I’m an extrovert. Actually, according to the personality test we recently took at work, I’m 92% extroverted. What this translates to is me hating quiet time. If I’m going to be by myself, my favorite way to do it is in a coffee shop full of people where I can be alone… but not really. In fact, that’s exactly where I am as I write this.
Due to my extroverted tendencies, I don’t typically like sitting in my office without chatting or listening to something. So this last week I picked a random worship set from Bethel to listen to. I sat at my desk slightly bouncing my foot with the music as I cut away at children’s church crafts for the coming Sunday.
Due to my extroverted tendencies, I don’t typically like sitting in my office without chatting or listening to something. So this last week I picked a random worship set from Bethel to listen to. I sat at my desk slightly bouncing my foot with the music as I cut away at children’s church crafts for the coming Sunday.
Out of nowhere, I had a random, unrelated thought.
Out of nowhere, I had a random, unrelated thought. When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden, He knew they would sin. He knew they would eat from the tree and He knew they would allow sin to enter the world. Yet, He still created them. He still gave them free will. He placed them in the Garden and still gave them dominion over the earth. But the part that struck me- the part that was new- was when he placed them there, there was no guilt or shame placed on them.
“Adam, don’t eat this tree. But I know you will and you’ll just screw it up… which will quickly become the usual behavior for mankind. Screwing it up.” *insert eye roll from God here.*
“Adam, don’t eat this tree. But I know you will and you’ll just screw it up… which will quickly become the usual behavior for mankind. Screwing it up.” *insert eye roll from God here.*
*insert eye roll from God here*
He didn’t hesitantly place them into the world. He didn’t even second guess His decision. He placed them there, no strings attached, fully aware of the future, but not holding it against them. It was beautiful.
I pondered this for a moment. How many times do we treat people according to experience?
“Oh there you go again! Screwing it up.”
“Once a liar always a liar.”
“You broke my trust, I can never trust you again.”
“Well I let her do it, but I knew she’d just mess it up.”
How often do we judge people according to how we *think* we know they will behave? Yet, God, who actually knew what they would do, never treated Adam and Eve as if they’d mess up. Regardless of what was going to happen, they had His trust.
If the King of Kings, Creator of the world, Timeless One can give us dominion over the earth without hesitation, reservation, or lack of trust, why can’t we believe the best in people, despite their history and pasts?
The Bethel worship set ended. I scrolled around Bethel.TV looking for something else to watch. I clicked on a random Kris Vallotton teaching. He was preaching on Government and as usual, it was awesome. Suddenly, I have no idea where it came from, but he begins to speak on the Garden of Eden and how God gave us free will when he placed Adam and Eve in the garden. He does not verbatim repeat my thought process- in fact, he took a little different direction with it, but he repeats the same general revelation. I was shocked.
When the session ended, I realized the random Kris V teaching was from the same church service as the random worship set I picked. I just listened to a complete service from beginning to end.
I pondered this for a moment. How many times do we treat people according to experience?
“Oh there you go again! Screwing it up.”
“Once a liar always a liar.”
“You broke my trust, I can never trust you again.”
“Well I let her do it, but I knew she’d just mess it up.”
How often do we judge people according to how we *think* we know they will behave? Yet, God, who actually knew what they would do, never treated Adam and Eve as if they’d mess up. Regardless of what was going to happen, they had His trust.
If the King of Kings, Creator of the world, Timeless One can give us dominion over the earth without hesitation, reservation, or lack of trust, why can’t we believe the best in people, despite their history and pasts?
The Bethel worship set ended. I scrolled around Bethel.TV looking for something else to watch. I clicked on a random Kris Vallotton teaching. He was preaching on Government and as usual, it was awesome. Suddenly, I have no idea where it came from, but he begins to speak on the Garden of Eden and how God gave us free will when he placed Adam and Eve in the garden. He does not verbatim repeat my thought process- in fact, he took a little different direction with it, but he repeats the same general revelation. I was shocked.
When the session ended, I realized the random Kris V teaching was from the same church service as the random worship set I picked. I just listened to a complete service from beginning to end.
So here's six random points:
So here’s six random points:
1. I picked up on a thought that was already flowing in the atmosphere of that church service. Through a computer screen, during the worship, I received a revelation that would later be released during the preaching.
2. God speaks. He usually speaks in random thoughts you don’t see coming.
3. God isn’t afraid to confirm His word. And it doesn’t have to take forever to do so!
4. It’s on God’s heart right now that I learn to not hold people against my experiences or their past mistakes. 7x70 the Lord said we are to forgive. Forgiveness doesn’t hold grudges and remember past mistakes for the next time you screw up. If God can cast the memory of our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, then I can do the same to others.
5. There’s something on the fact that God trusted Adam and Eve. He trusted Judas. He allowed Judas to kiss him despite what was coming next. He gave Adam and Eve life and all of the Garden even with sin entering the world and Jesus’ death to heal it all at stake. High stakes don’t scare God or cause Him to withhold trust.
6. I don’t know what exactly God wants me to pull from here, but I know He’s depositing something new deep inside.
“Your love's not fractured. It's not a troubled mind. It isn't anxious. It's not the restless kind. Your love's not passive. It's never disengaged. It's always present. It hangs on every word we say. Love keeps its promises. It keep its word. It honors what's sacred. ‘Cause its vows are good. Your love's not broken. It's not insecure. Your love's not selfish. Your love is pure. You don't give Your heart in pieces. You don't hide Yourself to tease us.”
Pieces - Amanda Cook
1. I picked up on a thought that was already flowing in the atmosphere of that church service. Through a computer screen, during the worship, I received a revelation that would later be released during the preaching.
2. God speaks. He usually speaks in random thoughts you don’t see coming.
3. God isn’t afraid to confirm His word. And it doesn’t have to take forever to do so!
4. It’s on God’s heart right now that I learn to not hold people against my experiences or their past mistakes. 7x70 the Lord said we are to forgive. Forgiveness doesn’t hold grudges and remember past mistakes for the next time you screw up. If God can cast the memory of our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, then I can do the same to others.
5. There’s something on the fact that God trusted Adam and Eve. He trusted Judas. He allowed Judas to kiss him despite what was coming next. He gave Adam and Eve life and all of the Garden even with sin entering the world and Jesus’ death to heal it all at stake. High stakes don’t scare God or cause Him to withhold trust.
6. I don’t know what exactly God wants me to pull from here, but I know He’s depositing something new deep inside.
“Your love's not fractured. It's not a troubled mind. It isn't anxious. It's not the restless kind. Your love's not passive. It's never disengaged. It's always present. It hangs on every word we say. Love keeps its promises. It keep its word. It honors what's sacred. ‘Cause its vows are good. Your love's not broken. It's not insecure. Your love's not selfish. Your love is pure. You don't give Your heart in pieces. You don't hide Yourself to tease us.”
Pieces - Amanda Cook