Losing the froth!

Frappuccino, Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha, Macchiato,…. There are so many different varieties of coffee that you can now buy and choose from. No longer is it a simple case of ordering a coffee with cream. You virtually need a degree in understanding all the different fancy names and flavor options. All this before you even start deciding whether you want it Grande, Tall, Skinny or Iced!!

As someone who enjoys just a simple coffee with milk, I sometimes wonder at all the extras that people add to their coffees. Surely in the process of adding all the froths, flavouring, creams and frills, what transpires is something that has lost all resemblance to the simple taste of coffee.

To walk with the Lord is incredibly simple, but sometimes because of our own desires and flesh we don’t like the simplicity that it is. To walk and grow with the Lord is, quite simply, about laying down our own life and following Him. It is about dying to our self that He may grow in our hearts. It’s all about Him and really so very little about us! It isn’t about our rights, our needs, our wants and our expectations – it’s all about surrender and yielding to a God who loves and knows best for His children.

But is this our focus today? Or are we instead distracted by the froth of our own humanness that gets in the way of this and we lose the taste of that true relationship with Him? Unfortunately it’s so easy for us to become distracted by the frill and froth that clouds our hearts - the pride, self pity, unforgiveness, envy, injustice, self-righteousness, control, greed and other familiar ugliness that we carry alongside our love for the Lord and our desire to follow Him. As we “Christianise” these extras or justify their place in our hearts, all we do is rob ourselves of recognising and demonstrating the true flavour of God – of knowing Him intimately.

I encourage you today to look at your own heart and to recognize what clouds the simplicity of “laying down your life” for the Lord. What extras are you carrying? There is no fancy answer to be free from what will be a life-long struggle with our carnal nature, other than that today we chose to die to all that clouds our hearts. As we come to the Lord in repentance and we receive His forgiveness, it’s another victory won by His redeeming work of transformation in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I find that exciting!

Prayer: Father God, I long to know You in the fullness of who You are. To know Your transforming work in my life. So today, Lord, I chose to walk Your simple path of dying to self. I’m sorry, Lord, for my selfish ways that disguise Your work in my life and I receive Your forgiveness, Your grace and Your mercy. Thank You that You are patient and kind and that as I yield my heart to You, You will continue to work in my life – for Your Glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen.