Flower Petals We Are Not!

Most likely you’ve heard the quotes: “Don’t just stand there, do something” and “Life isn’t a free ride”. I don’t know whom to credit for these words that have subconsciously lingered in the back of my mind and seeped needlessly into all areas of my life, including my relationship with the Lord. Although I know my thinking to be false, I often times fall into the trap of thinking that I can do something to earn God’s favor…to make Him love me more. Or help Him justify why He chose me, of all people. He knew exactly what He was getting when He chose me but somehow I think I can make my sin up to Him by serving Him more or better or harder in addition to asking for forgiveness. Why do I do this time and time again, when I know God simply says to believe in Him?

We are “do-ers”. It makes us feel like we are contributing to mankind as well as to God’s kingdom. It gives us value and purpose, which lead to feeling as though we have earned something for our efforts. Sometimes it’s a paycheck or the feeling of being needed and finding acceptance. Not necessarily bad things. However, I wonder if we have taken something healthy, such as working and serving too far. If we are looking for fulfillment through the vary things we say we’re doing for the Lord rather than getting our needs met through the Lord. We need to be honest with ourselves when we answer the question: Are we serving man or God?

Why do we think and live as though it’s not enough to simply bask in His presence and acceptance of us?

“Be still and know that I am God.”
This old hymn comes to mind frequently. I haven’t sung it since I was a young girl but boy, have these simple words stayed tucked away in the deepest crevices of my heart. Not until I sat with them recently, attempting to comprehend their simplicity did I truly grasp their meaning.

“Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10) Notice it doesn’t say anything about paying Him back (not that we could). Notice also, that is doesn’t say, try to be still. It simply says, be still. God doesn’t command us to do (or not do) something that He believes is impossible. He is saying cease from business, from things of earthly value. He doesn’t actually need us to carry out His business. He didn’t necessarily create us for that purpose. He did, however, create us for relationship with Him!

The second part of this verse tells us to know God. The Complete Word Study Dictionary defines this as “to know, to learn, to perceive, to discern, to experience, to confess, to consider, to know people relationally, to know how, to be skillful, to be made known, to make oneself known, to make to know”. This is the most common definition of this word out of its 800 uses in the Bible. To sum it up: make an effort to know Him from the inside out!

Resting in His presence doesn’t necessarily look and feel like service to a Martha kind of gal, like myself. I most likely will struggle with balancing what to do, when to do it and who to do it for the rest of my life. That, I believe, is human nature. I have been gifted with times of fulfillment, assurance, acceptance, and immeasurable peace in times of seemingly no effort on my part. I relish in those times and I know that is what He's all about. I believe it is out of the overflow of this love relationship that we serve with a pure heart. Serve out of love, not obligation.

I believe with all my heart that God is far more interested in a relationship with us than in what we can do for Him. He does not watch our lives and with each thing we do or don’t do and say, “I love her, I love her not” We are not flower petals in His garden; we are His sons and daughters, whom He loves. Period!