Sunday's Leftovers

Funny thing happened Sunday morning. God drove home a lesson that He has taught me a thousand times. And He did it in the first five minutes of service. Earlier in the week I had learned an interesting word that I couldn't get out of my mind, still can't, don't want to. Get this-it's actually Mandarin Chinese, Ling xiu (leeng SHE-oo) Ling means spirit or soul and Xiu means repair. Ling xiu=soul repair! They use this word for their Christian daily devotional time. Well whats not so funny is I woke up in quite a foul mood Sunday morning, I was tired, then I was angry because I was tired, had to go to work after church...silly but I just couldn't shake it-mad at life. Went to church and our worship pastor Tom asked if any of us just felt the need to be there this morning, just felt like if you didn't come something bad was going to happen(not like in a weird way, like God's going to get you-we're not like that-God is not like that:)) This brings me to another thing that God has relentlessly been reminding me of. Acts 9:5 Amp AndSaul said, who are you Lord? I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. ^[b]It is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you to keep kicking against the goad [to offer vain andperilous resistance]. (Also in Acts26:14) Two things totally got me here!
#1)God is hugely amazing and nothing like us(duh-i know) Stephen had just been martyred, practically at Paul's feet and Jesus wasn't coming after him in a I'm going to get you sort of way. He is love. He is able to completely be there for Stephen and yet at the same time completely be there for Paul. He loves them both equally. He ached for Stephen's situation, the Word tell us that Christ rose to His feet, standing at God's right hand. At the same time He loved Paul and had such compassion for him, he didn't say I AM going to get you, or your going to make this up to me and be my servant. Christ didn't NEED anything from Paul. He said let me tell you, this does not end well for YOU. Which brings me to
#2) I cannot count how many times I have heard His Spirit say the same thing to me. The Word tells us, the Spirit prompts us, He always gives us a way to escape temptation... I will say I was stunned when I read that verse, the Bible says His Word is alive and I say- no doubt. I'm still overcome with emotion now just thinking about it. I learned early on about having a "personal" relationship with Christ and can truly say I have had one for the past 12 years but it just hit me a fresh. God speaks to us, not only through His Word but in our soul. I immediately was reminded of when I was battling drug addiction and can say before I would get high heard those words "this is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you" Times where I did not hold every thought captive, knowing full well I was flirting with deep depression-guess what I heard "this is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you" And certainly in respect to my recent chains i am carrying around, buying our first home (much to expensive, fixer upper) two new cars, that we so needed, gotta drive something (yeah right) I then again heard "this is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you" Obviously, i did not listen. The grief in knowing the King of the Universe was speaking to me & i did not listen...Back to Sunday morning, my attitude was in bad shape. When Tom stopped and asked if any of us just felt the need to be there this morning, just felt like if you didn't come something bad was going to happen... Guess what I heard-attitude check! Keep flirting with oh what a miserable life and "this is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you"
Ling xiu=soul repair. Lord give us ears to hear!