Good morning! Special shoutout to my favorite sister on her birthday! The other day was beautiful – the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the weather was perfect. We had just finished our bike ride and Mer had just arrived home from the grocery store. Of course being the great helpers that we are, we went out to help bring everything in from the car.
Josh tries to grab the case of water bottles only to drop them halfway to the house – because he is a weakling LOL! I wouldn’t let him give up and made him finish carrying them all the way in – because I’m mean LOL! As Josh was walking back and forth to the house, he was walking barefoot on the driveway which had been soaking up the sun most of the morning.
He kept telling us how good it felt, “you guys should feel this, the warmth feels so good on your feet.” This got me thinking – the asphalt surface temperature had changed because of the sun that is ninety three million miles away from us. That number is too big for me to even begin to understand; but because of the effect of the sun, the driveway became something that made Josh feel good – something that made Josh talk about it. Other than when it was first installed (because it was so smooth), I don’t ever remember Josh saying anything about the driveway!
The same thing can happen in our lives if we allow ourselves to be affected by the SON – Jesus! A life that would ordinarily be considered normal, begins to stand out to others because of warmth they feel when they are around us!
In the book of Isaiah, it talks about how Israel is being called to wake up from their spiritual slumber and inactivity because the light has come – the light being a symbol of God’s Presence and intervention!
“ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you–rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
Isaiah 60:1-3 Amplified Classic
I normally provide the scripture references in the NIV but today it’s coming from the Amplified Classic to give a better understanding.
Just like the Israelites were spiritually asleep, our lives are the same way before accepting Jesus! We are inactive in the things of God and bound up by the sin of our selfish desires. But when God reveals Himself to us and we choose to accept His crazy love for us, our lives begin to change!
We begin to see how far away from God we have strayed and how thankful we are for His amazing grace! There is something I heard a long time ago that has stuck with me through the years.
“You can take a million steps away from God, but it only takes one step to come back to Him!”
Someone
How amazing is God! He accepts us while we were still sinners, but doesn’t leave us there! He takes the brokenness and makes us whole; He takes away our sin and makes us a new creation!
The Son of God begins to TRANSFORM our lives from the inside out and other people begin to notice! Just like the driveway was giving off the heat absorbed by the sun, others begin to feel the warmth of God’s love in us!
We cannot take the credit for any of the transformation that takes place in our lives, because the change is only possible because of the effect of God’s love for us!
I don’t know about you, but I want to be a driveway that makes people’s feet feel good! I want to give people something to talk about – the love of God being reflected in my life!
Heavenly Father, thank You for being the difference maker in my life! Thank You for taking my brokenness and making me whole! Help me to be overwhelmed by Your love to the point that it radiates from my life at all times and when given the opportunity to give You all the credit! Help me to be someone that helps other people find You! In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 