Lord, is it okay if I mess up Today?

Some days, as much as I try, I still manage to make a mess of things.
Many mornings I spend time in prayer, asking God to help me live a Godly life, only to find at the end of the day, I've come so short of the goal.
Discouragement puts me to sleep.

There are days,however, when I know exactly what to do. I know exactly how to act and what to say... and then I must choose. Not always making the right choice.

It is on those days, that I am most grateful for the scripture reference that says, "His mercies are new every morning".
For if it wasn't for God's mercies... I'd still be trying but failing.

And then there's that other saying, or is it scripture?... "the heart is willing but the flesh is weak". Sounds like scripture...

Okay, so the point is that many of us have very good intentions and want to follow God's will for our lives, but we fail to do see it through. And we all have our reasons. Or are they excuses? I don't know, but regardless, we fall short.

So this was the topic of discussion last night for my husband and me. And if you are married, you know that topics of discussion usually mean that "we see things differently". It was an awesome discussion, nevertheless.

I was on the side of "God's grace covers all of our mistakes, and so it's okay if we mess up". My loving husband was on the other side with, "We must stop being lukewarm for Christ, and we need to give God our all--- not sitting back with the "God's grace has Me" card--- and limiting our faith from growth because we won't step out or speak out for the Lord."

I told you it was awesome!

And then there's God's word. God's word... which cuts like a knife. It is as powerful as it is soothing. God's word meets our needs, and it meets us right where we are.
It's like Jesus-- Jesus met people where they were. At times, He was just walking by. Other times, he sat with them. And there were times, when He went out to find them.

Okay so going back to how I should live today. Here is my conclusion... I was reading the book of Hosea in the Bible. If you've never read it, you should. It is confusing a bit, but the message of God's love could not be more clear. You see Hosea was a prophet that God called to marry a prostitute. And it describes her (Gomer) as a very lowly person. She was someone that none of us would wish to relate with. And yet, she was Hosea's mission. And not only did He have to marry her, but when she left him and continued with her promiscuous ways, Hosea had to sought her out. He actually paid to have her back. She was being "auctioned" off, and Hosea bought her back.

Hosea represented God, and so you know who we are, right? We are, or were, Gomer the prostitute. You see we are, in our human nature, very lowly people. And we are capable of all inhumane sins. Yet, God sent His son to come and rescue us and give us eternal life in heaven. Yet, He paid a very big price for us. He died for us. And when we mess up, because we will, He buys us back. He brings us back to Him.

And so, as Christians when we go about our day, trying to meet our goals, this we should have in mind:
God gave it all for me---for all of me--present, past, and future. And He loves me anyway. That is not to be taken lightly.
Now, out of gratitude and love for Him, I will give my all in return. I will step out of my comfort zone-- although the zone may be very large-- but I will do it for Christ. Not because He needs it, but because He deserves it.

What exactly shall I do out of my comfort zone? (one may ask) I will love the unlovable. I will serve the ones in need. I will tell others about His love. I will obey His word, when I don't want to. I will ask for forgiveness, when I offend. I will drive away from the place that leads me into temptation. I will not befriend the person that lures me. I will change the radio station... and so on and so on... Can you add to the list of things that we can do to live for Christ? (if so, add it on the comments box below)

And though I may fall short, like I have many times, I will continue to strive to be just like Him, who loved me first.

Hosea 11:9-11
9 I will not carry out my fierce anger,
nor will I devastate Ephraim again.
For I am God, and not a man—
the Holy One among you.
I will not come against their cities.
10 They will follow the LORD;
he will roar like a lion.
When he roars,
his children will come trembling from the west.
11 They will come from Egypt,
trembling like sparrows,
from Assyria, fluttering like doves.
I will settle them in their homes,”
declares the LORD.