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One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise.
Ah, the beauty of God's creation is beyond description.
As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.
As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me.
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He asked me, "Do you love me?"
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I answered, "Of course, God! You are my Lord
and Saviour!"
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Then He asked, "If you were physically handicapped,
would you still love me?"
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I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest
of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn't; be able to do,
the things that I took for granted.
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And I answered, "It would be tough Lord,
but I would still love You."
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Then the Lord said, "If you were blind, would
you still love my creation?"
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How could I love something without being able to see it?
Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many
of them still loved God and His creation.
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So I answered, "Its hard to think of it,
but I would still love you."
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The Lord then asked me, "If you were deaf,
would you still listen to my word?"
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How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening
to God's Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts.
I answered, "It would be tough, but I would
still listen to Your word."
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The Lord then asked, "If you were mute, would
you still praise My Name?"
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How could I praise without a voice?
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Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart
and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God
is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we
give God praise with our words of thanks.
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So I answered, "Though I could not physically
sing, I would still praise Your Name."
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And the Lord asked, "Do you really love Me?"
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With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly, "Yes
Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!"
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I thought I had answered well, but... God asked, "THEN
WHY DO YOU SIN?"
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I answered, "Because I am only human. I am
not perfect."
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"THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY
THE FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU
PRAY THE EARNEST?"
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No answers. Only tears.
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The Lord continued: "Why only sing at fellowships
and retreats? Why seek Me only in times
of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why
ask things so unfaithfully?"
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The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.
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"Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not
spreading
the good news? Why in times of persecution,
you cry to others when I offer My shoulder
to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you
opportunities to serve in My Name?"
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I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.
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"You are blessed with life. I made you not
to throw this gift away. I have blessed
you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to
turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in
knowledge. I have spoken to you but
your ears were closed. I have shown
My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have
sent you servants, but you sat idly by as
they were pushed away. I have heard
your prayers and I have answered them all."
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"DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME ?"
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I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond belief.
I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When I my heart had cried
out and the tears had flowed, I said, "Please
forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your
child."
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The Lord answered, "That is My Grace, My
child."
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I asked, "Then why do you continue to forgive
me? Why do You love me so?"
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The Lord answered, "Because you are My creation.
You are my child. I will never abandon
you. When you cry, I will have compassion
and cry with you. When you shout with
joy, I will laugh with you. When you
are down, I will encourage you. When
you fall, I will raise you up. When
you are tired, I will carry you. I
will be with you till the end of days, and I will
love you forever."
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Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold?
How could I have hurt God as I had done? I asked God, "How
much do You love me?"
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The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands.
I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Saviour. And for the first
time, I truly prayed. |