Thursday, April 29, 2010

Others May, I Cannot!

Others May, I Cannot!
by G.D. Watson (1845-1924)

Living my life for Christ, with the Holy Spirit living inside me causes me to be different from the world.

It also calls me to be different from other believers.

Comparing myself to other believers would cause me to completely miss the mark of what God has in store for me. The Christian life is all about sacrifice to self and to serving both God and others. It is not about how happy I am or what God can 'do' for me.

The above quote from Watson floats through my head at times when I feel life is unfair, when I find myself measuring God's standard for me by comparing myself to other good people. This quote often calms my soul and gives me strength to continue to live a life of obedience before My God.

Personalizing it a bit might look something like this:

Others may use birth control, I cannot.
Others may work outside the home, I cannot.
Others may have much time for leisure, I cannot.
Others may uncover their heads, I cannot.
Others may wear jeans, I cannot.
Others may........and so on......and so on.............

This quote also helps me to remember that God's standard for "ME" is not right or wrong for everybody. We walk in the truth that we know. He deals with us where we are. And thankfully, oh thankfully, He cares about what is best for us, each one of us individually.

So, I walk in obedience. No, I walk in HUMBLE obedience, knowing that being submissive to His Holy Spirit and giving Him all the glory is the least of what I can do for the One who bestows His perfect love upon me.

4 comments:

  1. This is a good reminder. There have been times I've caught myself thinking that I need to do something in order to fit a certain image of Christianity. But unless God is calling me to that same behavior, style of dress, etc., I would be doing it for the wrong reasons. At the moment, the things He is convicting me of are not as visble outwardly unless you are around me a lot. Our battles are waged differently, but hopefully serve the common purpose of aligning us more closely with God.

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  2. I find myself thinking of this quote frequently. I must answer to Christ for myself and for my family (to a point) but not for others. Just because I feel convicted on something does not mean that others do.
    Of course some things are just Biblical and if we want to say we are a folower of Christ.... we need to follow His word.
    Great journaling, great reminder. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. It's weird that we've sort of swapped. God is THE authority, but it is ironic that the man who is my head did NOT want me to be dresses only & head covering. I do understand. <3

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  4. Did you ever find the scripture about some things being sins for some people? I don't even know where to start...

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