“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage: He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Mich. 7:18-19
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
Have you ever loved a person that did not love you (in quite the same way) back? Sad to say, I have. I think about how I really invested my heart into this friendship, tried to predict what that person could want (even before they knew themselves), wanted to make sure that they knew how special they were to me. When I did not have money, I would send a homemade card; when I did, I would pick the tab up at lunch. Whatever gesture (big or small), there was always a lot of heart (and thought) involved.
Over time, I noticed that when I needed a shoulder to cry on, that “friend” was just too busy to notice. When my birthday came around, it was forgotten. When the tab came for a meal, it was “understood” that I would pay.
After so many years, it was plain to see that I was not in a relationship; I was being used. This revelation hurt me to the core. For some reason, when it comes to love (friendship, family or any close tie), many of us become blind to the truth.
As I ponder these verses in Mich. 7, I wonder how many times I have made God feel used. How many times did I pray only when I was in a crisis? When I was being blessed did I stop to thank the God who allowed that blessing to get to me (and not someone else) just like I would take the time to write a thank you card to a thoughtful friend? Just because God is good, does not give any of us the right to feel entitled to…ANYTHING. Do you appreciate the things that God has done for you? Or do you make him feel like the friend you only call when there is no one else to turn? Let’s stop this bratty behavior right now. If you wouldn’t treat your friend in this manner, than why treat God like this?
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I have had people use me my whole life. They have taken my deep love for them and manipulated it to get what they wanted out of me. And when they were through with me, they were nowhere to be found. I realize that I have done this to you over and over again—yet, you still remain good to me. I want to take a moment to grasp YOUR pain, Lord. Show me all the ways in which I have hurt you like this, and make the pain so unbearable for me that I will never want to hurt you again—because it hurts too much to hurt you. Lord, I pray this way because I am so self-centered, that I know this is the only way to keep me from hurting you. I refuse to do it knowingly anymore, so let me know. When you do, give me the ability to love you more than myself so I can stop whatever I am doing and turn completely from my ways. In Jesus’ name, let me never take advantage of your good nature, Amen.”
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