But God...

BUT GOD...

Each word…three letters long…. Such power in these words…But God

BUT GOD…

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Whether it be sex outside marriage, a bitter heart, unforgiveness, alcohol/drug abuse, cheating, lying. Each of us has a story, a part we want to go back and change, we have encountered situations and people we would rather avoid (you know, switch the lights off, don’t answer the phone, yet your car is in the drive).

We want to throw in the towel, no matter what we do, things just keep on getting worse, EVERYONE, EVERYTHING is against us, nothing is going to change, its over, USELESS, there’s no hope left, we will never recover. Through our own eyes we see defeat, failure, doubt, OH YOU LOSER! (how many of you switch off the TV if your team is not winning only to find out the next day that they won! that it was the most interesting game to date!!!)

Turn with me to a well-known parable found in Luke 15:17-24

And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Ok, I see that you like the story but that it all it is, a story but nobody understands what I am dealing with, I am not a child, it is far too late for me to change my ways, I have made a lot of mistakes and the consequences, well I am still paying for it, you do not know what I have done or who I am…

I GET IT!!!, we have all messed up, have had deep moments of shame, guilt, loss, you are stuck in a web of sins/lies. Maybe even more. Maybe you wish to harm someone. Maybe you feel that your life is falling apart. Maybe you present yourself as one person in public yet in private you are different. Maybe you are going through the motions of a life that is not what you wanted it to be. Maybe you are chasing money, success, relationships, sex, status.

YOU NEED A BUT GOD MOMENT…

Or just perhaps you were emotionally abused by the negative remarks you have heard all your life. Maybe someone close to you betrayed you. Maybe you loved or cared for, physically or sexually abused you. This moment drags us down, leaving us feeling hopeless, lost.

YOU NEED SOMETHING TO CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE!

YOU NEED A BUT GOD MOMENT!

When we don’t know who we are in Christ, we experiment, we wonder and yet get lost along the way. We are unhappy always blaming others, always searching for more. Our so-called choices keep us from having a honest relationship with God, we are empty and don’t know how to fill it.

It is real people, most of us do not want others to know how we are, what is happening. Consequences can last a long time.

BUT GOD…

We allow the hurt to control our life, our future and we try to hide our wounds from man and God, we put our fig leaves and start to avoid God, we listen to the voice of our enemy and believe the lies, wondering if God would ever love us, we hide and push God away. We hurt others just like we are hurting, we feel justified in our anger and bitterness, for years we speak hate!

We have broken hearts, weary spirits and aching bodies. Pain makes it hard to trust again, we don’t want to get hurt again, pain, bitterness, fear and bad attitudes rule the day. So, walls are constructed, and defence mechanisms are put into place.

YOU NEED A BUT GOD MOMENT…

This young man in the story hit rock bottom, frustrated, disgusted with himself, maybe heart broken, full of depression, self-contempt yet he knows his father will treat him better and give him a decent work. What happens… he goes home expecting anger, harsh words, rejection? Instead his father runs toward him, holding him, loving him. BUT GOD…