Time to be Real

Can I be real with you, my lovely readers, for a few minutes?

Honestly, I need to apologize first off. I had every intention of writing wonderful blogs about my Passover cleaning, preparation, teachings and the like, with beautiful pictures of course, but it just simply didn't happen.

In the middle of all the craziness of preparing my home and my heart for this joyous holiday came some news at work that caused me much anxiety. I was told that I was being moved to another department, a lateral move really - which was fine with me, except that I really felt it would cause a lot of office drama. I hate drama. I really do.

Instead of taking it to my Heavenly Abba right away, I fretted and stressed and cryed to my husband...much like the children of Israel did to Moses. In the middle of what should have been a time of great renewal and revival of my heart, I became anxious and put myself into mental slavery.

Since Saturday night, I have attended three different Passover seders, one of which I taught along with my husband. Finally, last night I got the picture! It came time for the Hallel section after the meal, and everyone was going around the table telling testimonies of what God has done in their lives lately. I realized that all I could think about was how much I felt I was lacking - at home, at work, as a child of God. This was the sin of bondage. However, repentance is a wonderful thing. Just as we eat the Hillel sandwich consisting of bitter herbs AND the sweet charoset mixture, our tears turn to joy when we repent. God hears our cries and gives us true freedom! Hallelujah!

Last Friday night, my husband and I were sharing with each other the "leaven" that we felt God was showing us was in our hearts. One thing I told him that I will share with you, is that I am happy this year to say that I finally feel that I've moved on to other "leavens." When I was younger my father would give everyone in my family a little booklet to write our sins in, and before Passover we would burn them. But, I was so discouraged when I realized that every year I would write the same exact things. I was reminded of this when I read the following verses:

"Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast - as you really are. For Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Cor. 5:6-8

Praise God - He who sanctifies us and draws us to Himself!

Interestingly enough, here is Oswald Chamber's devotion for April 23:


THE WORSHIP OF THE WORK
"Labourers together with God." 1 Corinthians 3:9

Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God, and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshipping child, not a wayward child. A worker without this solemn dominant note of concentration on God is apt to get his work on his neck; there is no margin of body, mind or spirit free, consequently he becomes spent out and crushed. There is no freedom, no delight in life; nerves, mind and heart are so crushingly burdened that God's blessing cannot rest. But the other side is just as true - when once the concentration is on God, all the margins of life are free and under the dominance of God alone. There is no responsibility on you for the work; the only responsibility you have is to keep in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your co-operation with Him. The freedom after sanctification is the freedom of a child, the things that used to keep the life pinned down are gone. But be careful to remember that you are freed for one thing only - to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.
We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything; wherever He puts us our one great aim is to pour out a whole-hearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."

By the way, here's another post that really blessed me today.

Thanks to Allposters.com for the lovely picture!