Being in the habit of.....

"Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered." Hebrews 5:8

I remember reading this years ago and being so puzzled why would Jesus have to "learn" obedience. After all, He IS the Son. The perfect Son of God, so He is without sin. This is when the Greek or Hebrews is such an amazing blessing to us. I finally said okay Lord I will study this verse, I'm not getting it but I know you want to show me something from this. So I went and looked up learned in the Greek, and here's what I found..."To learn by use and practice" and/or "to be in the habit of"


Well if that doesn't rock your world! I mean, honestly. So as Christ lived His life and lived through the sufferings He faced on this earth on our behalf, He "learned" obedience, really for Him he just used and practiced perfect obedience because that is Who He is. He is perfect and He created Obedience. It is the Holy Spirit of God in me that even allows me to obey. All this got me thinking, I so many times know the right thing to do, I know what it takes to obey God and yet....I let sin reign. "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey it's lusts." Romans 6:12 Whether it's selfishness, self righteousness, judgementalism, too much "self funneling" (as my Pastor says..we're born funnelers..we funnel everything through our own perspectives as to how things affect us and relate to us). I used to think I was being sympathetic by having a similar situation to relate to others with, ahh...how the Lord has shown me I am the worst of the funnelers!!!

God's word is clear, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9. Oh, how I long to love like that, just purely and for the glory of God. Truly without a thought to my sinful self and just for the good of others.

So this is (I think) what the Lord is showing me from this verse. I think I'm not that bad, I think I'm okay...but really, I need to just relax because "I'm worse than I think I am" but God has got it all under control. It's why He loves me and continually pursues my heart, because He will not leave me alone until He calls me home. So many times I know the right thing to do even in the "Suffering" and yet I fail, fall on my face and do not obey. I think the Lord doesn't want perfect vessels just 'useful' ones. That's my passion...I want to be useful for the Lord, I want to raise these beautiful boys to passionately desire to serve Him. I want to be a helpmeet to my husband that continually points him to Jesus.

I'm so excited because as the Lord continues to draw me away from being a "funneler." He persistently blesses both my husband and I with a passion to find a family ministry. No, not being a paid minister...but just actively serving and seeking Him in the body of Christ, that we could magnify Him to those who need Him!!