I didn't get what I expected out of that....
I am going to ask some 'telling' questions, but unless you post a comment in this blog, I will never know your answer. God will, but I won't! Ever pass a little gas in public, only to quickly walk away, looking as nonchalant and "innocent" as possible? Or maybe hit the snooze button one too many times, then blame your tardiness on being "caught in traffic"? Or perhaps a deadline passes without your work being finished and you excuse it away with just how "busy" you have been? It is silly how we try to "cover up" our little "misgivings" with all kinds of make-shift "screens", isn't it? As I was reading the story of Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden this morning, I had the revelation of this "cover up" concept being a pretty OLD way of dealing with our short-comings! Covering things up has been around a long, long time! We continue to rely upon cover-ups as a means of dealing with life's issues, even when they have proven ineffective!
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. Immediately the two of them did "see what's really going on"—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. (Genesis 3:6-7)
Isn't that the main reason we use some form of cover-up? We want to get something out of our mess up, but we failed to recognize our 'desire' to get something out of the circumstance would leave us in a muddle. Our "cover-ups" are nothing better than "makeshift clothes", aren't they? At best, they provide a "flimsy" excuse we attempt to hide behind. Yet, we are all subject to the same types of reactions to our misgivings, aren't we? It is a tactic we use that is as old as dirt. Any time we try to cover up our failures, we are trying to "make do" with our short-comings - we aren't trying to be free from them. We "improvise" - or some may say jury-rig our "fix". I found myself suggesting the use of duct tape to cover over a blemish that was snagging me up on one of my workbenches the other day, instead of breaking out the plane and sander to deal with it. This may not seem like much to you, but if you know anything about workbenches, a little duct tape may cover the snag, but it does nothing to really address the issue! The proper "fix" would be to plane it down and sand it smooth so it didn't 'snag me up' each time I passed something over it.
Healing only begins when we submit our failures to the one who can really do something about them. Healing began when Adam and Eve finally admitted their "naked" condition to God - explaining WHY they felt the need to cover-up their misdeed. We do all kinds of things to cover our "naked" condition of soul - yet nothing adorns us in the same way as grace! We can manage to cover-up quite a bit very cleverly until one day something 'undoes' our cover-up and we find ourselves uncomfortably exposed. It isn't a good place to be! Why does grace "fit" us so well as a "cover" for our sinfulness? Simply because grace is "formed" on the framework of all Christ did at the Cross. If you have ever sewed, or watched a seamstress in their craft, you will know the purpose of the "form" they use to pattern a dress. The "form" helps them provide an end-product which is "form-fitting" and uniquely designed for the individual. The Lord "form-fits" grace using the form of Christ as the "model" by which grace is made specific to our need!
I don't know about you, but I have only bought a few things in the stores which actually fit me like a glove - just following my form and falling on me in such a flattering manner. Yet, every time I have asked God to "outfit" me with his grace, I feel so well-adorned, like it just "fits" me like a glove! When he sees me, he sees Christ. I don't know how this all works, but I do trust him to "outfit" me with the best for my life - and the "outfitting" begins whenever I stop trying to "outfit" myself with my makeshift excuse of a "covering" for my misdeeds! How about you? Have you considered how well you are adorned today? If you have been 'settling' for the makeshift coverings you have managed to 'fashion' to cover over those misdeeds in your life, then how about considering the one God has designed on the form of Christ - the one marked "MY grace is sufficient for YOUR need"! You'll love the fit and it will adorn you perfectly! Just sayin!
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. Immediately the two of them did "see what's really going on"—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. (Genesis 3:6-7)
Isn't that the main reason we use some form of cover-up? We want to get something out of our mess up, but we failed to recognize our 'desire' to get something out of the circumstance would leave us in a muddle. Our "cover-ups" are nothing better than "makeshift clothes", aren't they? At best, they provide a "flimsy" excuse we attempt to hide behind. Yet, we are all subject to the same types of reactions to our misgivings, aren't we? It is a tactic we use that is as old as dirt. Any time we try to cover up our failures, we are trying to "make do" with our short-comings - we aren't trying to be free from them. We "improvise" - or some may say jury-rig our "fix". I found myself suggesting the use of duct tape to cover over a blemish that was snagging me up on one of my workbenches the other day, instead of breaking out the plane and sander to deal with it. This may not seem like much to you, but if you know anything about workbenches, a little duct tape may cover the snag, but it does nothing to really address the issue! The proper "fix" would be to plane it down and sand it smooth so it didn't 'snag me up' each time I passed something over it.
Healing only begins when we submit our failures to the one who can really do something about them. Healing began when Adam and Eve finally admitted their "naked" condition to God - explaining WHY they felt the need to cover-up their misdeed. We do all kinds of things to cover our "naked" condition of soul - yet nothing adorns us in the same way as grace! We can manage to cover-up quite a bit very cleverly until one day something 'undoes' our cover-up and we find ourselves uncomfortably exposed. It isn't a good place to be! Why does grace "fit" us so well as a "cover" for our sinfulness? Simply because grace is "formed" on the framework of all Christ did at the Cross. If you have ever sewed, or watched a seamstress in their craft, you will know the purpose of the "form" they use to pattern a dress. The "form" helps them provide an end-product which is "form-fitting" and uniquely designed for the individual. The Lord "form-fits" grace using the form of Christ as the "model" by which grace is made specific to our need!
I don't know about you, but I have only bought a few things in the stores which actually fit me like a glove - just following my form and falling on me in such a flattering manner. Yet, every time I have asked God to "outfit" me with his grace, I feel so well-adorned, like it just "fits" me like a glove! When he sees me, he sees Christ. I don't know how this all works, but I do trust him to "outfit" me with the best for my life - and the "outfitting" begins whenever I stop trying to "outfit" myself with my makeshift excuse of a "covering" for my misdeeds! How about you? Have you considered how well you are adorned today? If you have been 'settling' for the makeshift coverings you have managed to 'fashion' to cover over those misdeeds in your life, then how about considering the one God has designed on the form of Christ - the one marked "MY grace is sufficient for YOUR need"! You'll love the fit and it will adorn you perfectly! Just sayin!
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