Ephesians 2:1-6
It wasn’t so long ago that you were
mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t
know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled
your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all
did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like
doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his
temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy
and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives
and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help
from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in
company with Jesus, our Messiah.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
The
video clip is an old one – I first saw it a few years ago. But a dad
is standing in front of the refrigerator, with twin babies seated on the
floor next to him. These babies are probably not quite a year old –
they are still crawling – and as the dad opens the fridge and gets out a
few things, one of the babies waddles over and starts to peer into the
cold box filled with food and condiments. The dad moves the baby…and as
he turns back to the refrigerator, the other child advances and begins
to investigate the ice box’s contents. This goes on for several seconds
in a vicious cycle.
Never once does the dad get upset. He
doesn’t raise his voice a single decibel. He continues his work of
getting things out of the refrigerator – while gently picking up the
babies and (temporarily) relocating them. Finally, Dad is able to
quickly scoot both babies out of the doorway and close it. He looks at
the camera (obviously operated by Mom), and heaves a weary, “Whew!”
This must be exactly
how God feels about us each and every day. We are the babies getting
into anything and everything…investigating, learning, testing the
waters…and God is the patient Dad who gently moves us out of the way and
starts all over – all the while going about the business of running the
universe. I do hope you will take the less-than-two-minutes to watch
this video. The babies try to stand as the dad repositions them. A
couple of times, it takes several attempts before he is able to get them
to fold their legs and SIT on the floor. Surprisingly, there is no
kicking and screaming!
Again, this is us in a nutshell. God
tries to show us how to live…the right way to do things, and while He is
trying to seat us at His feet (and get His work done!), we are buckling
our legs and resisting - if not out-and-out kicking and screaming!
Watch
this video and think of God as the patient Father who continues to love
you even when you “get into mischief” and behave sinfully. Feel His
hands as He removes you over and again from situations that are, at
best, not the right fit for you…and recognize His wisdom in doing so.
THANK HIM for picking us up and setting us down in Highest Heaven – in
company with Jesus! He certainly doesn’t have to do any this…but aren’t
you glad He does?
Where will God reposition you today? Will you
be ready, willing, and able to take His cue and do what He desires?
Will you recognize His infinite wisdom and care for every aspect of your
life? Will this be the day that you “move away from the fridge” and
give God room to work? Don’t you think it should be?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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