What Do You Want?
October 23, 2007

So I was at the gym, running on the treadmill.  I was thinking about the body's metabolism--burning calories and eating food.  In order to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat.  But once you are at your desired weight, you will have to eat more food than you have been in order to keep from losing too much weight.  Most of us don't need to worry about losing too much weight.  But if you're on a weight loss plan that's working, eventually you'll reach your goal and you'll either need to cut back on the exercise you've been doing or eat more. 

So as I came to this conclusion that I would need to eat more if I was going to continue my current exercise program, I started thinking about what I would like to add to my diet.  I had cut out a lot of stuff that's not good for you--especially sweets, high cholesterol and processed foods.  I started making a mental list of good foods I would like to eat more of--and of course occasional desserts!

Right then, I saw something.  The Lord showed me how this conclusion I just came to relates to His love and forgiveness for us and how we respond to it.  Once you receive His cleansing from sin and righteousness, (your desired weight), how do you live with the new freedom you have? (what do you add to your diet).  For example, you know that God forgives your sin so do you keep doing things that you know you shouldn't because you know the depth of God's grace?  Do you get in that last cutting remark to your spouse because you know God will forgive you once you ask?  If so, that's just like using up the grace you have been given on sin, rather than using it to draw closer to the heart of God.  Just like me using up my extra calories on junk food, rather than to make my body healthier.

What did Paul say?  "Are we to remain in sin in order that God's grace...may multiply and overflow?  Certainly not!..."   Romans 6:1-2 The Amplified Bible.  Just because it feels good to receive God's grace doesn't mean that you should sin just so you can experience His grace.  Why would you intentionally go back to the very thing that separated you from God?  Probably the same reason we go back to the foods that made us fat to begin with!  We like them!  And sad to say, we sometimes like sin.

The satisfaction sin gives us is sometimes greater than the satisfaction we get from being close to the Lord.  I think the reason that happens is because we haven't yet experienced the love of God to a point where we become grateful.  Grateful enough to worship Him.  Grateful enough to realize how great it is in His presence.  Grateful enough to want Him more than anything else.  God's love will do that to you.  It will make you grateful.  It will make you cry with appreciation and joy.  It will touch you in a way that makes you want to worship Him.  And it will make you want Him more than you want the sin that once bound you.  And when you get to that point, now you're beginning to really live.  Now you're beginning to use God's grace for the purpose He intended--to draw close to Him, because you want to.

What do you want?  Really.  What are you using the grace you've been given for?  I don't ask this to put a guilt trip on you, but rather to help you be honest.  And if you find that your heart is not pursuing God as passionately as you thought, but yet you'd like to pursue Him more passionately, then I would suggest you submerse yourself in His love--let Him love you--until you can't help but love Him back!

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