As God draws me nearer to Himself I begin to realize more and more how wretched I am, how even my efforts to please Him become idolatry when I, in my small thinking dare to say I am adding something of value to His kingdom. God is so Holy, separate, and different from me, I forget there is nothing I can offer that He needs. He created me to Worship Him, and yet most of the time my thoughts thoughts are on myself. He is revealing His Holy nature to me a little at a time and showing me (as much as I can handle at one time) how He loves me, in spite of me!... and, how He saved me, from Himself (His wrath) and for Himself (to Worship) and by Himself (in Christ). I am so unworthy of His great love and yet He loves me anyway. He loves me the same when I am preaching and teaching as He did when I was His enemy and in my heart hated Him, there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more or love me less. Why would I let anything replace the joy that comes from His love, yet I do. Joy should not come from my success in trying to please Him or what I "I think" I can do for Him, it should come from what He has already, done for me, through His Son Jesus Christ, and yet, I so often let circumstances rule my heart. O' what a pitiful wretched man I am. I mimic words from scripture but they are no less true in my heart, "who shall save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
~ Bart Helmbreck ~
~ Bart Helmbreck ~
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