Mrs Susie Montgomery
Pastor's Wife
Liberty Baptist Church
Chillicothe, OH
I Am Naked
When I was a child, and even a college student, I had nightmares of showing up for class without clothes. They were so real; and I was so embarrassed. In my dream I found myself hiding, much like Adam and Eve, from people. I’m sure you can relate.
Adam walked with God every day in the Garden.
Adam got to know God. Adam had nothing to hide, and that’s the way God intended it! Adam was naked, not only physically but, spiritually too. God desires to walk with man who will hide nothing from Him. Then Adam sins, realizes he is naked, hides in the bushes, and makes a covering of fig leaves to hide his shame. God is sad. He wants to redeem man. So God’s only Son came to redeem man. To walk again with the Creator, the way He intended from the beginning.
Today we still try to hide from God
We are so busy “serving Him” that we don’t have time to walk with Him. We hide behind all these “fig leaves” pretending we are ok. We don’t allow God’s Word to speak to us. It is time to peel off those “fig leaves” and allow God’s Word to divide the thoughts and intentions of our hearts… even where it hurts.
Hebrews 4:12-13
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
I had a very dry patch in my walk with God. I thought “Is this all there is?”
There were days during this time that I read Gods’ Word, out of duty, and gleaned a truth. I sincerely saw people who struggled with their sin and wanted to help. I knew Gods’ Word had the answer. I never even questioned that. It was my handbook for life. I knew if I could get people to understand that, and live a life like mine, that they too would be happy and free of the sins of this world. Don’t get me wrong, I knew there were areas that I needed to grow. I needed to pray more, read my Bible more, be a better wife, mom and friend. I knew I needed to grow and worked on all those areas while serving Gods’ people. If they could just see how happy this Christian life can make them, they would stop all their bad habits and live like me.
I thank God for His longsuffering, because He doesn’t just see me for who I am today but, who I am to become.
God doesn’t want me to just DO the right things; He wants me to BE the right person! I was hiding behind the “fig leaf” of DO. I wore the right clothes, had the right bible, talked the right talk, avoided the right things, listened to the right music, and sacrificed the right way. Thinking all the while this is what makes me holy. But Gods’ Word has a way of dividing your thoughts and intentions! All the good works in the world are just “fig leaves” and I thought I had a relationship with the Creator because I had them all in the right places.
I knew something wasn’t right!
Sure, there were good times: a soul saved a big day at church, a date gone right, or, my personal favorite, a word of praise. But, God hadn’t spoken to me personally for years. When He started to cut, it hurt! One by one, as I started to yield the “fig leaves” I saw Him high and lifted up! I saw His Glory! And I saw how wretched my “holy life was! His goodness to me became clear. He patiently taught me to trust Him, and His will for my life. It is my firm belief that in Gods’ greatest glory I will find my greatest good!
I was sincere in my good works.
When God was in the garden waiting to walk with me, I was busy hiding. Not from Him, but from people. I didn’t want them to know that God was no longer speaking to me. I never want to be there again! Now reading
His Word is no longer a duty but something I truly do look forward to. I want Him to read my thoughts and intentions! Why? Because He is worthy of my praise!
Some practical points:
1. Keep reading His Word, even if it is out of duty
2. Ask Him to expose the “fig leaves” in your life
3. Don’t be afraid to change what you have always known
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