Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. 3 So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. 4 You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. 5 If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord. (Lev. 18:1-5) NLT
It has been many years since I became a believer, but I still remember the person I was then. I was broken—to the point I believed I was beyond repair. I had lived my entire life the way the rest of the world lived. It seemed to work for others but it sure didn’t work for me. It took Jesus, pursuing me, to change. When I look back, I am overwhelmed by the patience I was shown. Little by little, he showed me a better way to live—His way!
I read those words in Leviticus and to some they may seem harsh. But I know a loving Father is speaking them to his children. There was a reason God wanted them to listen to him the same way I learned why he wanted me to obey his decrees and regulations, “you will find life through them.” Living life my way lead to great pain, great destruction, great shame, great remorse. I was not the only casualty. There is always a ripple affect when sin is involved. Living life God’s way avoids so much pain in so many lives. His ways are never to harm me, they are always for my benefit. His boundaries are for my protection.
8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. (Ecc. 1:8) NLT
I wasted so many years trying to find the proverbial “happily ever after” because I was sure that would finally satisfy my longings. Surely something new, something different, something other than the life I was living would fill up that void inside of me. Nothing did. No person, no activity, no “thing” ever could.
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame. (Ps. 22:3-5) NIV
Yes, Lord! I put my trust in you and you delivered me. I cried out to you and I was saved. Living like the rest of the world never worked for me because I am set apart. I am meant to be different. I am the beloved child of the Most High King!
Heavenly Father, there are never enough words to thank you for the life you’ve given me today. I have peace because of your great love for me, the love that never gave up on me. When I was at the bottom of myself, drowning in a pit of sorrow, you reached down and grabbed hold of me and have never let go. Only you could put together the shattered pieces of my heart. I am satisfied in you; I am content in you. I praise you! In Jesus name, Amen
Cindy (gardnlady)
Sixty-six books in a year 