Have you ever wondered why God said, “Jacob have I love, and Esau have I hated”, when Jacob was the deceitful one of the two twin brothers?”
Have you wondered why the Prodigal who wasted his inheritance on sinful living was welcomed back with open arms, while the dutiful brother who stayed at home working was rebuked? While none of this may make sense to us, it is good news.
Imagine if all those who were deceitful were immediately disqualified from the possibility of being in the inner circle of God’s attention and affection. Imagine what an empty place heaven would be if all wayward sons were forever eliminated on the spot. I for one am thankful that God wants more from me than perfection. I am thankful that God wants heart.
As needful as it is for God to deal with our rebellion and sin, He would much rather have a passionate heart that needs to be reigned in and cleaned up, than a “stiff” who gives lip service and plays at being perfection incarnate.
There were years when I tried being the “good girl” but God couldn’t have been more bored and less impressed. He never wanted my pretentious attempts at holiness. He wanted my whole heart. So when I came spilling over with shirt tail out, socks miss-matched and my life in a shamble, He affectionately lifted me up to where He was. And He still does!
It’s the same with my kids. When they give me lip-service and tell me everything they think I want to hear, it leaves me cold. But when the wildest of the bunch is brought to his knees and completely overhauled by God, I know what Salvation looks like.
He’s not a prissy God with hands neatly clasped in His lap shuttering at a curse word. This is the God who uses tirades of thunder to pronounce His presence, winds that tear through houses and a child’s birth to bring us to our knees.
If your life is in an upheaval, bring it on. He's daring you! This passionate God won't share. He deserves nothing less than our whole heart, not our lip service.
