These are the words from my Victory Group Leader last Saturday during our Victory Group.. .
Lately, I just can't help but stand in awe of Him as I look at these people.. . How humble they are and how transparent they can be. Plus the fact that they're not ashamed of admitting their weaknesses.
I had this habit before of revealing my struggles to my peers or my co-leaders or to selected people only.. . And after hearing this, I was thinking, why was I afraid of showing my weakness to those around me? Why should I always have to show the image that I am strong when in fact, I do undergo trials and "thumping" seasons?
Then I was reminded of what Elizabeth Elliot wrote to her daughter (from the book Let Me Be a Woman). She said that she (Valerie, her daughter), once she got married, should always remind herself that she married a sinner. Because of your always being together, you'd think that he's Mr. Right and he can never be wrong. That's the reason why most of the time, we take it against the other person whenever he commits mistakes when in fact, it is his nature to commit mistakes because we are all sinners.
And yes, we are all sinners. That applies to us as well. We are sinners saved by Grace. And without grace, we will not have a single chance to be with Him in heaven. We need to remind ourselves of who we really are--sinners saved by Grace. Why? Because when we know our place, if we know our position, we will then know how to honor God (Ptr. Steve Murrell's preaching about Honor). If we will remind ourselves that we are sinners saved by Grace, our love for Him will increase tenfold. If we remind ourselves that we are sinners saved by Grace, we will remain humble. We are not God. We fall short. We commit mistakes. We are sinners. Don't be afraid to show to others that you are weak and that you are struggling (Abraham, a man of faith, failed God as well when he listened to Sarah and slept with Hagar). You just don't know how liberating it would be for them, knowing that you have struggles and you only rely on the grace of God. They will learn that they are human and that you are human as well, you need God in the same way they need Him. Building relationships will not be hard then.
I was also reminded of what Darlene Zschech said, "We can't get good at anything.. . We can't get good at worship and we're not here to become professional singers. We always need to be hungry for God. We are not designed to receive glory but to give glory." We always have that tendency to show to others that we are strong and that we are good at what we're doing.. . But we're not. For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. It is only because of Him, because of His grace, that we can sing, shout, dance, jump, breathe, live and have a meaning.
We always need to be reminded of how sinful we are .. . so that we will always be at the foot of Jesus begging for more of Him.. . more of His grace.. . ^^,
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