It is all about God - not about you
Gregory Bishop
(Audio: English)
SUMMARY: The process of God changing us is a long one, but he is committed to it. We often think that we need to change ourselves, but it is about God doing a full makeover in our lives. The Bible is full of stories of God finding broken, hurt, ashamed, and sinful people and healing and molding them. One of these stories is Adam and Eve, who tried to cover themselves with fig leaves and hide from God when they realized their sin. This is a common pattern for us too: we try to fix things ourselves, realize we can't, then hide. But God is always there, ready to find us and help us through the process of transformation.
The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden shows how they tried to cover their shame and hide from God after they sinned. But God showed them grace by covering their shame with the garments of an animal, which required blood to be shed. This concept of grace is also seen in the story of Jacob and his wives, where Laban tricks him into marrying Lea instead of Rachel. Despite the messy situation, Jacob eventually learns about the power of grace and love.
The story of Lea in the Bible shows how she tried to earn her husband's love and fill her emotional needs through her children, but it never worked. She finally realized that only God can fill the God-shaped vacuum in her heart, and she decided to praise the Lord. This is a word of hope for us, that no matter what we've done in the past, we can always react differently and lift our eyes to God. We can come into God's presence and let him know that he is with us.
The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden shows how they tried to cover their shame and hide from God after they sinned. But God showed them grace by covering their shame with the garments of an animal, which required blood to be shed. This concept of grace is also seen in the story of Jacob and his wives, where Laban tricks him into marrying Lea instead of Rachel. Despite the messy situation, Jacob eventually learns about the power of grace and love.
The story of Lea in the Bible shows how she tried to earn her husband's love and fill her emotional needs through her children, but it never worked. She finally realized that only God can fill the God-shaped vacuum in her heart, and she decided to praise the Lord. This is a word of hope for us, that no matter what we've done in the past, we can always react differently and lift our eyes to God. We can come into God's presence and let him know that he is with us.
Chapter 3, Genesis 3, we’re going to look at a couple of different texts in Genesis today and just as a way of prefix to share one of my favorite things about being in ministry, one of my favorite, favorite things that happens in this church is watching people change right before my eyes. Those of you, we have Esther who’s going to come in as a little infant and right before our eyes, she’s going to change and say, ‘gosh, she looks so different, every week she looks different’. And I love the way the Holy Spirit gets a hold of people and changes them and blesses them and heals them.
Now, how many of us know that that is not a process that happens overnight? How many of us know that it takes a long time? You know, we didn’t get messed up overnight, we didn’t become who we are overnight, and God doesn’t change us overnight. He takes us through a long process, but it’s a process that he’s is absolutely committed to getting you through. And I love watching that process. Sometimes it’s long, there’s a lot of curves, there’s a lot of detours and sometime I think, God, am I ever going to change? And God says, don’t worry, I am committed to your growth and I will see to it, that you become the man that I have created you to be.
Now, how many of us know that that is not a process that happens overnight? How many of us know that it takes a long time? You know, we didn’t get messed up overnight, we didn’t become who we are overnight, and God doesn’t change us overnight. He takes us through a long process, but it’s a process that he’s is absolutely committed to getting you through. And I love watching that process. Sometimes it’s long, there’s a lot of curves, there’s a lot of detours and sometime I think, God, am I ever going to change? And God says, don’t worry, I am committed to your growth and I will see to it, that you become the man that I have created you to be.
