One of the major things that has really struck me (again) was the beauty of the gospel. Sure, when I became Christian I was cut to the heart, I could not comprehend why God would love a sinner like me, so much that He would send his only son Jesus to die on a cross for me, and now to be in a relationship with Him! But without knowing, this simple truth (aka. the gospel message) drifted from the centre of my attention. It was there, but only in the background, an underlying concept as I "moved on" to learn about other things from the bible.
But since moving here, God has opened my eyes to consider the gospel again-and not just consider, but to have it as a constant reality. And when you see the world, each day through the lens of the gospel, when you realise you are standing in God's abundant grace, everything changes.
Things become coloured in a whole new way. God's goodness is clear everywhere, your heart begins to overflow with thankfulness, you are filled with an urgency to share this message (a message of hope, love, peace and freedom) and you feel deeply and overwhelmingly loved.
I've also been reminded of Romans 8:15
"The Spirit you received does not make you slaves,
so that you live in fear again;
rather, the Spirit you received
brought about your adoption to sonship.
And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
What is it like to cry out to God "Abba, Father" ?
It feels like you are a little child, and not in a demeaning, negative way. There is beautiful simplicity in being a child, you are weak, but you're not expected to be strong. You don't always know what's best, but you're not expected to. You make mistakes, you stumble and fall over, but that's okay. You are a child, and there is a heavenly Father who knows this and loves you anyway and will take care of you. I was telling God about all my worries (and trust me there are many), and at the end of it, I felt like He was simply saying this, leave it to me. :) how comforting!
Other thoughts...
- God is a God of joy! Like a Father making faces to make His child laugh, God delights in our joy and laughter!
- What humility looks like: being the God of the universe, almighty and powerful, able to do anything at will, and choosing to die on a cross - to know us, to have a relationship with us, to adopt us into His family. So He can take care of us without any barriers (what the!)
- I was trying to convince God why I was unworthy of His love, and no matter what weaknesses I tried to use whether 'trivial' (eg. I'm always late for public transport) or non-trivial (pride, selfishness), I was met with the realisation that God's mercy is always deeper, and that I did not stand condemned. I was already adopted into God's home, the penalty has been paid, the debt dealt with. Nothing can change the fact that I'm his daughter now :)
- Though we fail, and fall short still, God is there to comfort us in our grief over our sinful nature
So in short-Brisbane has been an absolute blessing. It has opened up my time/eyes/opportunities to experience God more fully and to share that with others in ways I didn't realise I knew how.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." Ephesians 1:3
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