Adored - He fell in love with us long before we ever walked this earth. Unique. Enjoyed. Functional. Loved.
My life is not my own. I belong to the Lord. Hallelujah - I'm so, so glad.
If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8)
PS - People are still adding things to the March 7th post about revelation of God. Keep checking back - keep adding to it!
