Galatians 2:21 – I do not frustrate the grace of God….. (KJV)
I realize there is a lot more to this verse than I’ve just written, but I want to focus on this portion of it.
“I do not frustrate the grace of God…” – ……..but I do.
If I’m honest with myself, I probably frustrate the Lord more often than most. He, as my heavenly Father gives me the free will to choose. I get to choose my day, the time I spend with God, family and others. I can’t begin to imagine how frustrating I can be as I make unwise choices, such as choosing good over best, choosing less over waiting for more and choosing to not try because fear grips my heart.
What are some ways that I’m sure I frustrate God?
- Lack of faith – I want faith that moves mountains. According to Matthew 17:20, all I need is as much as a grain of a mustard seed to do so. We see simple miracles often and yet like the children of Israel; we need to see more in order to believe. We need to be reminded more often than not. Recently, Spreading JOY Corp was asked to help out someone that needed $1000.00 to avoid eviction in a week. I was certain that this family would be evicted as I have tried to raise money before and knew nothing short of a miracle was needed. I searched for that grain of faith to move mountains but felt it was nowhere to be found. Thankfully – so many heroes stepped up and gave. Not only did they help this family, but they increased my faith.
- Lack of time – We are so busy with family, church, work, housework, errands, dinner, softball, keeping the dog clean and visits with friends in coffee shops that we tend to not make time to build and strengthen our relationship with the Lord. We live in a Burger King world and want to have it “our” way – quick, easy and simple. God desires us to spend time with HIM. If our children were obedient to every single thing we told them to do and yet NEVER spent any time with us, our hearts would break. I imagine the Lord’s heart breaking when we get to busy with “stuff” to spend time with Him.
- Unworthy feelings – We are joint heirs with Christ, so why on earth do we let these feelings get in the way? We feel like we do not deserve God’s love, blessings and his power. Because His mercy and grace is renewed each day, we get to have these wonderful things, even though we feel like we shouldn’t. God wants to bless us, use us and empower us. We are made in His image and even though HE knows our heart, our doubts and fears , HE still chooses to love us – UNCONDITIONALLY. How amazing is our God?
Have you ever thought about this?
There are so many other ways that we frustrate the Lord. Will you dare list some of the ways you frustrate Him? What are you going to do about it?
What verses will help you, motivate you and move you away from frustrating the Lord to making His heart smile?
{{HUGS}} yall
For more information about Spreading Joy Corporation and just how easy it is to make a difference without breaking the bank, visit Marie at http://www.spreading-joy.org
Tell me – talk to me… or am I the only one frustrating God? hmmm?
