It was all Me

Even as I continue to soar so fast and high in my (long and interesting) spiritual journey with God, it is really really easy to take an accidental, subconscious step of pride and just fall off the cliff into my own self-destruction if I think all these crazy, heavenly (yep! I went to heaven), divine happenings happened because of.....ME.

You see, I have been true a really dry season in the last semester, seeking God and wanting a touch from Him, although He showed up in the most peculiar ways I wanted to hear directly from Him, to know Him and see Him. Little did I know that you really have to be careful with what you ask for because He is just blowing my mind with what He's doing in my life right now. Open doors everywhere (strangers, random people), friends that I have been praying for asking me about God, classmates being more aware of CF (even if it's cos there are "cute guys" from the photos), people from elsewhere attending our CF, 3rd Heaven experiences, dreams, bible insights, divine answers, favor with God and men and so much more.

If I think that all these are coming at me because of my works or effort, the way I pray every night in our hostel prayer group, how I fasted, the way I'm reading more of the bible or how I'm being such a good child of God obeying His commandments I am totally WRONG. God allows me to experience His greatness because of Him and not me.

It is something I have been learning in my church, that spiritual gifts, promises, financial blessings, life in abundance is given to us not because we're good enough (base on what we do for Him) but what He wants to give us just because HE IS LOVE.

I can fall very easily into pride thinking that my self-effort has brought me to where I am today, smack right in the bulls-eye of God's promises and blessings for me. But God knows best and even before I can bask in my self-righteous glory, he led me to this through my devotion time.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

To not dampened the effect and truth which jumped out at me, I'll just copy the whole thing from my devotion.

"....we all want credit for the stuff we do. And God is the same way. When he does something great, he wants us to know that it was him- all him. ...Through Jesus death, we were brought to life. Our sinful hearts were transformed into hearts that desire him. We were made pure, holy and blameless in his sight. And we had absolutely nothing to do with it...it's all him. Knowing that we have such an amazing gift-salvation- it's tempting to think that we were somewhat responsible. We want to think that because we did something good, God rewarded us. But God says, "No way. You've got nothing to brag about....it was all me." It's only through God's grace that we're saved. Take time today to thank him for his grace and for your salvation that's not dependent on who you are or what you've done- only on who he is and what he's done."

I don't have to explain anymore, you get the picture. =)