Today my devotions was focus on Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
Our lives are to be a living sacrifice to God. We need to clean up our lives to be pure before Him.
As I read this I got to thinking about taking down my Christmas tree yesterday. I just didn't want to do it. You see my tree is filled with decorations that all have some kind of personal meaning to me. So taking the tree down took all day. We slowly removed the ornaments. Some of them the ribbon were twisted and it was hard work to remove the ornament. I would start turning the ribbon one way and if that didn't work then I would have to turn the other way. With one ornament the ribbon just was being stubborn. I gave a tug and the ribbon tore. The ornament came free but the ribbon I left on the tree and thought I would work on it next year.
Now lets look at the tree and the ornaments in a new way. The tree represents our life with Christ. He should be the largest focus in our life. The ornaments are the worldly things we collect and do. We need to put them away. Some of them we can remove from our lives easily. Others we try different ways but God wants us to learn the right way to let go or we won't completely let go. Then comes the ornament that you just don't want to give up just yet. You are being stubborn. You get tired of working it out of your life and you put it aside for another time. Yet you know it is still there.
I keep thinking now that the tree is in the attic, that ugly torn ribbon will still be there next November when we set the tree up. It didn't go away it is hanging on.
What are you hanging on to? Do you need to be more patience and take your time and look to God for how to remove something from your life? As you put away your worldly ornaments remember you are to a living sacrifice to God.
6 comments:
We are His Body and we are a continual Work In Progress. My prayer is that I MAY KNOW HIM more intimately than I do today. I packed my little angel away :o)
Susan
That was a good analogy. I cried Monday night as I took the ornaments off my tree. I'm not sure why, except that it held so many memories.
What a wonderful analogy! Thank you.
Got ribbons?
Yes, I have a few that He says I would look so much better without.
Glad He is not finished with me yet.
You have a great post! It is good God keeps on working on us! Love and Hugs Grams
Great analogy Sandi!! And good food for thought! Humm... I know I've got a few "ribbons" hanging around! :-)
Post a Comment