"Unfettered"

"I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people." (Psalms 116:14)

 I probably should update our photo, seeing how I have aged significantly since that photo was taken. Oddly enough, Marianne still looks the same; at least that is how I see her, she has not aged at all, she has only become more beautiful and precious in my sight. I seriously hope that is how I look in God's sight; the closer I get to being with Him, the more precious I am in His sight. The strange thing about that, is that He already sees me like I will become, so there is no changing in the way that He sees me. I hope that there is someone out there that understands what I am trying to say, because the message is right at the tip of my tongue. If you dice up the verse above into three sections, say by putting a comma between 'LORD', 'now', and 'in', I believe it will make better sense to anyone that gets what I am trying to say. You see, we are not now the way that we will become, but we can be the way that we should be, right now, if we would only let God have His way in us. I am being totally serious right now. Our basic problem with being used by God, is that we want to feel complete in order for Him to work in us. We do not feel adequate enough, so we are waiting for Him to finish working things out of our lives in order for us to be good enough or more qualified. If that is what you are waiting for, then it is never going to happen! Right now is the acceptable time of the LORD! This amazing and glorious salvation that we have been given shines the brightest in the darkness; with all of your dirt and grime, you are an earthen vessel filled with a glorious message. The title for today's message might have seemed weird when I first wrote it, but I can see now why God spoke it into my heart. My chains are gone, I have been set free; I am no longer a servant to sin, but I am a servant of God! Right now, is just a way of saying, "Just as I am!" Oddly enough, you seriously don't get any better, without first getting busy...

"I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light."
(Psalms 56:10-13) NLT