Ten year ago after I read Rick Warren`s "The Purpose Driven Life," I began to ponder the question, why am I here and what purpose does God have for the rest of my life. I began to pray that God would direct my steps, that he would put people in my path that I needed to meet. I prayed that He would allow me to become more like His son, Jesus. At the time, I thought that might be a little too bold, but I have since learned that is the true destinations for all; to become holy and righteous(right with God).
Granted, God started slow and easy, but recently I feel like Emerald, bam---- he`s kicked it up a notch. It is as if there is a gigantic onion of sin, embedded in the depths of my soul. After God brings a new root of sin to my attention, he prepares me for an onion-o-lectomy, ready or not! Rip, there goes a removal of yet another layer of sin! 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God`s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
So, how did that onion set of sin get there in the first place, it actually began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:15-17 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Genesis 2:22-25 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Next the deceitful serpent(Satan) has a little chat with Eve----Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD had made, He, said to the woman, "Did God really, say "You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made covering for themselves.
From that moment, by an act of disobedience, it allowed Satan and sin to enter the world. Whether knowly or unknowlingly, I too have been deceived by that dreadful snake. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.
Some of the most powerful principalities and powers of the devil show up in the behavior of Adam and Eve after they sinned. We see lying, shame, condemnation, doubt, false accusation, and unbelief. For the first time, lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life evident. These are the same root problem that Christian still fight today.(Biblical Foundations of Freedom, Art Mathias)
Hope that explains the onion analogy; back to the massive onion in my gut, and the sin in me. The tiny onion set was fertilized and grew to full and beyond maturity with every sin that I committed.. Think about an onion, that pungent circular veggie(I guess it`s a vegetable, not sure) if we admire it from afar, and don`t remove the outer skin, it`s vilatile gases remain intact. However, I invited God to restore me to holiness and rightousness and that onion began to sink to high heavens; talk about onion-breath! One painful transparent layer at a time, the onion has got to go!
Onion-o-lectomy, that my defination of God`s procedure for inner healing. Wish I could see inside to see just how much of that smelly sinful onion remains! Guess I `ll just need to be patient and trust God with the scalpel. 1 Peter 5:10-11 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever, Amen.
For years, 23 years I owned and operated a Market Sub and Steak, people always told me that I smelled like onions! Oh no, was it the sin in me omitting that onion gas; or did it have something to do with the 50 pounds of onions a week, that we handed chopped, to put on subs and cheese steaks!Isaiah 3:24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench..............got onion breath you need to get rid of?
1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
I wish we were still chopping!!
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