“Who Does God Say I Am?” Part 2 – You Are Unleashed!
/Let’s begin today’s message with the “Repeat after me”s. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm. God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
Today is the second of a six-week series where we are exploring the numerous passages from the Bible that emphasize those same beliefs. As I said last week, my hope is that you will spend the next several weeks with us soaking in the verses we read and letting them marinate in your hearts and minds every day. I’ve included all of the verses in this weekly blog post (see below) so you can easily find them and remind yourself what God says to you and about you.
America is the home of the free and the land of the brave. We love food, sports, family, and stuff. Lots of stuff. In fact, accumulating stuff has become part of the American dream. When I moved to college, I could fit nearly everything I owned in one relatively small 4-door car.
By the time Anne and I moved out of our first rental, we needed a small U-Haul truck. When we moved to Reno – 18 years ago this month – we needed a big U-Haul truck. We were active participants in the American pastime of accumulating. Americans have become so good at this…
… that we, as a nation, spent $39.5 billion last year renting storage space. Why? Because we can’t cram any more stuff into our garages and homes! I’m only slightly proud to say that, so far, Anne and I have been able to avoid storage units. But please don’t look in my garage; too much stuff!
Yesterday I asked several people this question: What object(s) do you have in long-term storage (at home or off-site) that you would be happier NOT having? The answers were humorously interesting: Stuff my kids left when they moved out, Furniture, a car, and a boat were some of the comments. Thankfully, nobody said “my spouse,” although one couple did call me for clarification! We all got a good laugh about it.
One person said “Nothing, everything I own I treasure.” Oh, if we were all so blessed. Which brings me to my point.
Many years ago, a wise person told me, “Everybody is hauling around stuff, both physical stuff, emotional stuff, and spiritual stuff. The stuff that is no longer benefiting us is baggage. The stuff that makes our lives better, happier, fuller is luggage. The key to life is figuring out which is which, ditching as much baggage as you can so that you can enjoy the luggage you want.” Those were wise words indeed. And a lifetime project.
As I’ve pondered those words over the years, two groups of people come to mind.
The first is backpackers who go for multi-week trips. For them, every ounce matters – to the point of taking extreme steps (no pun intended) to reduce weight because the less weight they carry – the lighter their burden – the faster and farther they can go with less wear and tear on their mental and physical strength. I knew one person who cut the logos off of everything they owned. In their words, “the logo doesn’t help me accomplish my goal.” What if all of us were that focused on connecting our life goals to what we own.
The other group that comes to my mind are people who live full-time on sailboats or in RVs. Before they can add something to their lives, they often must eliminate something else to make room for it. Every square inch is precious. I once read about a young family who lived on a sailboat in a large city (it was affordable housing for them). They gave each of their two young children a large plastic storage container and explained that they could have whatever toys they wanted, as long as everything fit inside their containers. When their children had birthday parties, the kids were allowed one week to play with everything and decide what to keep and what to either throw away or give to charity. That nurtured the values of moderation and generosity.
Whether you’re floating or rolling, space is precious.
The space in your mind and in your soul is even more precious.
Today’s verses talk about some of the baggage many of us haul around.
Baggage like guilt or insecurity when we realize how imperfect, flawed, and corrupt we are. Ezekiel 18:31-32 tells us to rid ourselves of our wrongdoings so that we can make room for God to give us “a new heart and a new spirit.” We’ll talk about heart transplants and spiritual surgery another day.
Then there’s baggage like pride that prevents us from admitting we are lost and how desperately we need a guide to help us get back to where we should be, where we want to be. Jeremiah 50:6 reminds us to carefully choose our guides, our shepherds, and God is by far the wisest of all guides.
Jeremiah 9 shifts the focus of our pride when it encourages us to boast – or brag – about God’s unfailing love. As someone in our Bible Study last week put it, “Let me tell you how God has blessed me with peace, with joy, with friendships, and with purpose.” That is bragging in a positive way.
And there’s baggage like fear, depression, and hunger – all very real experiences and concerns, and all of which God invites us to share with Him. Joshua 1:9 reminds us to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Notice that verse does not say that God will quickly solve all of our problems so that we can live in perfect peace and comfort. No; God says that He will be with us when we are afraid, when we are discouraged, and when we are hungry. It is God’s loving, guiding, mothering presence that helps us survive the storms of life.
In the ultimate act of unleashing us from our baggage so that we can become our best selves, Luke 24:49 and John 14:26 tell us that God surrounds us and fills us with His presence through the Holy Spirit. Talk about needing to make room for something!
Imagine someone pulling into your driveway with a truckload of gold bars But you can only have what you can store immediately. Suddenly you’d be throwing your stuff out in the street to make room for what is more precious, more valuable.
Friends, there is nothing more precious, nothing more valuable than God’s Spirit within us. Let’s all spend a little time in the coming weeks reviewing our physical, emotional, and spiritual inventories so that we can separate our baggage from our luggage and free up some space for God to pour His priceless wisdom, grace, mercy, and peace into us. In doing so, we’ll make room for the Kingdom of God both in us and around us.
Amen? Amen!
A Blessing for Your Week
In our Bible Study group, one person often mentions how he sees God in nature. Many of us agreed. We often envy the freedom of birds as they soar. The next time you watch a bird soaring above, notice that they carry no baggage with them. They have a choice: they can fly high and far or hold onto their stuff and remain grounded, not living into what they were created to be.
This week we have been reminded of how God hears us, accepts us, embraces us, loves us, and walks with us because we are God’s children. And because of that love, God unchains us from the limitations of all of our imperfections, our failings, and our endless doubts and questions. I invite you to join us again next week as we continue this exploration.
Go this day knowing that you – every one of you – are unique and precious creations of an infinitely loving God who wants to help you unload your baggage and carefully select your luggage so that you can become more of who God created you to be.
Folks, this is how we live into being the Great Commandments of loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. There is no greater blessing than that! Amen? Amen!
Today’s readings all focus on our belief that you are unleashed to be who God created you to be.
We Are Corrupt — Ezekiel 18:31–32
NIV
31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
NLT
31 Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? 32 I don’t want you to die, says the Sovereign Lord. Turn back and live!
We Are Lost
NIV
6 “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.
NLT
6 “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray and turned them loose in the mountains. They have lost their way and can’t remember how to get back to the sheepfold.
NIV
10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
NLT
10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
We Are Saved — Jeremiah 15:20
NIV
20 I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord.
NLT
20 They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken!
We Are Proud — Jeremiah 9:23–24
NIV
23 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.
NLT
23 This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. 24 But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!
We Are Not Abandoned — Joshua 1:9
NIV
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
NLT
9 This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
We Are Hungry — Isaiah 55:1–3
NIV
Invitation to the Thirsty 1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
NLT
Invitation to the Lord’s Salvation 1 “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink – even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk – it’s all free!
2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
We Are Weak — 2 Corinthians 12:9
NIV
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
NLT
9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
We Are Heard — Jeremiah 29:12
NIV
12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
NLT
12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.
We Are Clothed
NIV
49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
NLT
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
NIV
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
NLT
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.