Out Of … Into
December 11, 2020 by Rosemary Flaaten
Filed under Daily Devotions, Personal Growth
By Rosemary Flaaten –
Entering the air conditioned building, I left the mugginess of topical humidity. It was a relief to get out of the oppressive heat and go into the refreshing and revitalizing cool environment. When we leave something restrictive and enter something free and life giving, our mind and body breathes a sigh of relief.
In the Old Testament, God brought the Israelites out of the slavery they were enduring in Egypt and brought them into His promised land of bounty and freedom. Moses reminds the people that “God pulled us out of there (Egypt) so he could bring us here and give us the land he so solemnly promised to our ancestors” (Deuteronomy 6:23 TM). Similarly, God provides this opportunity for each of us by accepting the new life Jesus offers. When we leave our life of sin, we enter the full life He has promised.
In pondering this reality, I started a list of what I have come out of by entering into this relationship with Jesus:
self-protection that hides
fear
sporadic obedience
independence that hinders relationships with God and others
a less than truthful existence
a desire to gratify myself with lesser gods, including excessive food, accomplishments, status
the tyranny of sin
and the list goes on…
Whenever we go out of a place, the obvious is that we then enter into something else. So if the previous list represents what I have left behind, here is the companion list of what I have entered into, through Christ:
absorption of God’s love
experiencing unexplainable grace
faithfulness
an open spacious life
interdependence on others
the paradox of a full dependence on God that brings freedom
and the list goes on…
Those are quite the comparative lists! Why would I desire to stay or return to the first list when I have such a compelling and amazing life offered through Christ? The promised land awaits.
Quote: “Never under-estimate the energy of unholiness in the human heart.” Larry Crabb
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13 -14 NIV).
As a dynamic speaker and an award winning author of "A Woman and Her Relationships" and "A Woman and Her Workplace" , Rosemary Flaaten's passion is to see people deepen their relationship with God and others. She lives in Calgary, Canada.
Reading your lists, pro-sin and not, I’m reminded of “examining the conscience,” a Catholic prerequisite for confession. There, generalities are dissected into X-many instances of specific bad behavior. I think most sin is transitory, while grace only increases, if we let God work in our lives. That is your point.
That is the lure of Godliness.