#1 in the “Sermon to Myself” Series…
Oh, Boy…I’m Gonna Really Let ‘Em Have It!!
Ever think these thoughts???
Everything’s goin’ fine…
When suddenly someone…
Somewhere…
Gets on your last nerve…
You’re tired…
Overwhelmed…
Over worked…
Underpaid…
Under appreciated…
Frustrated…
Stressed…
Hungry…
Or, all of the above!
And you lash out…
At your spouse…
Your kids…
Your dog…
Your friends…
Your boss…
Your co-workers…
Your neighbors…
Your crazy relatives!!
Oh, Boy…I’m Gonna Really Let ‘Em Have It This Time!!!
And so, you do!!
It’s not pretty!!!!!
Yikes!!
Blew it again!?!?!?!
Oh, yeah 😦
I like to think I’m a child of the Most High King…
A saint led by God’s Holy Spirit…
But, sometimes I’m really just a spoiled child…
Who wants my own way…
Led by my own fleshly nature…
Or, by the prince of this corrupt world…
When I’m more “child” than “saint”…
I pout…
I rehash hurts…
I dwell on, “my way or no way!”
I regurgitate negativity…
I’m irritated and irrational…
I don’t even like myself very much…
Never mind the ones who I don’t like at the moment…
I’m a mess!!!!
Then…
I find myself in a Holy Spirit-filled service…
Where God’s Presence is welcomed…
Where Jesus is known…
And preached…
Where God is wooing us…
To “Lay It All Down!!”
And even without consciously thinking to myself…
“I gotta get rid of this nonsense…
I gotta let it go…
I gotta give it away…”
Finally saying…
“Oh, Boy I Gotta Really Let HIM Have It All!”
With every worship song…
With every word the preacher speaks…
With every testimony of Jesus…
God reveals from His Word…
I feel the annoyance, the hurt, the hostility, the irritation…
And the crazy thoughts in my head…
Dissipate…
And change to now sensing…
God’s enormous love saturating and melting my cold heart…
Praise wells up, ardent worship comes, love encompasses me…
The Holy Spirit…
Living in me…
Knows I want to please the Lord…
And so, He takes the nasty and negative away…
He renews my mind…
“Where are those negative, hurtful thoughts???
That were there a second ago?”
Washed away!!
The Holy Spirit knew I needed to…
Really Let Him Have It All!!
So, as I lay it at His feet…
Jesus loves me…
So, He takes it!
It’s nasty…
I won’t pick it up again!!
Amen!
Go where the Presence of God is.
Be sensitive to the move of the Holy Spirit…
Read His Word…
Study to show yourself approved…
Listen to worship music on your radio, iPod, computer…
Immerse yourself in what is good…
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.”
Let Jesus have all the rest…
Can’t be any plainer or simpler than that!!
Right?